A. Issuance and execution of administrative inspection warrants for purposes of this chapter shall be as follows:

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Terms Used In Arizona Laws 36-2541

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Board: means the Arizona state board of pharmacy. See Arizona Laws 36-2501
  • Controlled substance: means a drug, substance or immediate precursor in schedules I through V of article 2 of this chapter and the rules adopted pursuant to article 2 of this chapter. See Arizona Laws 36-2501
  • Department: means the department of public safety. See Arizona Laws 36-2501
  • including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • 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.
  • Magistrate: means an officer having power to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person charged with a public offense and includes the chief justice and justices of the supreme court, judges of the superior court, judges of the court of appeals, justices of the peace and judges of a municipal court. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Peace officers: means sheriffs of counties, constables, marshals, policemen of cities and towns, commissioned personnel of the department of public safety, personnel who are employed by the state department of corrections and the department of juvenile corrections and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, peace officers who are appointed by a multicounty water conservation district and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by community college district governing boards and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by the Arizona board of regents and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by the governing body of a public airport pursuant to section 28-8426 and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, peace officers who are appointed by a private postsecondary institution pursuant to section 15-1897 and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board and special agents from the office of the attorney general, or of a county attorney, and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, means any state, district, commonwealth, territory or insular possession of the United States and any area subject to the legal authority of the United States of America. See Arizona Laws 36-2501
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215

1. A judge of a state court of record or any justice of the peace or magistrate within his jurisdiction and upon proper oath or affirmation showing probable cause may issue warrants for the purpose of conducting administrative inspections authorized by this chapter or rules adopted pursuant to this chapter and seizures of property appropriate to the inspections. For purposes of the issuance of administrative inspection warrants, probable cause exists upon showing a valid public interest in the effective enforcement of this chapter, or rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter, sufficient to justify administrative inspection of the area, premises, building or conveyance in the circumstances specified in the application for the warrant.

2. A warrant shall issue only upon an affidavit of a peace officer or a member, officer or employee of the board having knowledge of the facts alleged, sworn to before the judge or magistrate and establishing the grounds for issuing the warrant. If the judge or magistrate is satisfied that grounds for the application exist or that there is probable cause to believe they exist, such judge or magistrate shall issue a warrant identifying the area, premises, building or conveyance to be inspected, the purpose of the inspection and the type of property to be inspected, if any. The warrant shall:

(a) State the grounds for its issuance and the name of each person whose affidavit has been taken in support thereof.

(b) Be directed to a peace officer to execute it.

(c) Command the person to whom it is directed to inspect the area, premises, building or conveyance identified for the purpose specified and, if appropriate, direct the seizure of the property specified.

(d) Identify the item or types of property to be seized, if any.

(e) Direct that it be served during normal business hours and designate the judge or magistrate to whom it shall be returned.

3. A warrant issued pursuant to this section shall be executed and returned within ten days of its date unless, upon a showing of a need for additional time, the court orders otherwise. If property is seized pursuant to a warrant, a copy shall be given to the person from whom or from whose premises the property is taken, together with a receipt for the property taken. The return of the warrant shall be made promptly, accompanied by a written inventory of any property taken. The inventory shall be made in the presence of the person executing the warrant and of the person from whose possession or premises the property was taken, if present, or in the presence of at least one credible person other than the person executing the warrant. A copy of the inventory shall be delivered to the person from whom or from whose premises the property was taken and to the applicant for the warrant.

4. The judge or magistrate who has issued a warrant shall attach to such warrant a copy of the return and all papers returnable and file them with the clerk of the court in which the inspection was executed.

B. The board, its members, officers or employees and officers and employees of the department or other peace officers may make administrative inspections of controlled premises in accordance with the following provisions:

1. For purposes of this section only, "controlled premises" means:

(a) Places where persons registered or exempted from registration requirements under this chapter are required to keep records.

(b) Places including factories, warehouses, establishments and conveyances in which persons registered or exempted from registration requirements under this chapter are permitted to hold, manufacture, compound, process, sell, deliver or otherwise dispose of any controlled substance.

2. When executing an administrative inspection warrant issued pursuant to subsection A of this section a peace officer may be accompanied by a member, officer or employee of the board, and upon presenting the warrant and appropriate credentials to the owner, operator or agent in charge they may enter controlled premises for the purpose of conducting an administrative inspection.

3. When authorized by an administrative inspection warrant, such officer or employee may:

(a) Inspect and copy records required by this chapter to be kept.

(b) Inspect, within reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner, controlled premises and all pertinent equipment, finished and unfinished material, containers and labeling found in such premises and, except as provided in paragraph 5 of this subsection, all other things, including records, files, papers, processes, controls and facilities bearing on any violation of this chapter.

(c) Inventory any stock of any controlled substance and obtain samples of such substance.

4. This section does not prevent the inspection without a warrant of books and records pursuant to an administrative subpoena nor does it prevent entries and administrative inspections, including seizures of property, without a warrant:

(a) If the owner, operator or agent in charge of the controlled premises consents.

(b) In situations presenting imminent danger to health or safety.

(c) In situations involving inspection of conveyances if there is reasonable cause to believe that the mobility of the conveyance makes it impracticable to obtain a warrant.

(d) In any other exceptional or emergency circumstance where time or opportunity to apply for a warrant is lacking.

(e) In all other situations in which a warrant is not constitutionally required.

5. An inspection authorized by this section shall not extend to financial data, sales data, other than shipment data, or pricing data unless the owner, operator or agent in charge of the controlled premises consents in writing.