Glendale, AZ Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Right-angle crossing rule
- § 24-160, citywide
- Business district crossing
- Crosswalk only, § 24-161
- Last amended
- Ord. No. O25-39, 9-9-25
- Article
- Ch. 24, Art. XII, Pedestrian's Duties
Summary
Glendale requires pedestrians to cross a roadway at right angles to the curb or by the shortest route to the opposite curb unless a crosswalk or traffic-control device directs otherwise, and bans crossing anywhere but a crosswalk in a business district.
Sec. 24-160. - Crossing at right angles. No pedestrian shall cross a roadway at any place other than by a route at right angles to the curb or by the shortest route to the opposite curb except where indicated by a crosswalk or other official traffic-control devices. Sec. 24-161. - Prohibited crossing. No pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than in a crosswalk in any business district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 115).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 24-160 requires that no pedestrian cross a roadway at any place other than by a route at right angles to the curb, or by the shortest route to the opposite curb, except where a crosswalk or other official traffic-control device indicates a different path. Section 24-161 layers a stricter rule on top of that for commercial areas: no pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than in a crosswalk in any business district, eliminating the right-angle alternative entirely once a location qualifies as a business district.
Both sections sit in Article XII, Pedestrian's Duties, of Chapter 24, alongside § 24-170's separate ban on driving a motor vehicle or motorized skateboard within a sidewalk area except to cross it to reach a driveway or road. Section 24-161 was amended twice in recent years, by Ordinance No. O22-66 in October 2022 and Ordinance No. O25-39 in September 2025, showing the city has continued to actively enforce and refine its business-district crossing rule rather than let it lapse as an unenforced legacy provision.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 24-160's right-angle crossing rule or § 24-161's business-district crosswalk requirement exposes a pedestrian to a citation under the traffic code; Chapter 24's general enforcement framework routes non-misdemeanor traffic offenses through civil citation and city court adjudication unless a section specifically designates the conduct unlawful as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jaywalking illegal in Glendale, Arizona?
Can I cross diagonally across a Glendale street outside downtown?
Does Glendale's crosswalk-only rule apply everywhere?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
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