HB 4117

Senate Engrossed
  House Bill
disturbing
  religious services; worship
(now: interfering
  with religious service)
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
CHAPTER 264
HOUSE BILL 4117
AN
ACT
AMENDING TITLE 13, CHAPTER 29, ARIZONA
REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 13-2925; RELATING TO OFFENSES AGAINST
PUBLIC ORDER.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 13, chapter 29, Arizona
Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 13-2925, to read:
START_STATUTE13-2925. Interfering with a religious service or religious activity;
exception; classification; definitions
A. A person commits interfering with
a religious service or religious activity if, without
legal authority, the person intentionally interferes with a religious service
or religious activity by intentionally doing either of
the following:
1. Obstructing, blocking or impeding
another person's ability to enter or exit a place of religious worship.
2. Making any
protracted commotion, utterance or display in a place of religious worship that
disrupts a religious service or religious activity.
B. This section does not apply to
either of the following:
1. Peaceful picketing, protesting or
other expressive activity.
2. A law enforcement officer, a first
responder or any other authorized person who is acting within the scope of the
person's official duties.
C. interfering with a religious
service or religious activity is a class 1 misdemeanor
except that it is a class 6 felony if any of the
following applies:
1. The person has been previously
convicted of a violation of this section.
2. The person used
force, threats of force or physical intimidation in the commission of the
offense.
3. The person, with two or more other
persons acting together, commits a violation of subsection A, paragraph 1 of
this section.
E. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Obstructing,
blocking or impeding" means to render passage impassable
or unreasonably difficult or hazardous.
2. "Physical intimidation"
means to place a person in reasonable apprehension of physical injury to
oneself or another person.
3. "Place of religious
worship" means a privately owned building, structure
or designated location where people assemble for a religious service or religious activity.END_STATUTE
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR JUNE 22, 2026.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 22, 2026.