
Is It Illegal To Cheat On Your Spouse In Washington State?
"Til death do us part" is one of the last things a soon to married coupe says to each other when reciting wedding vows. It's origin goes back to 16th century England with the intent to make the union a lifelong contract. As time as moved on, those words have been taken less seriously by some, leading to that vow being broken through the act of adultery.
In fact, you could argue adultery has become more common in society. The website Ashley Madison HELPS people in their quest to have an extramarital affair, and keep it a secret. If someone gets caught in an adulterous affair, the consequences are severe. You've read about plenty of high profile couples getting divorced because of adultery and the financial impact it has had on the cheating spouse.
You might have to pay out the nose if you commit adultery, but can you be charged criminally for an extramarital affair? It's not something you hear about regularly, someone getting arrested for adultery, though many of our laws are rooted in morality. You might be surprised to know it IS illegal in some parts of the United States to cheat on your spouse.

The following map shows the states that either currently have or have had laws that criminalized adultery to some degree.
The states in black (Oklahoma, Michigan, ans Wisconsin) currently consider adultery a felony. The 12 states and 1 territory (Puerto Rico) in dark gray currently consider adultery a misdemeanor. That's a total of 16 states that consider adultery punishable under the law to varying degrees.
The states in all shades of green criminalized adultery at one time but have repealed said laws (New York repealed their adultery law in 2024). The rest of the states on the map have never had a law on the books criminalizing cheating on your spouse. You'll see that includes Washington State. Washington has an additional wrinkle to how it views adultery that separates it from the majority of the US.
Washington State is considered a "no fault" divorce state. That means you can cheat on your spouse as many times as you want and it can't be held against you in divorce proceedings. You can play without having to pay according to how we decide who gets what at the end of a marriage.
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Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals
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