Arizona Revised Statutes: Structure and How to Navigate

The Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) constitute the codified body of permanent, general law enacted by the Arizona State Legislature. Organized into 49 titles, the A.R.S. governs the full range of civil, criminal, administrative, and regulatory matters within Arizona's jurisdiction. Professionals, researchers, and members of the public navigating Arizona government operations routinely reference the A.R.S. to determine applicable legal standards, agency authority, penalty structures, and procedural requirements.

Definition and Scope

The Arizona Revised Statutes represent the official compilation of Arizona's statutory law, maintained and published by the Arizona Legislative Council under the authority of the Arizona State Legislature. The A.R.S. is divided into 49 titles, each addressing a discrete subject domain — from Title 1 (General Provisions) through Title 49 (Environment). Each title is subdivided into chapters, articles, and individual sections. A section citation follows the standard format: A.R.S. § [Title]-[Section Number], such as A.R.S. § 13-1502 for a criminal trespass provision within Title 13 (Criminal Code).

The A.R.S. does not include:

The Arizona Legislative Council updates the A.R.S. following each legislative session. Laws enacted during a session carry an effective date — typically 90 days after the close of the session under Arizona Constitution Article IV, Part 1, Section 1 — unless an emergency clause or delayed effective date is specified.

Scope limitation: The A.R.S. applies exclusively to matters under Arizona state jurisdiction. Federal law, tribal law applicable to Arizona Tribal Governments, and interstate compacts operate under separate legal frameworks not codified within the A.R.S. Federal statutes published in the U.S. Code take precedence over A.R.S. provisions where federal preemption applies under the Supremacy Clause (U.S. Constitution, Article VI).

How It Works

The A.R.S. functions as a reference framework that organizes enacted law by subject matter. The Arizona Legislative Council assigns each new statute to an appropriate title and section upon codification. Browsing or searching the A.R.S. requires understanding both its numbering structure and the relationship between statutes, administrative rules, and constitutional provisions.

Structural breakdown of a typical A.R.S. citation:

  1. Title — The broadest organizational unit (e.g., Title 28: Transportation; Title 36: Public Health and Safety)
  2. Chapter — A grouping of related statutes within the title
  3. Article — A sub-grouping within a chapter
  4. Section — The individual statute, identified by a hyphenated number combining title and sequential section digits (e.g., A.R.S. § 36-2281)

The Arizona Legislative Council's public portal at azleg.gov provides full-text access to all 49 titles at no cost. Searches can be executed by title number, keyword, or specific section citation. Session Laws — the raw text of bills as passed — are archived separately and may differ from the codified A.R.S. text where technical corrections have been applied.

A.R.S. vs. Arizona Administrative Code: The A.R.S. establishes substantive law and grants rulemaking authority to state agencies. The Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) contains the rules those agencies promulgate under that authority, published by the Arizona Secretary of State. When an agency such as the Arizona Department of Health Services or the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality sets operational standards, those standards appear in the A.A.C. — not the A.R.S. — though the authorizing statute resides in the A.R.S.

Common Scenarios

The A.R.S. is consulted across a wide range of professional and governmental contexts:

Decision Boundaries

Determining which legal authority controls a given situation in Arizona requires distinguishing between four overlapping sources:

Authority Source Document Hierarchy Position
Federal law / U.S. Constitution U.S. Code, CFR Supremacy over state law
Arizona Constitution azleg.gov/constitution Highest state authority
Arizona Revised Statutes azleg.gov/arstitle Primary statutory law
Arizona Administrative Code azsos.gov Agency rules under A.R.S. authority

A conflict between an A.R.S. provision and the Arizona Constitution resolves in favor of the Constitution. A conflict between an A.A.C. rule and the enabling A.R.S. statute resolves in favor of the statute, provided the agency has not exceeded its delegated authority. Courts — including the Arizona Supreme Court and Arizona Court of Appeals — interpret A.R.S. provisions and may render portions unenforceable if found unconstitutional.

Local ordinances enacted by Arizona cities, towns, or county boards do not appear in the A.R.S. and are not covered by this reference. Municipal and county codes are maintained independently by each local government entity. For a broader orientation to Arizona's governmental framework, the arizonagovernmentauthority.com index provides an overview of state agencies, offices, and legal structures.

Tribal law applicable to sovereign tribal nations — the 22 federally recognized tribes with territory in Arizona — operates under a separate jurisdictional framework and is not addressed by the A.R.S. Matters involving federal lands, federal agency actions, or interstate compacts similarly fall outside A.R.S. coverage.

References