Official Summary Text
HB4117 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet
Assigned to
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PASSED BY COW
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR
H.B. 4117
disturbing
religious services; worship
Purpose
Establishes the
criminal classification of
interfering with a religious service or religious
activity
, which a person commits by intentionally obstructing another
person's ability to enter or exit a place of religious worship or by making any
protracted commotion, utterance or display in a place of religious worship and
that disrupts a religious service or activity. Classifies
interfering with a
religious service or activity
as a class 1 misdemeanor, with certain
outlined exceptions.
Background
A person commits
disorderly conduct
by, with intent to disturb the
peace or quiet of a neighborhood, family or person or with knowledge of doing
so, such person: 1) engages in fighting, violent or seriously disruptive
behavior; 2) makes unreasonable noise; 3) uses abusive or offensive language or
gestures to any person present in a manner likely to provoke immediate physical
retaliation by such person; 4) makes any protracted commotion, utterance or
display with the intent to prevent the transaction of the business of a lawful
meeting, gathering or procession; 5) refuses to obey a lawful order to disperse
issued to maintain public safety in dangerous proximity to a fire, a hazardous
or any other emergency; or 6) recklessly handles, displays or discharges a
deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.
Disorderly conduct
is classified
as a class 1 misdemeanor, except that
disorderly conduct
involving
recklessly handling, displaying or discharging a deadly weapon or dangerous
instrument is a class 6 felony (
A.R.S.
� 13-2904
).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund
associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1.
Establishes
the criminal classification of
interfering with a religious service or
religious activity
, which a person commits by intentionally doing either of
the following without legal authority:
a)
obstructing, blocking or impeding another person's ability to enter or
exit a place of religious worship; or
b)
making
any protracted commotion, utterance or display in a place of religious worship
that disrupts a religious service or religious activity.
2.
Specifies
that
interfering with a religious service or activity
does not apply to:
a)
peaceful picketing, protesting or other expressive activity; or
b)
a
law enforcement officer, a first responder or any other authorized person who
is acting within the scope of the person's official duties.
3.
Classifies
interfering with a religious service or religious activity
as a class 1
misdemeanor, except that it is a class 6 felony if any of the following
applies:
a)
the person has been previously convicted of
interfering with a
religious service or activity
;
b)
during commission of the offense, the person used force, threats of
force or physical intimidation; or
c)
the person obstructs the ability to enter or exit a place of religious
worship with two or more persons acting together.
4.
Defines
obstructing, blocking or impeding
as rendering passage impassable or
unreasonably difficult or hazardous.
5.
Defines
place of religious worship
as a privately owned building, structure or
designated location where people assemble for a religious service or religious
activity.
6.
Becomes
effective on the general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by Committee
�
Adopted the strike-everything amendment.
Amendments
Adopted by Additional Committee of the Whole
1.
Specifies
that a person commits
interference with a religious service or religious
activity
by making any protracted commotion, utterance or display, rather
than engaging in conduct that constitutes
disorderly conduct
, in a place
of religious worship that disrupts a religious service or religious activity.
2.
Removes the specification
that a person does not need to be charged with or convicted of
disorderly
conduct
to be found in violation of
interfering with a religious service
or religious activity
.
3.
Modifies
the criteria necessary for
interfering with a religious service or religious
activity
to be classified as a class 6 felony.
4.
Replaces
the definition of
obstruct
with
obstructing, blocking or impeding
,
which means rendering passage impassable or unreasonably difficult or
hazardous.
5.
Defines
physical intimidation
as placing a person in reasonable apprehension of
physical injury to oneself or another person.
6.
Redefines
place of religious worship
as a privately owned building, structure or
designated location where people assemble for a religious service or religious
activity.
7.
Removes
the definition of
in concert with another person
.
8.
Makes
conforming changes.
Senate Action
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Prepared by Senate Research
June 9, 2026
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Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
Chapter 0264 - 572R - S Ver of HB4117
Senate Engrossed
House Bill
disturbing
religious services; worship
(now: interfering
with religious service)
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
CHAPTER 264
HOUSE BILL 4117
AN
ACT
AMENDING TITLE 13, CHAPTER 29, ARIZONA
REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 13-2925; RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST
PUBLIC ORDER.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 13, chapter 29, Arizona
Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 13-2925, to read:
START_STATUTE
13-2925.
Interfering with a religious service or religious activity;
exception; classification; definitions
A. A person commits interfering with
a religious service or
religious activity if, without
legal authority, the person intentionally interferes with a religious service
or
religious activity by intentionally doing either of
the following:
1. Obstructing, blocking or impeding
another person's ability to enter or exit a place of religious worship.
2.
Making any
protracted commotion, utterance or display in a place of religious worship that
disrupts a religious service or
religious activity.
B. This section does not apply to
either of the following:
1. Peaceful picketing, protesting or
other expressive activity.
2. A law enforcement officer, a first
responder or any other authorized person who is acting within the scope of the
person's official duties.
C. interfering with a religious
service or
religious activity is a class 1 misdemeanor
except that it is a class 6 felony if
any of the
following applies:
1. The person has been previously
convicted of a violation of this section.
2. The person
used
force, threats of force or physical intimidation in the commission of the
offense
.
3. The person, with two or more other
persons acting together, commits a violation of subsection A, paragraph 1 of
this section.
E. For the purposes of this section:
1. "
Obstructing,
blocking or impeding" means to render passage
impassable
or unreasonably difficult or hazardous
.
2. "Physical intimidation"
means to place a person in reasonable apprehension of physical injury to
oneself or another person.
3. "Place of religious
worship" means a
privately owned building, structure
or designated location where people assemble for a religious service or
religious activity.
END_STATUTE
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR JUNE 22, 2026.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 22, 2026.