Arizona
Here are some of the 200+ laws that took effect in Arizona
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Starting Saturday, more than 200 new laws will take effect in Arizona. Here’s a breakdown of seven different laws ranging from Arizona’s new state planet to scoring Taylor Swift tickets.
Arizona’s official planet
Attention all Pluto fans! Ninety-three years after being discovered at Lowell Observatory, the dwarf planet is taking its place as Arizona’s official state planet.
Drunk rideshare drivers?
One new law makes the DUI threshold stricter for rideshare drivers. Now, the legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.04 instead of 0.08, which reduces rideshare drivers’ restrictions by half compared to all other drivers on the road.
Tamale time
This new law expands on what food can be legally sold after being made at home, beyond baked goods and treats.
Cooks who register with the state health department and pass a food preparation course can now sell products made with meat in their personal kitchens, but the meat must be packaged with a label and disclaimer. Governor Hobbs signed off on the change this year after vetoing a similar bill last year.
No ‘fowl’ play
Hoping to raise backyard chickens? Fear not! There’s no ‘fowl’ play for Arizona homeowners looking to raise chickens at home.
Now, you can have up to six chickens in your backyard without fear of the local government intervening, but roosters are not allowed.
Some rules and regulations exist, like how close the coop can be to homes and neighbor buy-in is needed depending on where you live. Arizona’s Family spoke with one former chicken owner in Scottsdale, who is happy that more neighborhoods will be able to experience farm animals.
“I think it’s such a great thing. We hatched our chickens from eggs, they became part of our family. They’re just so nice and we enjoyed having the fresh eggs and we shared it with our neighbors and we kept them kind of quiet and clean, so it was a nice experience,” said Peter Kertz, a Scottsdale homeowner. “I think it’s a good thing that more people will have the option to have this.”
Swifties unite!
Two bills dubbed the “Taylor Swift Act” are now the law of the land. Both aim to crack down on ticket resellers and bots. This comes after Ticketmaster’s website crashed in 2022 when fans were trying to buy tickets for her Eras tour.
Bots can no longer buy tickets in bulk or use multiple emails and IP addresses to get around security measures, and resellers are prohibited from selling multiple copies of one ticket, reselling tickets before they are publicly available, and not disclosing seat locations ahead of purchase.
Arizona’s Civil War-era abortion ban is officially off the books
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Cardinals’ Burch shares what he learned as a rookie in 2025
Arizona Cardinals second-year player Jordan Burch says his defensive line teammates have formed a bond heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Last year in early July, Cardinals edge rusher Jordan Burch was a rookie third-round draft pick out of Oregon who was looking forward to his first NFL training camp and eventual first season.
That rookie year is behind him now, and Burch has identified what he needs to improve on heading into his second season. He said he now knows what to expect and look for, and after talking with outside linebackers coach Matt Feeney, Burch built an offseason plan with which he was comfortable.
“I don’t think anything was like a surprise,” Burch said on Thursday, July 9, at the Cardinals’ Tempe headquarters. “I kind of know what to prep for, so this offseason I can look at my old plays, and then I can call my coach and tell him, from last year to this year, what does he want to see on the field.”
Burch seeks to improve his pass rush. He played in all 17 games last season and had five solo tackles with a sack, and also broke up three passes.
Much of his position was dropping into pass coverage, so Burch looks to recognize pass catchers’ routes better in 2026. He gets help from veteran Josh Sweat, who is there to answer questions about the position they share.
“Every week, every game going against somebody good,” Burch said about takeaways from last season. “The talent of the quarterbacks. We’re playing the Rams, how quickly they get the ball out.”
Burch looks forward to building a stronger bond with his teammates, having invited some of them for dinner or to watch TV. He said he was happy with his progress as a player throughout last season.
The Cardinals open training camp Wednesday, July 22, at State Farm Stadium. It’s a week earlier than most teams because Arizona plays the Carolina Panthers in the Aug. 6 Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald will be among those inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 8.
A new study has ranked Arizona as one of the worst states to move to for two years in a row, largely due to what it calls a poor quality of life.
The study conducted by Consumer Affairs analyzed the best states to move to in the United States, putting Arizona at the bottom of the list.
Before Arizonans get too defensive about the Grand Canyon State, Consumer Affairs used factors such as affordability, safety, economic strength and education to measure each state, leaving out factors like entertainment, retirement benefits and other considerations that may be important to people living here.
Popular states such as California and New York also landed at the bottom of the list due to their lack of affordability, even though they both have some of the best health care and education in the nation, Consumer Affairs noted.
Here’s why the study says you shouldn’t move to Arizona. Do you agree?
Why you shouldn’t move to Arizona
Arizona ranked No. 10 out of the worst states to move to, scoring especially poorly in quality of life.
Quality of life was measured by the state’s Social Progress Index, average air quality, weather, environmental protection and number of national parks. Due to Arizona’s extreme summers and Phoenix’s consistently poor air quality, it’s easy to see why Arizona ranked No. 44 in quality of life out of 50 states, even though the Grand Canyon is one of the most popular national parks in the nation.
However, Arizona also ranked poorly in other categories, sitting at No. 42 in health care and education, No. 41 in safety and No. 34 in affordability out of 50 states.
There was one category Arizona did impressively well in, ranking No. 5 in economic strength even as one of the youngest states in the country. Still, Arizona’s economic power wasn’t enough to boost its ranking.
Top 10 worst states to move to
Arizona wasn’t alone; some of the biggest states in the country were also considered the worst states to move to in 2026.
- New Mexico
- Louisiana
- California
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Nevada
- Alaska
- Mississippi
- Oregon
- Arizona
Top 10 best states to move to
- Utah
- New Hampshire
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- Massachusetts
- Maine
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Iowa
- South Dakota
PHOENIX — Arizona’s ACA marketplace enrollment fell from 363,000 to just over 255,000 in a single year — a nearly 30% decline and the third-largest annual drop in the country.
Rising premiums and expired tax credits are driving the trend, with the average benchmark plan premium in Arizona now at $532 — up 30% from 2025.
In the player above, ABC15 Data Analyst Garrett Archer takes a look inside the numbers on how healthcare premiums are impacting health insurance enrollment.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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