50 State+ Survey of Evidentiary Rule 701(c)
- Gregory Rubelmann
- Apr 26
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 hours ago
Rule 701(c) of the Federal Rules of Evidence provides that lay witness opinion testimony can only be heard when it is “not based on scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge.”[1] Although the Federal Rules bind federal courts, states have the discretion to implement their own rules of evidence. As such, the issue is: what courts have adopted Rule 701(c)? Below, you will find all 50 states and territories that utilize federal circuits.
State | Rule 701 Equivalent | Does State Have 701(c)? | Region | Circuit |
Alabama | Ala. R. Evid. 701[2] | No | Southeast | 11 |
Alaska | Alaska R. Evid. 701[3] | No | Far West | 9 |
Arizona | Ariz. Code 701[4] | Yes, 701 (c) | Southwest | 9 |
Arkansas | Ark. R. Evid. 701[5] | No | Southeast | 8 |
California | Cal. Evid. Code 800[6] | No | Far West | 9 |
Colorado | Colo. R. Evid. 701[7] | Yes, 701 (c) | Rocky Mountain | 10 |
Connecticut | Conn. Code Evid. § 7-1[8] | No | New England | 2 |
Delaware | Del. Unif. R. Evid. 701[9] | Yes, 701 (c) | Mideast | 3 |
District of Columbia | Fed. R. Evid. 701[10] | Yes, 701 (c) | Mideast | D.C. |
Florida | Fla. Stat. § 90.701[11] | Yes, 90.701 (2) | Southeast | 11 |
Georgia | Ga. Code § 24-7-701[12] | Yes, § 24-7-701 (a) (3), although under (b), market value is exempted. | Southeast | 11 |
Hawaii | Haw. R. Evid. 701[13] | No | Far West | 9 |
Idaho | Idaho R. Evid. 701[14] | Yes, 701 (c) | Rocky Mountain | 9 |
Illinois | Ill. R. Evid. 701[15] | Yes, 701 (c) | Great Lakes | 7 |
Indiana | Ind. R. Evid. 701[16] | No | Great Lakes | 7 |
Iowa | Iowa R. Evid. 5.701[17] | Yes, 5.701 (c) | Plains | 8 |
Kansas | Kan. Stat. § 60-456[18] | Yes, § 60-456 (a) (3) | Plains | 10 |
Kentucky | Ky. R. Evid. 701[19] | Yes, 701 (c) | Southeast | 6 |
Louisiana | La. Code Evid. Art. 701[20] | No | Southeast | 5 |
Maine | Me. R. Evid. 701[21] | No | New England | 1 |
Maryland | Md. R. 5-701[22] | No | Mideast | 3 |
Massachusetts | Mass. Evid. L. 701[23] | Yes, 701 (c) | New England | 1 |
Michigan | Mich. R. Evid. 701[24] | Yes, 701 (c) | Great Lakes | 6 |
Minnesota | Minn. R. Evid. 701[25] | Yes, 701 (c) | Plains | 8 |
Mississippi | Miss. R. Evid. 701[26] | Yes, 701 (c) | Southeast | 5 |
Missouri | N/A, Missouri lacks codified rules of evidence[27] | Yes, by definition, lay witness's lack specialized knowledge. "A lay witness is a witness who does not possess technical, scientific, or other specialized knowledge." State v. Bivines, 231 S.W.3d 889, 893 (Mo. App. W.D. 2007) | Plains | 8 |
Montana | Mont. R. Evid. 701[28] | No | Rocky Mountain | 9 |
Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 27-701[29] | No | Plains | 8 |
Nevada | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 50.265[30] | No | Far West | 9 |
New Hampshire | N.H. R. Evid. 701[31] | Yes, 701 (c) | New England | 1 |
New Jersey | N.J. R. Evid. 701[32] | No | Mideast | 3 |
New Mexico | N.M. R. Evid. 11-701[33] | Yes, 11-701 (c) | Southwest | 10 |
New York | Guide to N.Y. Evid. Rule 7.03[34] | No | Mideast | 2 |
North Carolina | N.C. Gen. Stat § 8C-1, Rule 701[35] | No | Southeast | 4 |
North Dakota | N.D. R. Evid. 701[36] | No | Plains | 8 |
Ohio | Ohio R. Evid. 701[37] | No | Great Lakes | 6 |
Oklahoma | Okla. Stat. tit. 12 § 2701[38] | Yes, 2701 (c) | Southwest | 10 |
Oregon | Or. Evid. Code 40.405 Rule 701[39] | No | Far West | 9 |
Pennsylvania | Pa. R. E. 701[40] | Yes, 701 (c) | Mideast | 3 |
Rhode Island | R.I. R. Evid. 701[41] | No | New England | 1 |
South Carolina | S.C. R. Evid. 701[42] | Yes, 701 (c) | Southeast | 4 |
South Dakota | S.D. Codified Laws § 19-19-701[43] | Yes, 19-19-701 (c) | Plains | 8 |
Tennessee | Tenn. R. Evid. 701[44] | No | Southeast | 6 |
Texas | Tex R. Evid. 701[45] | No | Southwest | 5 |
Utah | Utah R. Evid. 701[46] | Yes, 701 (c) | Rocky Mountain | 10 |
Vermont | Vt. R. Evid. 701[47] | Yes, 701 (c) | New England | 4 |
Virginia | Va. R. Evid. 701[48] | No | Southeast | 4 |
Washington | Wash. ER 701[49] | Yes, 701 (c) | Far West | 9 |
West Virginia | Yes, 701 (c) | Southeast | 4 | |
Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. § 907.01[51] | Yes, 907.01 (3) | Great Lakes | 7 |
Wyoming | Rule 701[52] | No | Rocky Mountain | 10 |
Guam | Guam R. of Evid. Rule 701[53] | Yes, 701 (c) | U.S. Territory | 9 |
Northern Mariana Islands | N. Mar. I. R. of Evid. Rule 701[54] | Yes, 701 (c) | U.S. Territory | 9 |
Puerto Rico | P. R. R. Evid. 701[55] | Yes, 701 (c) | U.S. Territory | 1 |
U.S. Virigin Islands | V.I. R. Evid. 701[56] | Yes, 701 (c) | U.S. Territory | 3 |
Written by: Gregory Rubelmann
[1] Fed. R. Evid. 701(c).
[5] https://casetext.com/rule/arkansas-court-rules/arkansas-rules-of-evidence (which is pointed to by: https://a.arlawhelp.org/c.php?g=1156681&p=9813024)
[6] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=EVID&division=7.&title=&part=&chapter=1.&article=1
[11] https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0090/Sections/0090.701.html
[15] https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/courts-supreme-court-illinois-rules-of-evidence/
[22] https://govt.westlaw.com/mdc/Document/N638C2C609CEB11DB9BCF9DAC28345A2A?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default) (linked to by https://www.mdcourts.gov/lawlib/research/gateway-to-md-law/code-rules-laws-sources)
[23] https://www.mass.gov/guide-to-evidence/article-vii-opinion-and-expert-evidence#section-701-opinion-testimony-by-lay-witnesses
[24] https://www.courts.michigan.gov/498acb/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/rules-of-evidence/michigan-rules-of-evidence.pdf
[25] https://www.mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/Appellate/Supreme%20Court/Court%20Rules/Rules-of-evidence.pdf
[28] https://archive.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0260/chapter_0100/part_0070/section_0010/0260-0100-0070-0010.html
[33] https://casetext.com/rule/new-mexico-court-rules/new-mexico-rules-of-evidence/article-7-opinions-and-expert-testimony/rule-11-701-opinion-testimony-by-lay-witnesses
[38] https://casetext.com/statute/oklahoma-statutes/title-12-civil-procedure/chapter-40-oklahoma-evidence-code/article-vii-expert-and-opinion-testimony/section-2701-opinion-testimony-by-lay-witnesses
[40] https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/225/chapter7/chap7toc.html&d=
[45] https://txcourts.gov/media/1442383/texas-rules-of-evidence-updated-with-amendments-effective-112018.pdf
