Arizona jaywalking laws come primarily from ARS 28-793, which requires pedestrians who cross outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk to yield the right-of-way to all vehicles on the road. Related statutes fill in what you can do at signals, what drivers still owe you, and how a citation plays out if you get hit. Two things are worth knowing up front: a violation is a civil ticket, not a criminal charge, and Arizona’s pure comparative fault rule means being struck while jaywalking reduces your injury claim but does not wipe it out.
Where You Can Legally Cross
ARS 28-793 sets out three situations pedestrians run into most often:
- Crossing midblock. Anywhere other than a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, you must yield to every vehicle on the roadway. The duty is on you.
- Tunnels and overpasses. Where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead crossing has been built, you must yield to vehicles even at what would otherwise be a crosswalk location.
- Between two signalized intersections. If both adjacent intersections have working traffic signals, you cannot cross between them unless you use a marked crosswalk. An unmarked one will not do.
That last rule surprises people. On a typical city block bounded by two working signals, the only legal place to cross in between is a painted crosswalk. If there isn’t one, walk to the corner.
1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-793 – Crossing at Other Than CrosswalkWhat Counts as a Crosswalk in Arizona
A crosswalk is not just paint on the road. Under Arizona law it includes both a portion of roadway marked for pedestrian crossing and the area at an intersection formed by extending the sidewalk lines across the street. The second type is the unmarked crosswalk, and it exists at virtually every intersection where sidewalks meet, whether or not any paint is visible.
The distinction matters. Step off the curb at a standard sidewalked intersection and you are legally inside a crosswalk. Drivers are supposed to yield to you there. Walk to the middle of the block and that protection is gone.
2Arizona Department of Transportation. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-601 – DefinitionsYour Rights Inside a Crosswalk
When you are inside a crosswalk at an intersection without a traffic signal, ARS 28-792 requires drivers to slow down or stop for you if you are on their half of the road or approaching closely enough from the other half to be in danger. If one car stops for you, drivers behind cannot pass that stopped vehicle.
The rule cuts both ways. You cannot leave the curb and step into the path of a vehicle that is too close to stop safely. That limitation shows up often in injury cases where fault is contested.
3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-792 – Right-of-Way at CrosswalkRules at Traffic Signals
ARS 28-645 controls what a pedestrian may do at signalized intersections:
- On a green light, you may cross within any marked or unmarked crosswalk unless a pedestrian signal tells you otherwise. A green turn arrow by itself does not give you the right to cross.
- On a steady yellow, you should not start crossing.
- On a steady red, you cannot enter the roadway unless a pedestrian control signal specifically allows it.
Where WALK and DON’T WALK indicators are installed under ARS 28-646, those signals control regardless of the traffic light beside them. A red hand means stop even if the light for vehicles going your direction is green.
4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal LegendFines and Citations
A jaywalking violation is a civil traffic offense in Arizona. There is no jail exposure, but you can be cited and fined. The base fine plus mandatory state surcharges usually lands around $169 for a pedestrian signal violation, though the exact amount depends on the specific statute and any local add-ons on top of the schedule set by the Arizona Supreme Court.
The larger consequence is often the record itself. If you are later hurt in the same incident and pursue an injury claim, the citation can be introduced as evidence that you were violating a traffic law at the time, which feeds directly into how fault is split.
Getting Hit While Jaywalking
Being outside a crosswalk does not end your claim. Arizona uses pure comparative fault under ARS 12-2505. A jury assigns a percentage of fault to you and to the driver, and your damages are reduced by your share. If you have $100,000 in damages and are 40% at fault, you recover $60,000. At 80% at fault, you still recover $20,000. The claim disappears only if you intentionally or recklessly caused your own injuries; ordinary negligence, which is what jaywalking almost always is, keeps the claim alive.
5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-2505 – Comparative NegligenceDrivers carry their own duty regardless of what the pedestrian did. ARS 28-794 requires every driver to use due care to avoid striking any pedestrian on any roadway, to sound the horn when needed, and to take extra precaution around children or anyone who looks confused or incapacitated. A driver who was speeding, distracted, impaired, or ran a red light will carry meaningful fault even if you were crossing illegally. Courts look at whether the driver had time to see and react, at lighting and visibility, and at whether the driver was paying attention. A jaywalker on a lit residential street struck by a texting driver will bear far less fault than someone crossing a freeway at night.
6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-794 – Drivers to Exercise Due CareLocal Rules Can Be Stricter
ARS 28-791 lets cities and towns tighten the pedestrian rules above the state baseline. A municipality can require pedestrians to obey traffic signals exactly, and it can prohibit midblock crossings entirely in business districts or along designated highways. Tucson, for instance, maintains its own pedestrian code covering signal obedience and prohibited crossings, and other Arizona cities have added similar restrictions. A midblock crossing that would be legal under state law with a proper yield can be flatly banned by local ordinance in a downtown or commercial corridor, so check the city’s code if you regularly walk in one.
7Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-791 – Pedestrians Subject to Traffic Rules