Scottsdale, AZ Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Scottsdale Code § 25-3
- Effective date
- November 30, 2020 (Ord. No. 4484)
- Government property violation
- Class one misdemeanor
- Open space/public place violation
- Petty offense
- Open space defined
- Parks, sidewalks, walkways, pedestrian thoroughfares
- Public place defined
- Per Smoke-Free Arizona Act, A.R.S. § 36-601.01
- Exception
- Lawful law enforcement activity on city property
Summary
Scottsdale prohibits smoking or consuming marijuana anywhere in public. City Code § 25-3 makes it a class one misdemeanor to use marijuana on any city, state or school-district property, and a petty offense to smoke or consume it in a public park, sidewalk, walkway or any other public place citywide.
A.Within the City of Scottsdale, the use, sale, cultivation, manufacture, production, storage, or distribution of marijuana or marijuana products is prohibited on property that is occupied, owned, controlled or operated by the City, this state or any of its political subdivisions, including school districts.B.Within the City of Scottsdale, it is unlawful for an individual to smoke marijuana or consume marijuana products on property that is occupied, owned, controlled or operated by the City, this state or any of its political subdivisions, including school districts. This subsection shall not apply to lawful activities of law enforcement agencies.C.It is unlawful for an individual to smoke marijuana or consume marijuana products in any open space in the City.D.It is unlawful for an individual to smoke in a public place in the City.E.A violation of subsection A above is a class one misdemeanor, and any other violation of this section is a petty offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
Adopted by Ordinance No. 4484 effective November 30, 2020, alongside Scottsdale's broader Chapter 25 restrictions on retail marijuana, § 25-3 draws a hard line between what state law allows in private and what the City allows in public. Subsection A bars the use, sale, cultivation, manufacture, production, storage or distribution of marijuana or marijuana products on any property occupied, owned, controlled or operated by the City, the State of Arizona, or any political subdivision, expressly including school districts. Subsection B separately makes it unlawful to smoke marijuana or consume marijuana products on that same government-owned property, with a carve-out for lawful law enforcement activity.
01. The rule sits inside a chapter that otherwise prohibits nearly all commercial marijuana activity in Scottsdale outright, so § 25-3 functions as the public-conduct backstop to that broader prohibition rather than a stand-alone nuisance ordinance.
Violations & Fines
A violation of subsection A, using, storing or distributing marijuana on City, state or school property, is a class one misdemeanor. Any other violation of § 25-3, including smoking or consuming marijuana in an open space or public place, is a petty offense, which carries a fine only, with no term of imprisonment, unlike the misdemeanor track under subsection A.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke marijuana in a Scottsdale city park?
What happens if I use marijuana at a Scottsdale public school?
Does Scottsdale's ban apply to marijuana edibles, not just smoking?
Is there any exception for police officers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scottsdale
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Public Marijuana Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle public marijuana use.