A person generally commits the crime of prostitution by engaging in sexual contact or offering to engage in sexual contact in exchange for money or other consideration.

It is also a criminal offense to solicit (on a person's own behalf, or on behalf of another person), promote, or compel prostitution. For example, most states have laws that make it illegal to buy, sell, or profit from prostitution—which is generally the business of pimps and other human traffickers—known as pimping, pandering, procuring, soliciting, promoting, or compelling prostitution.

Prostitution laws vary from state to state and are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In North Carolina, prostitution is illegal and is defined under state law as engaging in, offering, or agreeing to engage in sexual activity for money or other consideration. This includes not only the act of prostitution itself but also the acts of solicitation, promotion, and advancement of prostitution. Under North Carolina General Statutes, specifically N.C.G.S. § 14-204, it is a crime to engage in prostitution, to solicit for prostitution, to promote or advance prostitution, or to profit from the prostitution of another. The law also criminalizes the keeping of a place for prostitution and aiding and abetting prostitution. The severity of the charges can range from misdemeanors to felonies, depending on the specific circumstances and whether it involves minors or repeated offenses. Penalties can include fines, imprisonment, and mandatory education or community service programs. Additionally, North Carolina law addresses human trafficking under N.C.G.S. § 14-43.11, which makes it a felony to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, or obtain another person with the intent that the person be held in involuntary servitude or sexual servitude.