Phoenix, AZ Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Business districts
- device use fully prohibited
- Elsewhere
- roadway crossing only at crosswalks
- Covers
- skates, coasters, toy vehicles
- Max civil fine
- $250 (City Code § 1-5)
- Citation
- Phoenix City Code § 36-117
Summary
Phoenix treats skateboards, roller skates, and coasters as pedestrian devices, not vehicles: riders may cross a roadway only in a marked crosswalk, and the code flatly prohibits using them in any business district.
No person upon roller skates or riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle or similar device, shall go upon any roadway except while crossing a street in a crosswalk and, when so crossing, such person shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to pedestrians, and the use of such devices shall be prohibited in any business district.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-7524, passed June 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 36-117, "Applicability of pedestrian laws," governs anyone "upon roller skates or riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle or similar device": the catch-all category skateboards fall into, since Phoenix never wrote a skateboard-specific street rule (its only skateboard-named section, § 36-64, covers motorized boards only). The rule bars these devices from roadways except when crossing at a crosswalk, where the rider gets pedestrian rights and duties. Then it adds a flat citywide carve-out: "the use of such devices shall be prohibited in any business district." No exception exists for a quick ride through a commercial strip.
Violations & Fines
Riding a skateboard, coaster, or roller skates on a business-district street, or on a roadway outside a marked crosswalk, is a traffic-code violation; unless a specific penalty applies, City Code § 1-5 caps civil traffic violations at $250.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule ban skateboarding everywhere in Phoenix?
Is there a separate ordinance naming skateboards directly?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Phoenix
Compare Phoenix to another location·View the Arizona public conduct overview
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Skateboarding Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle skateboarding rules.