Arizona Laws 13-2921. Harassment; classification; definition
A. A person commits harassment if the person knowingly and repeatedly commits an act or acts that harass another person or the person knowingly commits any one of the following acts in a manner that harasses:
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 13-2921
- Act: means a bodily movement. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Conduct: means an act or omission and its accompanying culpable mental state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Felony: means an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in the custody of the state department of corrections is authorized by any law of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Knowingly: means , with respect to conduct or to a circumstance described by a statute defining an offense, that a person is aware or believes that the person's conduct is of that nature or that the circumstance exists. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
- Misdemeanor: means an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment other than to the custody of the state department of corrections is authorized by any law of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Peace officer: means any person vested by law with a duty to maintain public order and make arrests and includes a constable. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Person: means a human being and, as the context requires, an enterprise, a public or private corporation, an unincorporated association, a partnership, a firm, a society, a government, a governmental authority or an individual or entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Public: means affecting or likely to affect a substantial group of persons. See Arizona Laws 13-2901
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
1. Contacts or causes a communication with another person by verbal, electronic, mechanical, telegraphic, telephonic or written means.
2. Continues to follow another person in or about a public place after being asked by that person to desist.
3. Surveils or causes a person to surveil another person.
4. Makes a false report to a law enforcement, credit or social service agency against another person.
5. Interferes with the delivery of any public or regulated utility to another person.
B. A person commits harassment against a public officer or employee if the person, with intent to harass, files a nonconsensual lien against any public officer or employee that is not accompanied by an order or a judgment from a court of competent jurisdiction authorizing the filing of the lien or is not issued by a governmental entity or political subdivision or agency pursuant to its statutory authority, a validly licensed utility or water delivery company, a mechanics’ lien claimant or an entity created under covenants, conditions, restrictions or declarations affecting real property.
C. Harassment under subsection A is a class 1 misdemeanor. Harassment under subsection B is a class 5 felony.
D. This section does not apply to any of the following:
1. A lawful demonstration, assembly or picketing.
2. A professional investigator or peace officer who is licensed by this state and who is acting within the scope of the investigator’s or officer’s duties in connection with any criminal or civil investigation.
3. A certified and duly authorized process server who is acting within the scope of the process server’s duties in connection with any judicial or administrative action or proceeding.
E. For the purposes of this section, "harass" means conduct that is directed at a specific person and that would cause a reasonable person to be seriously alarmed, annoyed, humiliated or mentally distressed and the conduct in fact seriously alarms, annoys, humiliates or mentally distresses the person.