Welcome to the DNA Laws Database
NCSL has partnered with the National Institute of Justice to develop this DNA Laws Database. This database is a resource for legislators, staff and others who are interested in laws related to DNA.
The database is searchable in six different topic areas and contains citations and summaries for individual statutes. You can search by state, by topic or by keyword. You must select at least one topic and state to conduct a search. To search by state or topic mark the box next to your desired field and click on “Search”. To search by keyword, type your query into the keyword box and click on “Search”. To search all topics and/or all states use the the “Select All” feature.
Example: In order to do a keyword search for the word “felon” in the arrestee summaries for all states you would:
- Click on “Select All” above the “States” field;
- Mark the box next to “Collection of DNA Samples from Arrestees” in the “Topics” field;
- Type the word ‘felon’ in the keyword search;
- Mark by state or topic in the "Display By" field;
- Click on “Search”.
To print your results, click on the "Print View" located at the top right hand of your results page or click on the print icon on the bottom right hand of the page.
Under "Related Links" are links to the DNA Laws Database Topic Summaries as well as links to the 50-state tables that analyze the various DNA statutes and state regulations. These tables show how each state chooses to regulate their DNA laws.