3 Strange Arizona Laws You May Never Have Heard Of
You've probably heard the quote
Ignorance of the law is no excuse. -Sir William Blackstone, 18th Century Jurist
Basically, even if you don't know something is illegal, you can still be held accountable for violating the law. In Arizona, we have a few laws you might not have heard about. Is ignorance of these laws an excuse?
Are These Arizona Laws Ignorant or Are We?
Arizona has a few strange laws on the books - some designed to save people from themselves, others that may just be sitting on the books waiting for someone to come along and challenge them - and hopefully get them removed.
Here are three stupid Arizona laws you may never have heard of:
1. Don't Provoke the Flag
According to Arizona Law 13-3703, placing any mark on a flag that could provoke physical retaliation is illegal.
That means just because you don't like someone's MAGA flag or if you oppose their Pride flag, you'll just have to chill out and leave it alone. You can't desecrate the flag in any way.
This includes writing any word, figure, picture, design, or advertisement on the flag that the public could see. Violating this law is a class 2 misdemeanor.
2. Antique Cross-Dressing Law in Tucson
I'm fairly sure the continued existence of this law is an oversite. There's an old city ordinance on the books in Tucson that forbids a person from wearing clothes that are not of their own sex.
Simply stated, cross-dressing is technically a misdemeanor offense in Tucson, although I highly doubt this law has been enforced anytime in the last 100 years or more.
Does this mean a woman wearing blue jeans could get in trouble? Is a man in a kilt violating this ordinance? The mind boggles.
3. Stupid Motorist Law Means You Could Be Responsible for Your Own Rescue
Arizona has a unique law known as the Stupid Motorist Law. Suppose you're driving a car and decide to ignore barricades. If you end up getting stuck in a flooded road, you get the bill for the cost of your rescue.
Yep, the stupid motorist is liable for the cost of the rescue.
The law was passed in 1995 and it's meant to keep drivers from risking their lives and wasting public resources because they can't or won't read the signs.
The phrase "turn around, don't drown" gets thrown around a lot, especially during the summer monsoon season.
You could also end up drowning in debt if you don't pay attention.
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