Phoenix, AZ Firearms: Local Firearms Preemption (2026)
Key Facts
- Preemption Statute
- A.R.S. Sec. 13-3108
- Statewide Carry
- Permitless open & concealed carry (21+)
- What Phoenix May Regulate
- Sales tax, minors <14, park discharge, employee conduct
- What's Preempted
- Transport, possession, carry, sale, transfer, purchase, storage, licensing, registration, discharge, use
- Civil Penalty
- Up to $50,000 per knowing violation + fees
Summary
Phoenix cannot enact local firearm ordinances. Arizona Revised Statutes Section 13-3108 preempts municipal regulation of the transportation, possession, carrying, sale, transfer, purchase, storage, licensing, registration, discharge, or use of firearms or ammunition. Any local ordinance more prohibitive than state law is void.
A. Except as provided in subsection G of this section, a political subdivision of this state shall not enact any ordinance, rule or tax relating to the transportation, possession, carrying, sale, transfer, purchase, acquisition, gift, devise, storage, licensing, registration, discharge or use of firearms or ammunition or any firearm or ammunition components or related accessories in this state.
B. A political subdivision of this state shall not require the licensing or registration of firearms or ammunition or any firearm or ammunition components or related accessories or prohibit the ownership, purchase, sale or transfer of firearms or ammunition or any firearm or ammunition components, or related accessories.
C. A political subdivision of this state shall not require or maintain a record in any form, whether permanent or temporary, including a list, log or database, of any of the following:
1. Any identifying information of a person who leaves a weapon in temporary storage at any public establishment or public event, except that the operator of the establishment or the sponsor of the event may require that a person provide a government issued identification or a reasonable copy of a government issued identification for the purpose of establishing ownership of the weapon. The operator or sponsor shall store any provided identification with the weapon and shall return the identification to the person when the weapon is retrieved. The operator or sponsor shall not retain records or copies of any identification provided pursuant to this paragraph after the weapon is retrieved.
2. Except in the course of a law enforcement investigation, any identifying information of a person who owns, possesses, purchases, sells or transfers a firearm.
3. The description, including the serial number, of a weapon that is left in temporary storage at any public establishment or public event.
D. A political subdivision of this state shall not enact any rule or ordinance that relates to firearms and is more prohibitive than or that has a penalty that is greater than any state law penalty. A political subdivision's rule or ordinance that relates to firearms and that is inconsistent with or more restrictive than state law, whether enacted before or after July 29, 2010, is null and void.
Full Breakdown
A.R.S. Sec. 13-3108 reserves to the Arizona Legislature the field of firearm and ammunition regulation and expressly voids any city or county ordinance that 'is more prohibitive than or that has a penalty that is greater than any state law penalty.' Phoenix retains a narrow set of remaining powers: it may impose its normal sales tax on firearms and ammunition at the rate applied to other goods, restrict unaccompanied minors under 14 from possessing firearms (subject to hunting, marksmanship, and agricultural carve-outs), regulate firearm businesses as ordinary commercial uses, set employee-conduct rules for city workers, and limit firearm discharge in city parks (with carve-outs for supervised ranges, approved hunting areas, nuisance-wildlife control, and self-defense). Statewide, Arizona is a permitless-carry state, adults 21+ may carry openly or concealed without a permit under A.R.S. Sec. 13-3112(N).
Violations & Fines
Any Phoenix ordinance more prohibitive than A.R.S. Sec. 13-3108 is null and void. The statute creates a private cause of action with a civil penalty up to $50,000 for knowing violations by a political subdivision, plus attorney fees and costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Phoenix ban handguns or assault weapons?
What firearm rules apply in Phoenix?
Are there any local firearm restrictions in Phoenix?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Phoenix
Compare Phoenix to another location·View the Arizona firearms overview
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Local Firearms Preemption in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle local firearms preemption.