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Arizona statute

A.R.S. § 13-2910 — Cruelty to animals; interference with working or service animal; release conditions; classification; definitions

Current through 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025)

Part of Chapter 29: Offenses Against Public Order, Arizona Revised Statutes.

Criminal charges under this statute

Full text of A.R.S. § 13-2910

Statutory text current through the 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025). This publication reproduces the official statutory text published by the Arizona Legislature (Arizona Legislative Council compilation, azleg.gov); it is not the official statutes of the State of Arizona.

A.R.S. § 13-2910Primary source, current through the 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025)
A. A person commits cruelty to animals if the person does any of the following: 1. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly subjects any animal under the person's custody or control to cruel neglect or abandonment. 2. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fails to provide medical attention necessary to prevent protracted suffering to any animal under the person's custody or control. 3. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly inflicts unnecessary physical injury to any animal. 4. Recklessly subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment. 5. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly kills any animal under the custody or control of another person without either legal privilege or consent of the owner. 6. Recklessly interferes with, kills or harms a working or service animal without either legal privilege or consent of the owner. 7. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly leaves an animal unattended and confined in a motor vehicle and physical injury to or death of the animal is likely to result. 8. Intentionally or knowingly subjects any animal under the person's custody or control to cruel neglect or abandonment that results in serious physical injury to the animal. 9. Intentionally or knowingly subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment. 10. Intentionally or knowingly interferes with a working or service animal without either legal privilege or consent of the owner. 11. Intentionally or knowingly kills or seriously harms a service animal without either legal privilege or consent of the owner. 12. Intentionally or knowingly allows any dog that is under the person's custody or control to interfere with, kill or cause physical injury to a service animal. 13. Recklessly allows any dog that is under the person's custody or control to interfere with, kill or cause physical injury to a service animal. 14. Intentionally or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over a service animal with the intent to deprive the service animal handler of the service animal. 15. Intentionally or knowingly subjects a domestic animal to cruel mistreatment. 16. Intentionally or knowingly kills a domestic animal without either legal privilege or consent of the domestic animal's owner or handler. 17. Intentionally or knowingly harasses a working animal that is in a law enforcement vehicle or trailer without either legal privilege or consent of the owner. 18. Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly fails to provide medical attention necessary to prevent unreasonable suffering to any domestic animal under the person's custody or control. 19. Intentionally or knowingly kills or causes serious harm to a working animal without either legal privilege or consent of the owner. B. In addition to any justification defense that is applicable pursuant to chapter 4 of this title, it is a defense to subsection A of this section if: 1. Any person exposes poison to be taken by a dog that has killed or wounded livestock or poison to be taken by predatory animals on premises owned, leased or controlled by the person for the purpose of protecting the person or the person's livestock or poultry, the treated property is kept posted by the person who authorized or performed the treatment until the poison has been removed and the poison is removed by the person exposing the poison after the threat to the person or the person's livestock or poultry has ceased to exist. The posting required shall provide adequate warning to persons who enter the property by the point or points of normal entry. The warning notice that is posted shall be readable at a distance of fifty feet, shall contain a poison statement and symbol and shall state the word "danger" or "warning". 2. Any person uses poisons in and immediately around buildings owned, leased or controlled by the person for the purpose of controlling wild and domestic rodents as otherwise allowed by the laws of the state, excluding any fur-bearing animals as defined in section 17-101. C. This section does not prohibit or restrict: 1. The taking of wildlife or other activities permitted by or pursuant to title 17. 2. Activities permitted by or pursuant to title 3. 3. Activities regulated by the Arizona game and fish department or the Arizona department of agriculture. D. A peace officer, animal control enforcement agent or animal control enforcement deputy may use reasonable force to open a vehicle to rescue an animal if the animal is left in the vehicle as prescribed in subsection A, paragraph 7 of this section. E. A person who is convicted of a violation of subsection A, paragraph 6, 10, 11 or 19 of this section is liable as follows: 1. If the working or service animal was injured, killed or disabled, to the owner or agency that owns the working or service animal and that employs the handler or to the owner or handler for the replacement and training costs of the working or service animal and for any veterinary bills. 2. To the owner or agency that owns a working or service animal for the salary of the handler for the period of time that the handler's services are lost to the owner or agency. 3. To the owner for the owner's contractual losses with the agency. F. An incorporated city or town or a county may adopt an ordinance with misdemeanor provisions at least as stringent as the misdemeanor provisions of this section, except that any ordinance adopted shall not prohibit or restrict any activity involving a dog, whether the dog is restrained or not, if the activity is directly related to the business of shepherding or herding livestock and the activity is necessary for the safety of a human, the dog or livestock or is permitted by or pursuant to title 3. G. If a judicial officer orders the release of a person who is currently serving a term of probation for a violation of this section and who is charged with a new violation of this section on the person's own recognizance or on the execution of bail, the judicial officer shall impose a condition of release that prohibits the person from possessing or having contact with any animal. H. A person who violates subsection A, paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 17 or 18 of this section is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor. A person who violates subsection A, paragraph 8, 9, 10, 12 or 14 of this section is guilty of a class 6 felony. A person who violates subsection A, paragraph 11, 15, 16 or 19 of this section is guilty of a class 5 felony. I. For the purposes of this section: 1. "Animal" means a mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian. 2. "Cruel mistreatment" means to torture or otherwise inflict unnecessary serious physical injury on an animal or to kill an animal in a manner that causes protracted suffering to the animal. 3. "Cruel neglect" means to fail to provide an animal with necessary food, water or shelter or to fail to provide a domestic animal with any of the following: (a) Except for a dog that primarily resides outdoors, access to shelter that is necessary and adequate. (b) For a dog that primarily resides outdoors, except while a dog is engaged in or training for lawful hunting, police, military or patrol work, search and rescue, herding or livestock guarding, trials and other lawful competitions, service and assistance work and other working, sporting and competitive functions or is under the custody or control of a person who has no permanent place of residence, access to shelter that meets all of the following requirements: (i) Has a natural or artificial cover that is accessible throughout the year. (ii) Is maintained in good repair, is of sufficient size to protect the dog from injury and allows the dog to stand, turn around, lie down in a natural manner and maintain normal body temperature. (iii) Is maintained in a manner that minimizes the risk of disease, infestation or parasites. 4. "Domestic animal" means a mammal, bird, reptile or amphibian, not regulated by title 3, that is kept primarily as a pet or companion or that is bred to be a pet or companion. 5. "Handler" means a law enforcement officer or any other person who has successfully completed a course of training prescribed by the person's agency or the service animal owner and who used a specially trained animal under the direction of the person's agency or the service animal owner. 6. "Harass" means to engage in conduct that a reasonable person would expect to impede or interfere with a working animal's performance of its duties. 7. "Service animal" means an animal that has completed a formal training program, that assists its owner in one or more daily living tasks that are associated with a productive lifestyle and that is trained to not pose a danger to the health and safety of the general public. 8. "Working animal" means a horse or dog that is used by a law enforcement agency, that is specially trained for law enforcement work and that is under the control of a handler.

Official sources

Legal terms used in this section

Questions this section answers

Is cruelty to animals a felony or a misdemeanor in Arizona?

It depends on the circumstances: cruelty to animals ranges from a Class 1 Misdemeanor to a Class 5 Felony in Arizona under A.R.S. § 13-2910.

Cruel neglect/abandonment of animal under custody or control: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Failure to provide necessary medical attention to prevent protracted suffering: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Unnecessary physical injury to an animal: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Reckless cruel mistreatment of animal: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Killing another's animal without privilege or consent: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Reckless interference with or harm to working/service animal: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Leaving animal unattended and confined in vehicle: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Reckless dog interference causing injury to service animal: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Harassment of law enforcement working animal in vehicle/trailer: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Failure to provide necessary medical attention to domestic animal: Class 1 Misdemeanor (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Intentional/knowing cruel neglect causing serious physical injury: Class 6 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Intentional/knowing cruel mistreatment of animal: Class 6 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Intentional/knowing interference with working or service animal: Class 6 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Intentional/knowing dog interference causing injury to service animal: Class 6 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Unauthorized control over a service animal with intent to deprive handler: Class 6 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Killing or seriously harming a service animal: Class 5 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Intentional/knowing cruel mistreatment of domestic animal: Class 5 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Killing a domestic animal without privilege or consent: Class 5 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H) · Killing or causing serious harm to a working animal: Class 5 Felony (A.R.S. § 13-2910H)

Which Arizona statute covers cruelty to animals?

Cruelty to animals is governed by A.R.S. § 13-2910 (Cruelty to animals; interference with working or service animal; release conditions; classification; definitions).

This reference is informational and is not legal advice.