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SB1134 - 572R - S Ver
Senate Engrossed
political signs;
dates
State of Arizona
Senate
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
SENATE BILL 1134
AN
ACT
amending section 16-1019, Arizona
Revised Statutes; relating to political signs.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 16-1019, Arizona Revised Statutes,
is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
16-1019.
Political signs; printed materials; tampering; violation;
classification; definitions
A. It is a class 2 misdemeanor for any person to
knowingly remove, alter, deface or cover any political sign of any candidate
for public office or in support of or opposition to any ballot measure,
question or issue or knowingly remove, alter or deface any political mailers,
handouts, flyers or other printed materials of a candidate or in support of or
opposition to any ballot measure, question or issue that are delivered by hand
to a residence for the period commencing seventy-one days before
the first day that early ballots may be mailed for
an election
as prescribed by section 16-542
and ending fifteen days after
the election, except that for a sign for a candidate in a primary election who
advances to the general election, the period ends fifteen days after the
general election.� For a sign that supports or opposes a ballot measure,
question or issue, this subsection applies only for the election at which the
ballot measure, question or issue is scheduled to appear on the ballot and for
the period commencing seventy-one days before that election and ending fifteen
days after that election.
B. This section does not apply to the removal,
alteration, defacing or covering of a political sign or other printed materials
by the candidate or the authorized agent of the candidate in support of whose
election the sign or materials were placed, by a person authorized by the
committee in support of or opposition to a ballot measure, question or issue
that provided the sign or printed materials, by the owner or authorized agent
of the owner of private property on which such signs or printed materials are
placed with or without permission of the owner or placed in violation of state
law or county, city or town ordinance or regulation.
C. Notwithstanding any other statute, ordinance or
regulation, a city, town or county of this state shall not remove, alter,
deface or cover any political sign if the following conditions are met:
1. The sign is placed in a public right-of-way that
is owned or controlled by that jurisdiction.
2. The sign supports or opposes a candidate for
public office or it supports or opposes a ballot measure, question or issue.
3. The sign is not placed in a location that is
hazardous to public safety, obstructs clear vision in the area or interferes
with the requirements of the Americans with disabilities act (42 United States
Code sections 12101 through 12213 and 47 United States Code sections 225 and
611).
4. The sign has a maximum area of sixteen square
feet, if the sign is located in an area zoned for residential use, or a maximum
area of thirty-two square feet if the sign is located in any other area.
5. The sign contains the name and telephone number
or website address of the candidate or campaign committee contact person.
D. If the city, town or county deems that the
placement of a political sign constitutes an emergency, the jurisdiction may
immediately relocate the sign. The jurisdiction shall notify the
candidate or campaign committee that placed the sign within twenty-four
hours after the relocation. If a sign is placed in violation of
subsection C of this section and the placement is not deemed to constitute an
emergency, the city, town or county may notify the candidate or campaign
committee that placed the sign of the violation. If the sign remains
in violation at least twenty-four hours after the jurisdiction notified
the candidate or campaign committee, the jurisdiction may remove the
sign. The jurisdiction shall contact the candidate or campaign
committee contact and shall retain the sign for at least ten business days to
allow the candidate or campaign committee to retrieve the sign without penalty.
E. A city, town or county employee acting within the
scope of the employee's employment is not liable for an injury caused by the
failure to remove a sign pursuant to subsection D of this section unless the
employee intended to cause injury or was grossly negligent.
F. Subsection C of this section does not apply to
commercial tourism, commercial resort and hotel sign free zones as those zones
are designated by municipalities.� The total area of those zones shall not be
larger than three square miles, and each zone shall be identified as a specific
contiguous area where, by resolution of the municipal governing body, the
municipality has determined that based on a predominance of commercial tourism,
resort and hotel uses within the zone the placement of political signs within
the rights-of-way in the zone will detract from the scenic and
aesthetic appeal of the area within the zone and deter its appeal to
tourists. Not more than two zones may be identified within a
municipality.
G. A city, town or county may prohibit the
installation of a sign on any structure owned by the jurisdiction.
H. Subsection C of this section applies only during
the period commencing seventy-one days before
the first day that
early ballots may be mailed for
an election
as prescribed
by section 16-542
and ending fifteen days after the election, except
that for a sign for a candidate in a primary election who advances to the
general election, the period ends fifteen days after the general election.� For
a sign that supports or opposes a ballot measure, question or issue, subsection
C of this section applies only for the election at which the ballot measure,
question or issue is scheduled to appear on the ballot and for the period
commencing seventy-one days before
the first day that
early ballots may be mailed for
that election
as
prescribed by section 16-542
and ending fifteen days after that
election.
I. This section does not apply to state highways or
routes, or overpasses over those state highways or routes.
J. For the purposes of this section:
1. "General election" means the general
election as prescribed by section 16-211.
2. "Primary election" means an election
that is held as prescribed by section 16-201.
END_STATUTE
(ENACTED
WITHOUT THE EMERGENCY)
Sec. 2.
Emergency
This act is an emergency measure that
is necessary to preserve the public peace, health or safety and is operative
immediately as provided by law.