Arizona
Weird Laws in Arizona: Which Are Still on the Books?
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited October 21, 2026). · 4 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Two of the four famous weird Arizona laws we checked turn out to be real state statutes, one about cactus and one about floods. We checked each claim against the Arizona Revised Statutes and, where a claim names a town, against that town's code, as of October 21, 2026. Other states are covered in our weird laws by state guide.
Weird laws in Arizona: the verdicts
Each claim below was checked against the Arizona code and, where it names a town, the local code. 4 claims checked.
The claim: It is illegal for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub.
What the law says: No Arizona statute about a donkey sleeping in a bathtub. Kingman city code not reached.
No state law found in the Arizona code as of October 21, 2026.
How we searched
We searched the full text of the Arizona Revised Statutes for any rule on donkeys, burros or animals sleeping in bathtubs, read the animal cruelty sections, and searched the agriculture and livestock title by keyword.
Parts of the code read
- Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13, Sections 13-2910 to 13-2910.12 (cruelty to animals and related offenses)
- Arizona Revised Statutes Title 3 (agriculture and livestock)
No town code was checked for this claim.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Digging up or moving a saguaro cactus is a serious crime.
What the law says: Arizona's Native Plant Law requires a permit to take, transport or possess protected native plants taken from their original growing site, and anyone who moves or salvages a saguaro more than four feet tall from other than its original growing location must buy a permit, tag and seal from the state (with limited exceptions, such as saguaros propagated by people). Knowingly removing or destroying protected plants from private or state land without the landowner's express consent is theft, ranging from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 4 felony by value; collecting, moving or possessing them without required permits, tags or seals is a class 1 misdemeanor (a class 6 felony on a later conviction). The '25 years' figure in the viral version is not in the statute.
“a person who moves or salvages a saguaro cactus (cereus giganteus) that is more than four feet tall, from other than its original growing location, must purchase a permit, tag and seal from the department.”
Penalty: A.R.S. § 3-932(A): theft of protected native plants is a class 4 felony at $1,500 or more, class 5 at $750-$1,499, class 6 at $500-$749, class 1 misdemeanor under $500; § 3-932(B): knowing collection/removal without required permits, tags or seals is a class 1 misdemeanor, a class 6 felony on a subsequent conviction.
Last cited by a court: Wallace v. Shields (1992)
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: "Stupid motorist" law bills drivers for rescue after driving into flooded roads.
What the law says: A driver who drives onto a flooded public road that is barricaded because of flooding is liable for the expenses of any emergency response needed to remove the driver, passengers or an inoperable vehicle. Liability is capped at $2,000 per incident. A person convicted of unlawfully driving into a flooded area under 28-693 may also be liable.
“A driver of a vehicle who drives the vehicle on a public street or highway that is temporarily covered by a rise in water level, including groundwater or overflow of water, and that is barricaded because of flooding is liable for the expenses of any emergency response that is required to remove from the public street or highway the driver or any passenger in the vehicle that becomes inoperable on the public street or highway or the vehicle that becomes inoperable on the public street or highway, or both.”
Penalty: Civil liability for reasonable emergency-response costs, capped at $2,000 for a single incident (subsection C, per azleg.gov page opened); not a criminal penalty.
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Avondale bans fortune-telling/palm reading.
What the law says: Avondale City Code § 15-1 makes it a misdemeanor to practice fortunetelling, palm-reading or palmistry while accepting any compensation, including a donation. It only applies when payment is accepted, and it is a city ordinance, not state law. The next section (15-2) separately bans hypnotism except by licensed doctors or dentists.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.
Saguaros: protected plants with felony penalties
The claim that digging up or moving a saguaro is a serious crime holds up, with one inflated detail. Arizona's Native Plant Law requires a permit to take, transport or possess protected native plants taken from their original growing site.
The saguaro gets its own sentence in A.R.S. § 3-906(B):
a person who moves or salvages a saguaro cactus (cereus giganteus) that is more than four feet tall, from other than its original growing location, must purchase a permit, tag and seal from the department.
There are limited exceptions, such as saguaros propagated by people.
What the penalties actually are
Penalties are in A.R.S. § 3-932, and they scale. Knowingly removing or destroying protected plants from private or state land without the landowner's express consent is theft, graded by value:
| Value of the plants | Classification |
|---|---|
| $1,500 or more | Class 4 felony |
| $750 to $1,499 | Class 5 felony |
| $500 to $749 | Class 6 felony |
| Under $500 | Class 1 misdemeanor |
Separately, knowingly collecting, moving or possessing protected plants without the required permits, tags or seals is a class 1 misdemeanor, and a class 6 felony on a later conviction. The viral version adds a 25 years figure. That figure is not in the statute.
The stupid motorist law
A.R.S. § 28-910 does not use the word stupid, but it does send the bill to the driver:
A driver of a vehicle who drives the vehicle on a public street or highway that is temporarily covered by a rise in water level, including groundwater or overflow of water, and that is barricaded because of flooding is liable for the expenses of any emergency response that is required to remove from the public street or highway the driver or any passenger in the vehicle that becomes inoperable on the public street or highway or the vehicle that becomes inoperable on the public street or highway, or both.
Two limits matter. The road has to be barricaded because of flooding, and the liability is capped at $2,000 for a single incident under subsection C. It is a civil bill for reasonable response costs, not a criminal penalty, though a person convicted of unlawfully driving into a flooded area under § 28-693 may also be liable.
Avondale's fortunetelling ordinance
The palm reading claim is real at the city level. Avondale City Code § 15-1 makes it a misdemeanor to practice fortunetelling, palm-reading or palmistry while accepting any compensation, including a donation.
The ordinance only applies when payment is accepted, and it is Avondale law, not state law. The very next section, § 15-2, separately bans hypnotism except by licensed doctors or dentists.
The donkey in the bathtub
Some versions of the donkey-in-a-bathtub claim place it in Kingman. No state law was found in the Arizona code as of October 21, 2026. We searched the full text of the Arizona Revised Statutes for donkeys, burros and bathtubs, read the animal cruelty sections (A.R.S. §§ 13-2910 to 13-2910.12) and searched the agriculture and livestock title. Kingman's city code was not reached, so a town rule has not been ruled out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to move a saguaro cactus in Arizona?
Moving a saguaro is regulated. Under A.R.S. § 3-906(B), a person who moves or salvages a saguaro more than four feet tall from other than its original growing location must buy a permit, tag and seal from the state, with limited exceptions such as saguaros propagated by people. Removing protected plants from private or state land without the landowner’s express consent is theft under A.R.S. § 3-932, from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 4 felony depending on value.
Is the saguaro penalty really 25 years in prison?
That figure is not in the statute. A.R.S. § 3-932 grades protected-plant theft by value, with a class 4 felony at $1,500 or more as the top tier, and makes collecting or moving them without permits, tags or seals a class 1 misdemeanor, or a class 6 felony on a later conviction.
What is the Arizona stupid motorist law?
It is the nickname for A.R.S. § 28-910. A driver who drives onto a public road that is covered by water and barricaded because of flooding is liable for the cost of any emergency response needed to remove the driver, passengers or an inoperable vehicle. Liability is capped at $2,000 per incident, and it is civil, not criminal.
Is fortune telling illegal in Arizona?
Our check covered a city rule, not a statewide one: Avondale City Code § 15-1 makes it a misdemeanor to practice fortunetelling, palm-reading or palmistry while accepting any compensation, including a donation. It is a city ordinance and applies only when payment is accepted.
Can a donkey sleep in a bathtub in Arizona?
No state law was found in the Arizona code as of October 21, 2026 about a donkey sleeping in a bathtub. The search covered the full text of the Arizona Revised Statutes, the animal cruelty sections and the agriculture and livestock title. Kingman’s city code, where some versions place the story, was not checked.
What are some weird laws in Arizona?
The claims we checked are the saguaro protection law, the stupid motorist law, Avondale’s ordinance on paid palm reading and the donkey in a bathtub. The first two are current state statutes, the third is a city ordinance, and for the fourth no state law was found.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- A.R.S. § 3-906, saguaro permit, tag and seal requirement (Arizona Legislature)(www.azleg.gov).gov
- A.R.S. § 3-932, penalties for protected native plant violations (Arizona Legislature)(www.azleg.gov).gov
- A.R.S. § 28-910, liability for emergency response on barricaded flooded roads (Arizona Legislature)(www.azleg.gov).gov
- Avondale City Code Chapter 15, §§ 15-1 and 15-2 (Municode, official city code host)(library.municode.com)
- Arizona Revised Statutes Title 3 (Arizona Legislature)(www.azleg.gov).gov
- Wallace v. Shields (1992)(courtlistener.com)