businesses; requirement to accept cash

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Businesses Must Accept Cash

This bill requires retail businesses in Arizona with physical locations to accept cash for purchases up to $100 and bans them from charging fees or penalties for using cash.

What This Bill Does

• Requires retail businesses in Arizona with physical locations to accept cash payments for goods and services worth up to $100.
• Prohibits businesses from charging extra fees or penalties when customers pay with cash.
• Allows people who are denied the right to use cash or charged a fee for using cash to sue the business.
• Sets fines of between $1,000 per day and $5,000 total if a business breaks these rules.
• Requires courts to adjust fine amounts each year based on inflation.

Who It Names or Affects

• Retail businesses in Arizona with physical locations
• Customers who want to pay for goods or services with cash

Terms To Know

Legal Tender

Money that is officially accepted as payment for debts and taxes.

Retail Business

A business that sells products directly to customers.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not apply to online sales or written contracts between parties.
• The bill does not specify what happens if a business violates the rules after it becomes law.

Official Summary Text

HB2555 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House
: COM DPA 9-1-0-1

HB
2555
: businesses; requirement to accept cash

Sponsor:
Representative Chaplik, LD 3

Caucus
& COW

Overview

Stipulates
that cash must be accepted as a form of payment by businesses located in this
state.

History

Statute defines legal tender as a medium of exchange,
including specie, that is authorized by the United States Constitution or
Congress to pay debts, public charges, taxes and dues (
A.R.S. � 43-1021
).

Legal tender is federally defined as United States coins and
currency (including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal
reserve banks and national banks) are legal tender for all debts, public
charges, taxes and dues. Foreign gold or silver coins are not legal tender for
debts (
31 U.S.C. �
5103
).

Provisions

1.

Requires a
retail business with a physical location in this state to accept cash as a form
of payment for goods and services with an aggregate value of $100 or less.
(Sec. 2)

2.

Prohibits
the retail business from charging a fee or penalty for using cash as a form of
payment. (Sec. 2)

3.

Asserts an
individual has a cause of action against the person that violates the
requirement to accept cash if:

a.

denied the
right to use cash as a form of payment; or

b.

charged a
fee or penalty for using cash as a form of payment. (Sec. 2)

4.

Stipulates
that a person who violates the requirement to accept cash is liable for damages
for each violation in an amount of:

a.

$1,000 but
not more than $1,000 per person per day; or

b.

$5,000 per
person total. (Sec. 2)

5.

Entitles the
prevailing plaintiff in an action to recover reasonable attorney fees and
costs. (Sec. 2)

6.

Directs the
court to annually adjust the prescribed liability damage amounts for inflation
in accordance with the Consumer Price Index. (Sec. 2)

7.

Specifies
that the requirement for a retail business to accept cash does not apply to:

a.

a written
contract between two parties that dictates the acceptable form of payment; and

b.

the online
sale of goods or services. (Sec. 2)

8.

Defines
retail
business
. (Sec. 2)

9.

Makes a
technical change. (Sec. 1)

Amendments

Committee on
Commerce

1.

Adds that
the requirement to accept cash does not apply to:

a.

the rental
of a good or service; and

b.

a mobile vendor that includes a
food truck or a delivery service.

c.

d.

e.

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Current Bill Text

HB2555 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
businesses; requirement to accept cash

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2555

Introduced by

Representatives
Chaplik: Biasiucci, Carter N, Carter P, Fink, Gillette, Heap, Hendrix,
Keshel, Kolodin, Marshall, Martinez, Olson, Pingerelli, Wilmeth

AN
ACT

amending title 44, chapter 38, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 44-7952; relating to
businesses.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Heading change

The chapter heading of title 44,
chapter 38, Arizona Revised Statutes, is changed from "BUSINESSES EXEMPT
FROM MASK MANDATE" to "BUSINESSES GENERALLY".

Sec. 2. Title 44, chapter 38, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 44-7952, to read:

START_STATUTE
44-7952.

Retail businesses with physical locations in this state;
requirements; acceptance of cash; cause of action; exemptions; definition

A. A retail business with a physical
location in THIS state must accept cash as a form of payment for goods and
services with an aggregate value of $100 or less and may not charge a fee or
penalty for using cash as a form of payment.

B. Any person who is denied the right
to use cash as a form of payment for goods or services or who is charged a fee
or penalty for using cash as a form of payment has a cause of action against a
person that violates subsection A of this section. A person that
violates subsection A of this section is liable for damages for each violation
in an amount of $1,000 but not more than $1,000 per person per day or $5,000
per person total. The prevailing plaintiff in an action shall also
be entitled to recover reasonable attorney fees and costs.

C. The court shall annually adjust
the damages set forth in subsection B of this section for inflation in
accordance with the consumer price index as published by the United states
department of LABOR, bureau of labor statistics.

D. This section does not apply to:

1. A written contract between two
parties that dictates the acceptable form of payment.

2. The online sale of goods or
services.

E. For the purposes of this section,
"retail business" means each business that is classified under the
retail classification pursuant to section 42-5061.

END_STATUTE