Arizona recognizes 17 official state holidays under ARS § 1-301, from familiar national dates like Independence Day and Thanksgiving to distinctive observances like Native American Day and National Navajo Code Talkers Day.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 1-301 – Holidays Enumerated The statute also sets rules for what happens when a holiday lands on a weekend, and those rules aren’t the same for every holiday. One thing to know up front: Arizona law does not require private employers to give holiday pay or time off, so the statutory protections around holidays only reach public employees.
The 17 Arizona State Holidays
Here is the full list of holidays enumerated in ARS § 1-301:
- Every Sunday
- New Year’s Day — January 1
- Martin Luther King, Jr./Civil Rights Day — third Monday in January
- Lincoln/Washington Presidents’ Day — third Monday in February
- Mother’s Day — second Sunday in May
- Memorial Day — last Monday in May
- Native American Day — June 2
- Father’s Day — third Sunday in June
- Independence Day — July 4
- American Family Day — first Sunday in August
- National Navajo Code Talkers Day — August 14
- Labor Day — first Monday in September
- Constitution Commemoration Day — September 17
- Columbus Day — second Monday in October
- Veterans’ Day — November 11
- Thanksgiving Day — fourth Thursday in November
- Christmas Day — December 25
Most of these are fixed to a specific weekday and never create a scheduling question. The ones tied to a fixed calendar date, and therefore can drift onto a weekend, are New Year’s Day, Native American Day, Independence Day, National Navajo Code Talkers Day, Constitution Commemoration Day, Veterans’ Day, and Christmas Day.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 1-301 – Holidays Enumerated
How Weekend Holidays Are Observed
When a fixed-date holiday lands on a weekend, the observance moves so that state offices still close on a weekday. The direction depends on the day.
Four holidays shift to the preceding Friday when they fall on a Saturday: New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Veterans’ Day, and Christmas Day. In 2026, for example, July 4 is a Saturday, so the state observance moves to Friday, July 3.
Most holidays that fall on a Sunday shift to the following Monday. Seven items on the list are excluded from that Monday-shift rule: every Sunday (already a standing holiday), Mother’s Day, Native American Day, Father’s Day, American Family Day, National Navajo Code Talkers Day, and Constitution Commemoration Day. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and American Family Day are already defined as Sundays. The other three follow their own pattern.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 1-301 – Holidays Enumerated
The Three Holidays Always Observed on a Sunday
Three holidays are observed on a Sunday regardless of what day of the week the calendar date lands on. The direction of the shift is not identical:
- Native American Day (June 2): observed on the Sunday after June 2 when June 2 isn’t already a Sunday.
- National Navajo Code Talkers Day (August 14): observed on the Sunday after August 14 when August 14 isn’t already a Sunday.
- Constitution Commemoration Day (September 17): observed on the Sunday before September 17 when September 17 isn’t already a Sunday.
Because these are always observed on a Sunday, state offices don’t close on a weekday for them. If you’re planning a government-office errand during those weeks, you won’t lose a business day.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 1-301 – Holidays Enumerated
Holidays Unique to Arizona
Several holidays on Arizona’s list have no federal counterpart. Native American Day (June 2) recognizes the heritage and contributions of the state’s indigenous communities. National Navajo Code Talkers Day (August 14) honors the Navajo servicemembers who used their language to create an unbreakable communications code during World War II; Arizona made it an official state holiday in 2021, with the first observance that same year.2U.S. Department of Energy. Navajo Code Talkers Day Now a State Holiday American Family Day, on the first Sunday in August, is about spending time together as a family rather than commemorating an event or figure. Constitution Commemoration Day (September 17) marks the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 1-301 – Holidays Enumerated
Holiday Pay for Public Employees
ARS § 38-608 gives certain public employees a compensation right when they work a legal holiday. A public employee who works 40 or more hours a week and does not already receive compensation or equivalent time off for a legal holiday worked is entitled to either one additional day of vacation leave or one additional day of pay for each qualifying holiday worked.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 38-608 – Compensation or Time Off for Legal Holidays
The definition of “legal holiday” under this section is narrow. It covers only five: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, New Year’s Day, and Independence Day. The other 12 holidays on the ARS § 1-301 list don’t trigger the compensation rule. “Public employee” here means employees of the state, a county, city, town, or other political subdivision, with several categories of special districts excluded.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 38-608 – Compensation or Time Off for Legal Holidays
Private Employers Are Not Required to Give Holiday Pay
Arizona law does not require private employers to provide paid time off, premium pay, or any special compensation for holidays. Whether you get Thanksgiving off, or earn time-and-a-half on Christmas, depends entirely on your employer’s policies or the terms of your employment contract. The list in ARS § 1-301 primarily governs state and local government operations, not the private sector.
Plenty of private employers do close on major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Independence Day, and some pay a premium to employees who work those days. If your employee handbook or contract commits to holiday pay, that promise can be enforced, but the enforcement runs through contract law rather than the holiday statute.
Federal Holidays vs. State Holidays
Arizona’s list overlaps with the federal calendar in most places but not all. Federal holidays like Juneteenth (June 19) and Inauguration Day are not on Arizona’s state list. Going the other way, Native American Day, National Navajo Code Talkers Day, American Family Day, and Constitution Commemoration Day have no federal counterpart.
The distinction matters when you’re planning around closures. Banks and post offices follow the federal schedule, so they close on Juneteenth but stay open on Native American Day. State government offices follow the state schedule. Checking which calendar applies to the office you need can save you a wasted trip.