Self Defense
A.R.S. 13-405 — no duty to retreat where a person may legally be
A person is justified in threatening or using deadly physical force against another when physical force would be justified and when, and to the degree, a reasonable person would believe deadly force is immediately necessary to protect against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful deadly physical force.
No duty to retreat. There is no duty to retreat first if the person is in a place where the person may legally be and is not engaged in an unlawful act.
In a home or an occupied vehicle, force or deadly force is justified against someone unlawfully or forcefully entering or who has entered, or who is removing or trying to remove a person against that person's will, if the person reasonably believes someone is in imminent peril of death or serious physical injury. There is no duty to retreat.
Force and deadly force are also justified to the extent reasonably believed immediately necessary to prevent the listed crimes, among them arson of an occupied structure, burglary, kidnapping, murder, sexual assault, armed robbery and aggravated assault. A person acting to prevent what the person reasonably believes is one of them is presumed to act reasonably, in a home, business, vehicle or anywhere the person has a right to be.
Sources for this section (3)
- A.R.S. 13-405 — Justification; use of deadly physical force
- A.R.S. 13-411 — Justification; use of force in crime prevention
- A.R.S. 13-418 — Justification; use of force in defense of residential structure or occupied vehicles
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Arizona attorney.