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States with Address Confidentiality Programs for Domestic Violence Survivors

Nineteen states have statutes authorizing address confidentiality programs.  Washington was the first state to create a program in 1991.  The programs are similar in most of the states.  The agency operating the program can vary. Some states run their address confidentiality programs through their Attorney General’s office while others place it in the Secretary of State’s office.  Survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault apply for the program.  The state entity running the program assigns them a “dummy” address or an address at the state office.  The entity then forwards mail to the program participant’s actual physical address.  Most states with address confidentiality programs have created procedures to address court summonses, service of process, and other official mail.  They also have provisions for confidentiality of the information, including voter registration.  In most states, program participants vote by absentee ballot.  Their addresses are exempt from publication with state voter registry records.

State (year of implementation)	Statute
Arkansas (2005)	Ark. Stat. Ann. 27-16-810
California (1998)	Cal. Govt. Code §6206
Connecticut (2004)	-
Florida (1998)	F.S.A. §741.403
Illinois (1999) (no funding)	750 ILCS 61/
Indiana (2001)	IC §5-26.5-2
Maine (2002)	5 M.S.R.A. §90-B
Massachusetts (2001)	M.G.L.A. 9A §2
Nebraska (2003)	Neb. Rev. Stat. §42-1201 through 42-1210
Nevada (1997)	N.R.S. §217.462
New Hampshire (2001)	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §7:43
New Jersey (1998)	N.J. Stat. Ann. §47:4-4
North Carolina (2002)	N.C. Gen. Stat. §15C-1
Oklahoma (2002)	22 Okla. Stat. Ann. §60.14
Oregon (2006)	2005 Or. Laws, Chap. 821 (SB 850)
Pennsylvania (2005)	2004 Pa. Laws, Act 188
Rhode Island (1999)	R.I. Gen Laws §17-28-3
Vermont (2000)	15 VSA §1152
Washington (1991)	RCW §40.24.030

For more information on domestic violence issues, please contact Stephanie Walton in the Denver office at 303.364.7700 or cyf-info@ncsl.org or either Sheri Steisel or Lee Posey in the D.C. office at 202.624.5400 or fedhumserv-info@ncsl.org