Street Prostitution - Legality

Legality

Street prostitution is often illegal, even in jurisdictions that allow other forms of prostitution.

Many countries which outlaw street prostitution have "unofficial" tolerance zones, where the practice is tolerated by the authorities, in spite of its illegality.

In some jurisdictions where prostitution itself is legal, such as in Canada and the United Kingdom, street prostitution is still illegal. The prohibition applies to both prostitutes and customers, and these two countries also outlaw brothels.

Some jurisdictions also outlaw kerb crawling, slowly driving around with the intent to procure the services of a prostitute.

In Australia, in New South Wales it is legal to solicit on the streets, except in some areas (such as near schools). The other Australian states and territories prohibit street solicitation, although some of these jurisdictions allow licensed brothels.

Street prostitution is legal in New Zealand. In Germany it is allowed too, but cities can restrict it to certain areas or hours (regulations vary widely from place to place).

In the United States, street prostitution is illegal in all 50 states; 49 of the states outlaw all forms of prostitution; Nevada allows licensed brothels, but only in some rural areas, not in the major metropolitan areas (only 8 counties have active brothels and prostitution outside these brothels is illegal throughout the state).

In six towns in the Netherlands, a special zone (tippelzone) is designated for legal street prostitution. The zone is often in a business park, to avoid inconvenience for residents. In some of the zones the prostitutes need a licence, no new licences are granted as there is an "extinction policy".