Standards

These are the published documents of the Responsible Erotica Standards Board. They are the authoritative texts. Everything else on this site explains them; where the two differ, the documents govern.

Content Advisory

RESB CA 1:2026 · First Edition

The Standard itself. It defines the rating language for adult video: the Class letter, the descriptor vocabulary, the intensity levels, and the rules for how a rating is assigned and when it is re-done.

The rating is advisory. It records what a title depicts and says nothing about whether that content is acceptable, lawful, or approved. Acceptability is left to the limit-setter, who expresses it through gating.

Download the Standard (PDF, 8 pages, 217 KB)

Content Advisory Certification Requirements

Version 1.0 · Effective 1 August 2026

The companion document to the Standard. Where the Standard defines the rating language, these requirements define who may rate, what may be rated, and how a rater becomes accredited. They also set the terms for displaying the certification mark on a rated title.

The division of labour is simple: the Board accredits raters, and an accredited rater then rates titles and applies the mark on its own authority.

Download the Requirements (PDF, 4 pages, 61 KB)

Citing these documents

Cite the Standard by its designation, RESB CA 1:2026, and descriptors by their codes. Codes are permanent, so a reference that cites one stays valid as the vocabulary grows.

Later editions apply only going forward. A rating already assigned is never altered by a subsequent edition of the Standard.