Correction Law § 168-H

Duration of registration and verification · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 168-h. Duration of registration and verification. 1. The duration of registration and verification for a sex offender who has not been designated a sexual predator, or a sexually violent offender, or a predicate sex offender, and who is classified as a level one risk, or who has not yet received a risk level classification, shall be annually for a period of twenty years from the initial date of registration.

2. The duration of registration and verification for a sex offender who, on or after March eleventh, two thousand two, is designated a sexual predator, or a sexually violent offender, or a predicate sex offender, or who is classified as a level two or level three risk, shall be annually for life. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a sex offender who is classified as a level two risk and who is not designated a sexual predator, a sexually violent offender or a predicate sex offender, may be relieved of the duty to register and verify as provided by subdivision one of section one hundred sixty-eight-o of this article.

3. Any sex offender having been designated a level three risk or a sexual predator shall also personally verify his or her address every ninety calendar days with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction where the offender resides.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/COR/168-H

In plain English

Registration and verification last for different periods based on risk level and designation:

(1) An offender who is level 1 or not yet classified, and is not a sexual predator, sexually violent offender, or predicate sex offender, must register and verify annually for 20 years from initial registration. ★
(2) An offender designated on or after March 11, 2002 as a sexual predator, sexually violent offender, or predicate sex offender, or classified level 2 or 3, must register and verify annually for life. A level 2 offender without one of those designations may seek relief under § 168-o(1). ★
(3) A level 3 offender or sexual predator must also personally verify the residence address every 90 calendar days with the local agency having jurisdiction.

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Court Clerk in Plain English; Volume 6 — The Court Clerk: Uniform Rules and Everything Else; Volume 2 — Your Career: Criminal Procedure in Plain English.