Odd Laws Still on the Books
Stealing a cactus, tattooing out of a tent, and dumping dirt: real Arizona sections
Lists of strange state laws get passed around with no section number attached. Every one below has one, read from the Arizona Revised Statutes.
Who handles this in Arizona: Maricopa County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Arizona directory.
| The law | What it says | Breaking it |
|---|---|---|
| The lawStealing a cactus | What it saysKnowingly removing or destroying protected native plants from private or state land without the landowner's consent is theft, graded by the plants' value. | Breaking itA class 1 misdemeanor under $500, up to a class 4 felony at $1,500 or more |
| The lawClearing your own land | What it saysEven on private land, an owner destroying protected native plants must notify the department first, unless the plants stay on the land and are not sold. | Breaking itSee the native plant chapter |
| The lawA tattoo in a tent | What it saysNo one may run a tattooing or piercing business out of a home, tent, trailer, trunk or other impermanent structure. | Breaking itClass 6 felony |
| The lawDumping dirt | What it saysDumping earth, soil, stones, ores or minerals on any land without lawful authority is criminal littering. | Breaking itClass 2 misdemeanor at the least |
Many laws that sound strange are city or county ordinances rather than state law, and those differ from place to place; this page covers only the state's statutes. Whether a particular act broke one of these sections is a question for a licensed Arizona attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- A.R.S. 3-932 — Protected native plants; violations and penalties
- A.R.S. 13-3721 — Tattoos, brands, scarifications and piercings; minors
- A.R.S. 13-1603 — Criminal littering or polluting; classification
- A.R.S. 3-904 — Destruction of protected plants by private landowners; notice
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Arizona attorney.