It’s been a while since I last posted an updated flow chart for sex offender registration and satellite-based monitoring (SBM). In the past I tried to cram the entire thing into a one-page, two-sided format. As the statutes and case law have evolved, that has become essentially impossible. The one-page format was also hard to read, mobile-unfriendly, and not compliant with accessibility standards for screen readers. So here we are, with a new 12-page outline that maybe isn’t technically a flow chart at all. Nevertheless, I hope this updated version will help you navigate these complicated laws, which have changed a lot over the years.

Sex offender flow chart (March 2026 edition)

The revised document includes an updated list of crimes that require sex offender registration, current through the new peeping offense added in 2025. It also includes a list of selected offenses that do not require registration, which can sometimes be useful. I expanded the discussion of the procedure for determining the substantial similarity of out-of-state offenses under G.S. 14-208.12B.

The discussion of satellite-based monitoring (SBM) has been fully revised to account for substantial statutory changes enacted in 2021 and again in 2023. It also incorporates recent case law addressing the constitutionality of SBM and the relatively new procedures for petitioning a court for removal from SBM.

I welcome your feedback on the new version. markham@sog.unc.edu.