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AI Laws in Tempe, Arizona
As of 2026-06-17, AI Laws USA tracks 23 AI rules that apply to people and businesses in Tempe, Arizona: 10+ federal protections, 10 Arizona state-level rules, and 3 local Tempe/county ordinances. Coverage is strongest on AI disclosure and transparency, government use of AI, consumer data privacy, and automated decision-making. 13 of these rules are already in effect. Each entry below links to its official source.
Tempe local AI rules (and Maricopa County)
3 local AI rules specific to Tempe, Arizona or Maricopa County.
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In effect Limited protection
Tempe Ethical AI Policy
Tempe, AZ · Effective 2023-10-19 · Tempe, Ariz., Council Resolution 2023.78 (Oct. 19, 2023)
Tempe became one of the first US cities to adopt a formal Council-approved ethical AI policy, requiring fairness reviews, transparency, and human oversight whenever city departments use AI.
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In effect Moderate protection
Maricopa County AZ Modernized Zoning Ordinance
Maricopa County, AZ · Effective 2025-12-10 · BoS adoption Dec 10 2025 (2025-12-10)
BoS unanimous adoption. Data centers permitted only in IND-2 (general industrial) and IND-3 (heavy industrial). Other land requires rezoning with suitability review.
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In effect Moderate protection
Maricopa County AZ Modernized Zoning Ordinance
Maricopa County, AZ · Effective 2026-01-09 · Maricopa County Zoning Ordinance update unanimously adopted 2025-12-10; effective 2026-01-09
On December 10, 2025, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a comprehensive modernized Zoning Ordinance, effective January 9, 2026. The ordinance defines data centers in Maricopa County zoning for the first time and limits them to two industrial districts: IND-2 (general industrial) and IND-3 (heavy industrial). Land not currently zoned for data centers must go through the county's rezoning process. The update was the first comprehensive revision of the zoning ordinance in decades and followed a nearly six-month stakeholder process with over 160 participants and an online public survey.
Arizona-level AI rules most relevant to Tempe
10 Arizona state rules apply to residents and businesses in Tempe. Showing the 8 most relevant to Tempe's local picture; 2 more are on the Arizona jurisdiction page.
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In effect Stronger protection
Tohono O'odham Research Code
Tohono O'odham Nation · Effective 2013-05-23 · 17 Tohono O'odham Code ch. 8 (Resolution No. 13-165, May 23, 2013)
Tohono O'odham Nation's research code establishes a tribal IRB with sole authority to control publication of all research, disclosures, and findings on tribal land. Vests ownership of all research-derived work product and copyrights — including AI/data products — with the Nation.
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In effect Moderate protection
CARE Principles (Indigenous Data)
Global Indigenous Data Alliance · Effective 2019-09-01 · Carroll et al., Data Science Journal 19:43 (2020); GIDA (2019)
Indigenous-authored complement to the FAIR data principles. Establishes that Indigenous data must be governed under Indigenous authority, used for Collective benefit, and handled with Responsibility and Ethics. Widely referenced in U.S. tribal research codes and increasingly in federal agency guidance.
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In effect Limited protection
AZ EO 2018-04 (AV oversight)
Arizona · Effective 2018-03-01 · Ariz. Exec. Order No. 2018-04
After the fatal Uber self-driving crash in Tempe in March 2018, Governor Doug Ducey replaced his permissive 2015 AV order with EO 2018-04, which requires AV operators to certify compliance with federal and state law before operating in Arizona, file safety information with the DOT, and gave the Governor's office authority to suspend AV operations after a serious incident. Arizona's AV regime remains executive-order based, with no comprehensive statute.
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In effect Limited protection
AZ Election Deepfake Disclosure Law
Arizona · Effective 2024-05-29 · 2024 Ariz. Sess. Laws (SB 1359); A.R.S. tit. 16
Arizona requires creators and sponsors of AI-generated synthetic media in election communications to include a clear disclosure within 90 days before an election. News, satire, and parody are exempt; candidates can seek injunctions.
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In effect Moderate protection
Arizona Data Center Tax Incentive Moratorium (3-year, 2026)
Arizona · Effective 2026-06-13 · Arizona FY 2027 Budget Bill (signed June 13, 2026); three-year data center sales tax exemption moratorium
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed the state's $18.3 billion FY 2027 budget on June 13, 2026, which included a bipartisan provision imposing a three-year pause on new sales tax exemptions for data centers. Arizona's 2013 data-center sales-tax break costs the state roughly $38 million per year; existing exemptions remain in effect, but no new certificates can be issued until the moratorium lifts. The measure is projected to save $57 million over three fiscal years while policymakers study whether the incentives still serve the state's interests.
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In effect Limited protection
AZ PDD law (HB 2422)
Arizona · Effective 2018-08-03 · Ariz. Rev. Stat. §§ 28-9601–28-9605
Arizona authorized sidewalk delivery robots statewide and prohibited municipalities from imposing taxes, fees, or registration requirements on PDDs, while letting them set operating rules (time of day, density, sidewalk type).
Federal AI rules that apply in Tempe, Arizona
These federal protections apply everywhere in the United States, including Tempe, Arizona. Showing the 10 strongest and most recent.
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In effect Stronger protection
Bartz v. Anthropic
N.D. Cal. · Effective 2025-09-05 · Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal.)
Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued Anthropic over its use of pirated-book datasets to train Claude. In June 2025 Judge William Alsup issued a split ruling: training on lawfully purchased books was fair use, but ingesting pirated copies from LibGen was not. In September 2025 Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion class settlement — the largest AI copyright recovery to date.
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In effect Stronger protection
Banner v. Tesla (Autopilot)
S.D. Fla. · Effective 2025-08-01 · Banner v. Tesla, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-21940 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 1, 2025)
A Florida federal jury found Tesla 33% liable in August 2025 for the 2019 death of Naibel Benavides Leon, in a crash involving Autopilot. The verdict awarded $243M (later reduced to ~$220M) — the first Autopilot wrongful-death verdict against Tesla.
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In effect Stronger protection
COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data)
United States · Effective 2025-06-23 · 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
COPPA requires online services aimed at children under 13 to get verifiable parental consent before collecting kids' personal data. The 2025 rule update — fully in effect since April 22, 2026 — adds biometric identifiers (like face templates and voiceprints, which matter for AI tools), requires separate parental consent before sharing children's data for targeted advertising, and tightens data retention limits.
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In effect Stronger protection
TAKE IT DOWN Act
United States · Effective 2025-05-19 · Pub. L. No. 119-12 (S. 146)
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of someone without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes. Social media and similar platforms must give victims a way to request removal and must take the content (and known copies) down within 48 hours. The platform removal requirement became enforceable May 19, 2026, and the FTC has already begun enforcement.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thaler v. Perlmutter (Copyright)
D.C. Cir. · Effective 2025-03-18 · Thaler v. Perlmutter, 130 F.4th 1039 (D.C. Cir. 2025)
The companion copyright case: Stephen Thaler sought to register a copyright with 'Creativity Machine' (his AI) as the author. The D.C. Circuit affirmed in March 2025 that the Copyright Act's human-authorship requirement is constitutional and dispositive. AI cannot be a copyright author under U.S. law.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thomson Reuters v. Ross
D. Del. · Effective 2025-02-11 · Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. Ross Intelligence, Inc., 694 F. Supp. 3d 467 (D. Del. 2025)
Thomson Reuters sued legal-research startup Ross Intelligence in 2020 for copying Westlaw headnotes to train a competing AI legal-research tool. In February 2025, Judge Stephanos Bibas (sitting by designation) granted summary judgment to Thomson Reuters on direct copyright infringement and rejected Ross's fair-use defense — the first definitive U.S. ruling on AI-training fair use. The 2023 jury trial verdict had been deadlocked; the 2025 ruling resolved liability.
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In effect Stronger protection
Louis v. SafeRent
D. Mass. · Effective 2024-11-20 · Louis v. SafeRent Solutions, LLC, No. 1:22-cv-10800 (D. Mass.)
SafeRent agreed in November 2024 to a $2.275M settlement and a five-year ban on using its 'SafeRent Score' for housing-voucher applicants, after a class action alleged its AI tenant-screening tool systematically denied housing to Black and Hispanic Section 8 voucher holders. The first major AI tenant-screening Fair Housing Act settlement.
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In effect Stronger protection
NetChoice v. Yost (Ohio)
S.D. Ohio · Effective 2024-04-30 · NetChoice, LLC v. Yost, No. 2:24-cv-00047 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 30, 2024)
Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act — requiring parental consent for minors' social-media use, including algorithmic feeds — was permanently enjoined as unconstitutional in April 2024.
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In effect Stronger protection
FTC Impersonation Rule (AI)
United States · Effective 2024-04-01 · 16 C.F.R. Part 461; 89 Fed. Reg. 15017
The FTC's Impersonation Rule lets the agency directly sue scammers who pretend to be a government agency or a real business — including those who use AI-cloned voices or generated images to do so. Civil penalties can reach $53,088 per violation. The FTC also issued a supplemental notice in February 2024 proposing to extend the rule to all individual impersonation.
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In effect Stronger protection
TCPA (AI voice calls)
United States · Effective 2024-02-08 · 47 U.S.C. § 227; FCC 24-17
Robocalls using AI-cloned or AI-generated voices are treated like other 'artificial voice' calls: callers need your prior express consent, must identify themselves, and must offer opt-outs for telemarketing. You can personally sue violators for $500 to $1,500 per illegal call.
Frequently asked questions about AI laws in Tempe, Arizona
Are there AI laws in Tempe, Arizona?
What federal AI rules apply in Tempe?
Does Arizona have an AI privacy law?
Are deepfakes illegal in Arizona?
Can my employer use AI to screen me for jobs in Tempe?
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Are facial recognition cameras allowed in Tempe?
Is Tempe regulated by Arizona's consumer privacy act?
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This page is generated from our open civic dataset. If you know of a Tempe ordinance, county rule, or local enforcement action we should add, email [email protected] or submit a correction. Every entry must include a verifiable source.