Minnesota § 609.79 OBSCENE OR HARASSING TELEPHONE CALLS

Minnesota Statutes

§ 609.79 — OBSCENE OR HARASSING TELEPHONE CALLS

Minnesota § 609.79

PartCRIMES; EXPUNGEMENT; VICTIMS

Ch. 609CRIMINAL CODE

This text of Minnesota § 609.79 (OBSCENE OR HARASSING TELEPHONE CALLS) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Minn. Stat. § 609.79 (2026).

Text

Subdivision 1.Crime defined; obscene call. Whoever,

(1)by means of a telephone,

(i)makes any comment, request, suggestion or proposal which is obscene, lewd, or lascivious,

(ii)with the intent to harass or intimidate another person, repeatedly makes telephone calls, whether or not conversation ensues, and thereby places the other person in reasonable fear of substantial bodily harm; places the person in reasonable fear that the person's family or household members will be subject to substantial bodily harm; or causes or would reasonably be expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the other person, or

(iii)with the intent to harass or intimidate any person at the called or notified number, makes or causes the telephone of another to repeatedly or continuously ring or receive

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Subdivision 1.Crime defined; obscene call.
Whoever,
(1) by means of a telephone,
(i) makes any comment, request, suggestion or proposal which is obscene, lewd, or lascivious,
(ii) with the intent to harass or intimidate another person, repeatedly makes telephone calls, whether or not conversation ensues, and thereby places the other person in reasonable fear of substantial bodily harm; places the person in reasonable fear that the person's family or household members will be subject to substantial bodily harm; or causes or would reasonably be expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the other person, or
(iii) with the intent to harass or intimidate any person at the called or notified number, makes or causes the telephone of another to repeatedly or continuously ring or receive electronic notifications and thereby places the other person in reasonable fear of substantial bodily harm; places the person in reasonable fear that the person's family or household members will be subject to substantial bodily harm; or causes or would reasonably be expected to cause substantial emotional distress as defined in section609.749, subdivision 2, paragraph (a), clause (4), to the other person, or
(2) having control of a telephone, knowingly permits it to be used for any purpose prohibited by this section,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Subd. 1a.
[Repealed,1993 c 326 art 2 s 34]

Subd. 2.Venue.
The offense may be prosecuted either at the place where the call is made or where it is received or, additionally in the case of wireless or electronic communication, where the sender or receiver resides.