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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
businesses; crime reporting; penalty; prohibition
Purpose
Prohibits a municipality from imposing a fine or penalty on a business or commercial entity (business) that is based on the number or frequency of public safety or emergency services made by the business or the monetary value of property that has been damaged or stolen, except if the request for public safety or emergency services is malicious, knowingly false or frivolous.
Background
A person commits false reporting by initiating or circulating a report of a bombing, fire, offense or other emergency knowing that such a report is false and intending that the report will cause action of any sort by an official or volunteer agency organized to deal with emergencies, or that it will place a person in fear of imminent serious physical injury or that it will prevent or interrupt the occupation of any building, room, place of assembly, public place or means of transportation. A person who commits false reporting that results in an emergency response or investigation of false reporting and who is convicted of a violation is liable for the expenses that are incurred due to the emergency response or the investigation of the commission of false reporting except if the person is a juvenile. False reporting is a class 1 misdemeanor, except that a second or subsequent violation is a class 6 felony (A.R.S. § 13-2907).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Prohibits a municipality from enacting, enforcing or maintaining an ordinance, rule, regulation, policy or practice that imposes a fine or any other penalty on a business based on the number or frequency of requests for public safety assistance or emergency services made by the business at any location of the business or that is based on the monetary value of property that belongs to the business that has been damaged or stolen.
2. Allows a municipality to impose a fine or any other penalty on a business that is based on the number or frequency of requests for public safety assistance or emergency services made by the business or that is based on the monetary value of property that belongs to the business that has been damaged or stolen if:
a) the requests for public safety assistance or emergency services made by the business are malicious, knowing false or frivolous; or
b) the municipality has provided the business with a written notice indicating that the municipality has determined that prior public safety assistance or emergency services made by the business are malicious, knowingly false or frivolous.
3. Becomes effective of the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 2, 2026
AN/ci