Tempe, AZ Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Tempe City Code § 19-151
- Downtown rule
- Crosswalk required, no mid-block crossing
- Elsewhere rule
- Mid-block crossing allowed, must yield to traffic
- Covers
- Pedestrians and human-powered vehicle operators alike
- Enacted
- Ord. No. 86.45, 7-10-86
Summary
Outside Tempe's central business district, pedestrians crossing mid-block must yield to all vehicles; inside it, Section 19-151 requires using a marked or unmarked crosswalk at all, making an unmarked mid-block crossing downtown an outright violation rather than just a yield obligation.
(a)No pedestrian or human powered vehicle operator shall cross the roadway within the central business district other than within a marked or unmarked crosswalk.(b)Every pedestrian or human powered vehicle operator crossing a roadway outside of the central business district at any point other than within a marked or unmarked crosswalk shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 19-151, in Article XIII of Chapter 19 (Movement and Traffic), the general code's rules for pedestrians and human-powered vehicle operators, splits jaywalking enforcement by location. Downtown, subsection (a) states that no pedestrian or human powered vehicle operator shall cross the roadway within the central business district other than within a marked or unmarked crosswalk, an outright crossing restriction rather than a mere yield rule. Everywhere else in the City, subsection (b) takes a lighter approach: a pedestrian may legally cross outside a crosswalk, but shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway while doing so.
Both zones share two further restrictions: subsection (c) bars crossing anywhere signs or traffic signals prohibit it, and subsection (d) bars suddenly leaving a curb or safe place into the path of a vehicle too close for its driver to yield in time. The article extends the same crossing rules to human-powered vehicle operators, meaning skateboarders, scooter riders and similar users face the identical crosswalk and yield requirements as pedestrians when crossing a roadway, and subsection (f) separately bars operating a human-powered vehicle on posted-prohibited public property or in any unsafe manner that endangers the operator or others. The section dates to Ordinance No. 22 in August 2019.
Violations & Fines
A pedestrian who crosses outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk within Tempe's central business district, or who fails to yield to traffic while crossing mid-block elsewhere in the City, can be cited by Tempe Police; crossing against a signal or suddenly stepping into a vehicle's path adds separate citable violations under subsections (c) and (d).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is jaywalking illegal everywhere in Tempe?
Do the crosswalk rules apply to skateboarders and scooter riders in Tempe?
What if a pedestrian steps into traffic too suddenly to avoid a crash?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
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Jaywalking in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle jaywalking.