wildlife; unlawful taking; civil penalty

SB1759 - wildlife; unlawful taking; civil penalty

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Priya Sundareshan
Last action: 2026-02-09
Official status: Senate second read
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is not listed in the provided metadata or bill excerpt.

SB1759: Civil Penalties for Unlawful Wildlife Taking

This bill sets minimum civil penalty amounts that the Arizona Game and Fish Commission can charge people who illegally take, wound, kill, or possess specific types of wildlife.

What This Bill Does

Sets a $500 minimum fine for each turkey or javelina taken unlawfully.
Requires a $1,500 minimum penalty for bears, mountain lions, pronghorn antelope, or deer.
Mandates a $2,500 minimum civil penalty for elk or eagles that are not endangered species.
Establishes an $8,000 minimum fine for bighorn sheep, bison, or animals listed as endangered by the commission.
Sets lower minimum penalties of $250 for predatory, fur-bearing, or nongame animals and $50 for small game or aquatic wildlife.
Allows penalties to double for a second violation and triple for a third violation.
Directs all money collected from these fines into the wildlife theft prevention fund.

Who It Names or Affects

Any person who unlawfully takes, wounds, kills, or possesses protected wildlife in Arizona.
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission, which enforces the penalties and collects funds.
Repeat offenders who face higher minimum penalty amounts for multiple violations.

Terms To Know

Civil Penalty: A fine or monetary punishment imposed by a government agency, separate from criminal court charges.
Unlawful Taking: The act of catching, killing, wounding, or possessing wildlife without legal permission.
Wildlife Theft Prevention Fund: A specific account where money collected from these fines is deposited for use by the state.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify an effective date in the provided text.
The commission may adopt rules to increase penalties beyond the minimum amounts listed, but those specific rule changes are not detailed here.
This law applies only to civil fines and does not prevent separate criminal prosecutions for the same actions.

Bill History

2026-02-09 Senate
Senate second read
2026-02-05 Senate
Senate Rules: None
2026-02-05 Senate
Senate Natural Resources: None
2026-02-05 Senate
Senate first read

Official Summary Text

SB1759 - wildlife; unlawful taking; civil penalty

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB1759 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
wildlife; unlawful taking; civil
penalty

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1759

Introduced by

Senator
Sundareshan

AN
ACT

Amending section 17-314, Arizona
Revised Statutes; RELATING to the taking and HANDLING of wildlife.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

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

Section 1. Section 17-314, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
17-314
.
Illegally taking, wounding, killing or possessing wildlife; civil
penalty; rules; enforcement

A. The commission may impose a civil penalty against
any person for unlawfully taking, wounding, killing or possessing any of the
following wildlife, or part thereof, to recover the following minimum sums:

1. For each turkey or javelina������������������������ $ 500.00

2. For each bear, mountain lion, pronghorn
(antelope)

or deer�������������������������������������������� $1,500.00

3. For each elk or eagle, other than

endangered species��������������������������������� $2,500.00

4. For each predatory, fur-bearing or nongame animal�� $ 250.00

5. For each small game or aquatic wildlife animal����� $ 50.00

6. For each bighorn sheep, bison (buffalo)
,

endangered species animal
or formally

ENDANGERED SPECIES
animal as determined

by the commission
��������������������������������� $8,000.00

B.
The
commission may bring a civil action in the name of this state to enforce the
civil penalty. The civil penalty, or a
verdict or judgment
to
enforce the civil penalty,
shall
not
be less than the sum fixed in this
section.
The minimum sum that the commission may
recover from a person pursuant to this section may be
doubled for
a second violation, verdict or judgment and tripled for a third violation,
verdict or judgment
increased by the commission by rule
to exceed the market value of the wildlife. the commission may adopt rules to
increase the civil penalty for repeat offenders.
The action
to
enforce the civil penalty
may be joined with an action for possession and
recovery had for the possession as well as the
civil penalty
.

C. The pendency or determination of an action to
enforce the civil penalty or for payment of the civil penalty or a judgment, or
the pendency or determination of a criminal prosecution for the same taking,
wounding, killing or possession, is not a bar to the other, nor does either
affect the right of seizure under any other provision of the laws relating to
game and fish.

D. All monies recovered pursuant to this section
shall be deposited in the wildlife theft prevention fund established by section
17-315.
END_STATUTE