petting zoos; handwashing; supervision

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Rules for Petting Zoos: Handwashing, Signs, Enclosures, and Supervision

This law requires petting zoos and animal exhibits to ensure visitors wash their hands or use sanitizer after leaving the animal area, post specific safety signs, keep animals in restricted areas, and have adult supervisors present.

What This Bill Does

• Requires operators to make sure all people wash their hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer immediately after leaving the animal contact area.
• Mandates that operators display a warning sign at every entrance and exit stating participants must wash hands, cannot eat or drink in the area, and should not put fingers or objects in their mouths.
• Orders operators to keep animals in an enclosed or restricted area so only people entering through a designated door can touch them.
• Requires at least one responsible adult supervisor to be present in the animal contact area during all operating hours.
• Requires supervisors to actively monitor and ensure that exiting participants wash their hands immediately upon leaving the animal area.
• Allows the Department of Health Services (DHS) to create rules, inspect operations, and charge fines up to $100 for each violation.

Who It Names or Affects

• Operators of petting zoos, animal encounter exhibits, and similar permanent or temporary operations where the public touches or feeds live animals.
• Visitors who enter these animal contact areas.
• The Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS), which can enforce the rules.

Terms To Know

Animal encounter exhibit

Any permanent or temporary place where members of the public are allowed to touch or feed live animals.

Civil penalty

A fine that DHS can charge for breaking a rule, with a maximum amount of $100 per violation.

Limits and Unknowns

• The requirement to enforce handwashing does not apply to petting zoos hired for a single-day private event at a home.
• For exempted private events, operators must still post the warning sign and provide a place to wash hands, but they are only required to recommend that guests wash their hands rather than force them.

Official Summary Text

SB1082 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1082

petting zoos; handwashing;
supervision

Purpose

Establishes
handwashing, sanitation and signage requirements for petting zoos, animal
encounter exhibits and similar operations. Allows the Department of Health
Services (DHS) to adopt rules to implement the handwashing and sanitation
requirements.

Background

The Director of
DHS is responsible for: 1) administering public health support services which
include consumer health protection programs for general sanitation and health
education and training programs; 2) formulating policies, plans and programs to
effectuate the missions and purposes of DHS; 3) providing a system of unified
and coordinated health services and programs between Arizona and county
governmental health units at all levels of government; 4) providing information
and advice on request by local, state and federal agencies and by private
citizens, business enterprises and community organizations on matters within
the scope of DHS's duties subject to DHS's rules and regulations on the
confidentiality of information; and 5) performing other statutorily prescribed
duties (
A.R.S.
� 36-104
).

Personnel who
work in an operation in which covered produce or food contact surfaces are at
risk of contamination with known or reasonably foreseeable hazards must use
hygienic practices while on duty to the extent necessary to protect against
contamination. These hygienic practices include washing hands thoroughly, by
scrubbing with soap or other surfactant and drying hands thoroughly in
prescribed occasions including as soon as practical after touching animals,
livestock and working animals or any animal waste (
A.A.C.
R3-10-602
).

There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.

Provisions

1.

Requires operators of petting zoos, animal encounter exhibits and
similar operations to ensure that all people wash their hands with soap and
water or use a hand sanitizer immediately on leaving the area where animals are
accessible to the public.

2.

Requires each petting zoo, animal encounter exhibit and similar
operation to prominently display at all entrances and exits a sign containing a
prescribed statement in clear, legible lettering that are at least one inch in
height.

3.

Requires the operator to post the prescribed sign at a visible location
at the event site, inform those running the event that it is recommended that
guests wash or sanitize their hands and provide a handwashing or sanitizing
station nearby.

4.

Requires each petting zoo, animal encounter exhibit and similar
operation to maintain the animals in an enclosed or otherwise restricted area
so that persons who have not entered through a designated entrance cannot pet,
feed or otherwise physically contact the animals.

5.

Requires
each petting zoo, animal encounter and similar operation to ensure that:

a)

at least one responsible adult supervisor is present in the animal
contact area at all times during the operation; and

b)

each
supervisor actively monitors compliance with the outlined handwashing
requirements and ensures that all exiting participants comply immediately on
leaving the area where the animals are accessible to the public.

6.

Exempts petting zoos, animal encounter exhibits and similar operations
that are contracted for a single day at a private residence for a private event
or party from the outlined handwashing requirements.

7.

Deems that the prescribed requirements relating to handwashing apply to
all petting zoos, animal encounter exhibits and similar operations, whether
permanent or temporary, at which members of the public are allowed to touch or
feed live animals.

8.

Allows DHS to adopt rules to implement and enforce the prescribed
handwashing requirements, including inspection authority and the imposition of
a civil penalty of up to $100 per violation.

9.

Become effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by
Senate Research

February 13,
2026

SB/hk

Current Bill Text

SB1082 - 572R - I Ver

PREFILED��� DEC 30 2025

REFERENCE TITLE:
petting zoos; handwashing; supervision

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1082

Introduced by

Senator
Kavanagh

AN
ACT

Amending title 36, chapter 6, Arizona
Revised Statutes, by adding article 16; relating to public health control.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Title 36, chapter 6, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended by adding article 16, to read:

ARTICLE 16. PETTING ZOOS and
animal encounter exhibits

START_STATUTE
36-799.

Petting zoos; animal encounter exhibits; handwashing required;
enclosures; signage; supervision; rulemaking authority; civil penalties

A. Except as provided in subsection F
of this section, this section applies to all petting zoos, animal encounter
exhibits and similar operations, whether permanent or temporary, at which
members of the public are allowed to touch or feed live animals.

B. Operators of petting zoos, animal
encounter exhibits and similar operations shall ensure that all persons wash
their hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer immediately on leaving
the area where the animals are accessible to the public.

C. Each petting zoo, animal encounter
exhibit and similar operation shall prominently display at all entrances and
exits a sign containing the following statement in clear, legible lettering
that are at least one inch in height:

For the safety of all persons, participants
must wash their hands on exiting. Persons may not eat or drink within the
animal contact area and should not place their fingers or any other object in
their mouths.

D. Each petting zoo, animal encounter
exhibit and similar operation shall maintain the animals in an enclosed or
otherwise restricted area so that persons who have not entered through a
designated entrance cannot pet, feed or otherwise physically contact the
animals.

E. Each petting zoo, animal encounter
exhibit and similar operation shall ensure that:

1. At least one responsible adult
supervisor is present in the animal contact area at all times during operation.

2. each Supervisor actively monitors
compliance with the handwashing requirement of subsection B of this section and
ensures that all exiting participants comply immediately on leaving the area
where the animals are accessible to the public.

F. The handwashing requirement
prescribed in subsection B of this section does not apply to petting zoos,
animal encounter exhibits and similar operations that are contracted for a
single day at a private residence for a private event or party. The
operator shall post the sign prescribed in subsection C of this section at a
visible location at the event site, inform those running the event that it is
recommended that guests wash or sanitize their hands and provide a handwashing
or sanitizing station nearby.

G. the department of health services
may adopt rules to implement and enforce this section, including inspection
authority and the imposition of a civil penalty not to exceed $100 per
violation.
END_STATUTE