Arizona § 13-1208 Assault; vicious animals; classification; exception; definition

Arizona Statutes

§ 13-1208 — Assault; vicious animals; classification; exception; definition

Arizona § 13-1208

Title 13Arizona Revised Statutes

Ch. 12ASSAULT AND RELATED OFFENSES

This text of Arizona § 13-1208 (Assault; vicious animals; classification; exception; definition) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-1208 (2026).

Text

A.A person who intentionally or knowingly causes any dog to bite and inflict serious physical injury on a human being or otherwise cause serious physical injury to a human being is guilty of a class 3 felony, unless the person would be justified in using physical force or deadly physical force in self-defense or defense of a third person pursuant to chapter 4 of this title.

B.A person who owns a dog that the owner knows or has reason to know has a history of biting or a propensity to cause injury or to otherwise endanger the safety of human beings without provocation or that has been found to be a vicious animal by a court of competent jurisdiction and that bites, inflicts physical injury on or attacks a human being while at large is guilty of a class 5 felony.

C.A person who owns or

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A. A person who intentionally or knowingly causes any dog to bite and inflict serious physical injury on a human being or otherwise cause serious physical injury to a human being is guilty of a class 3 felony, unless the person would be justified in using physical force or deadly physical force in self-defense or defense of a third person pursuant to chapter 4 of this title.

B. A person who owns a dog that the owner knows or has reason to know has a history of biting or a propensity to cause injury or to otherwise endanger the safety of human beings without provocation or that has been found to be a vicious animal by a court of competent jurisdiction and that bites, inflicts physical injury on or attacks a human being while at large is guilty of a class 5 felony.

C. A person who owns or who is responsible for the care of a dog that the owner or responsible person knows or has reason to know has a history of biting or a propensity to cause injury or to otherwise endanger the safety of human beings without provocation or that has been found to be a vicious animal by a court of competent jurisdiction and who does not take reasonable care to prohibit the dog from escaping to the outside of a residence or enclosed area, yard or structure is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.

D. This section does not apply to dogs that are owned or used by a law enforcement agency and that are used in the performance of police work.

E. For the purposes of this section, "reasonable care" means the degree of care that a person of ordinary prudence would exercise in the same or similar circumstances.