50 State+ Survey of Evidentiary Rule 701(c)
- Gregory Rubelmann
- Apr 26
- 4 min read
Updated: May 5

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