Arizona Revised Statutes

Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502 (2026)

Definitions

✓ current as of May 2026

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In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Compensation" means money, a tangible thing of value or a financial benefit.

2. "Employee" means all persons who are not public officers and who are employed on a full-time, part-time or contract basis by an incorporated city or town, a political subdivision or the state or any of its departments, commissions, agencies, bodies or boards for remuneration.

3. "Make known" means the filing of a paper which is signed by a public officer or employee and which fully discloses a substantial interest or the filing of a copy of the official minutes of a public agency which fully discloses a substantial interest. The filing shall be in the special file established pursuant to section 38-509.

4. "Official records" means the minutes or papers, records and documents maintained by a public agency for the specific purpose of receiving disclosures of substantial interests required to be made known by this article.

5. "Political subdivision" means all political subdivisions of the state and county, including all school districts.

6. "Public agency" means:

(a) All courts.

(b) Any department, agency, board, commission, institution, instrumentality or legislative or administrative body of the state, a county, an incorporated town or city and any other political subdivision.

7. "Public competitive bidding" means the method of purchasing prescribed by title 41, chapter 23, or procedures substantially equivalent to such method of purchasing, or as provided by local charter or ordinance.

8. "Public officer" means all elected and appointed officers of a public agency established by charter, ordinance, resolution, state constitution or statute.

9. "Relative" means the spouse, child, child's child, parent, grandparent, brother or sister of the whole or half blood and their spouses and the parent, brother, sister or child of a spouse.

10. "Remote interest" means:

(a) That of a nonsalaried officer of a nonprofit corporation.

(b) That of a landlord or tenant of the contracting party.

(d) That of a member of a nonprofit cooperative marketing association.

(e) The ownership of less than three percent of the shares of a corporation for profit, provided the total annual income from dividends, including the value of stock dividends, from the corporation does not exceed five percent of the total annual income of such officer or employee and any other payments made to him by the corporation do not exceed five percent of his total annual income.

(f) That of a public officer or employee in being reimbursed for his actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duty.

(g) That of a recipient of public services generally provided by the incorporated city or town, political subdivision or state department, commission, agency, body or board of which he is a public officer or employee, on the same terms and conditions as if he were not an officer or employee.

(h) That of a public school board member when the relative involved is not a dependent, as defined in section 43-1001, or a spouse.

(i) That of a public officer or employee, or that of a relative of a public officer or employee, unless the contract or decision involved would confer a direct economic benefit or detriment on the officer, the employee or his relative, of any of the following:

(i) Another political subdivision.

(ii) A public agency of another political subdivision.

(iii) A public agency except if it is the same governmental entity.

(j) That of a member of a trade, business, occupation, profession or class of persons consisting of at least ten members which is no greater than the interest of the other members of that trade, business, occupation, profession or class of persons.

(k) That of a relative who is an employee of any business entity or governmental entity that employs at least twenty-five employees within this state and who, in the capacity as an employee, does not assert control or decision-making authority over the entity's management or budget decisions.

(l) The ownership of any publicly traded investments that are held in an account or fund, including a mutual fund, that is managed by one or more qualified investment professionals who are not employed or controlled by the officer or employee and that the officer or employee owns shares or interest together with other investors.

11. "Substantial interest" means any nonspeculative pecuniary or proprietary interest, either direct or indirect, other than a remote interest.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 12 cases, 1970–2006 · leading case: Hughes v. Jorgenson, 50 P.3d 821 (Ariz. 2002).

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Hughes v. Jorgenson, 50 P.3d 821 (Ariz. 2002). · cites it 7× “A.R.S. § 38-502(10). 4 . The State has apparently abandoned its claim that Jane Doe’s liberty interest in avoiding incarceration is a "substantial interest” within the meaning of A.”

Emmett McLoughlin Realty, Inc. v. Pima Cnty., 132 P.3d 290 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006). · cites it 3× “Thus, McLoughlin did not show that Staples had a conflict of interest as defined in § 38-502 and did not overcome the presumption that Staples was unbiased.”

Arizona Pub. Serv. Co. v. Long, 773 P.2d 988 (Ariz. 1989). · cites it 8× “A.R.S. § 38-502(10)(e). 4. The Court has always taken the position that the more stringent requirements of the Code of Judicial Conduct must be applied as the test for disqualification.”

Yetman v. Naumann, 492 P.2d 1252 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1972). · cites it 5× “” A.R.S. § 38-502 contains definitions and provides in paragraphs 5 and 6: “5.”

Stapert v. Arizona Bd. of Psychologist Examiners, 108 P.3d 956 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2005). “”) § 38-502(11) (2001) and Arizona Administrative Code (“A.”

Shepherd v. Platt, 865 P.2d 107 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1993). · cites it 4× “A.R.S. §§ 38-502(10)(g) and (j). The reservation residents who are Navajos receive on-reservation public services on the same terms and conditions as other citizens and residents of Apache County.”

City of Phoenix v. Collar, Williams & White Eng'g, Inc., 472 P.2d 479 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1970). · cites it 2× “See also A.R.S. § 38-502 and A.R.S. § 13-281, which do not explicitly refer to cities.”

Maucher v. City of Eloy, 701 P.2d 593 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1985). · cites it 3× “” 2 “§ 38-502. Definitions In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: ****** 2.”

Franzi v. Koedyker, 758 P.2d 1303 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1985). “For the purpose of this section, ‘agency’ includes a public agency as defined by § 38-502, paragraph 6. § 13-2512. Hindering prosecution in the first degree; classification A.”

Arizona Farmworkers Union v. Agric. Emp. Relations Bd., 762 P.2d 1365 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1988). · cites it 4× “” A.R.S. § 38-502(10)(d) includes as a remote interest “that of a member of a non-profit cooperative marketing association.”

Emmett McLoughlin Realty, Inc. v. Pima Cnty. (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006). · cites it 3× “Thus, McLoughlin did 13 not show that Staples had a conflict of interest as defined in § 38-502 and did not overcome the presumption that Staples was unbiased.”

Steiger v. Woods, 32 P.3d 19 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2001). · cites it 2× “They also asserted that the conflict of interest statutes, A.R.S. §§ 38-502, -503 and 505, had not been violated because they had no interest in the law firms that were retained nor did either Woods or Carey receive any compensation for work done in the matter.”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502(10) — 1 case

Hughes v. Jorgenson, 50 P.3d 821 (Ariz. 2002). “A.R.S. § 38-502(10). 4 . The State has apparently abandoned its claim that Jane Doe’s liberty interest in avoiding incarceration is a "substantial interest” within the meaning of A.”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502(10)(d) — 1 case

Arizona Farmworkers Union v. Agric. Emp. Relations Bd., 762 P.2d 1365 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1988). “” A.R.S. § 38-502(10)(d) includes as a remote interest “that of a member of a non-profit cooperative marketing association.”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502(10)(e) — 1 case

Arizona Pub. Serv. Co. v. Long, 773 P.2d 988 (Ariz. 1989). “A.R.S. § 38-502(10)(e). 4. The Court has always taken the position that the more stringent requirements of the Code of Judicial Conduct must be applied as the test for disqualification.”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502(10)(g) — 1 case

Shepherd v. Platt, 865 P.2d 107 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1993). “A.R.S. §§ 38-502(10)(g) and (j). The reservation residents who are Navajos receive on-reservation public services on the same terms and conditions as other citizens and residents of Apache County.”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502(11) — 6 cases

Emmett McLoughlin Realty, Inc. v. Pima Cnty., 132 P.3d 290 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006). “Thus, McLoughlin did not show that Staples had a conflict of interest as defined in § 38-502 and did not overcome the presumption that Staples was unbiased.”

Stapert v. Arizona Bd. of Psychologist Examiners, 108 P.3d 956 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2005). “”) § 38-502(11) (2001) and Arizona Administrative Code (“A.”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502(7) — 1 case

Maucher v. City of Eloy, 701 P.2d 593 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1985). “” 2 “§ 38-502. Definitions In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: ****** 2.”

— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 38-502(8) — 2 cases

Emmett McLoughlin Realty, Inc. v. Pima Cnty. (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006). “Thus, McLoughlin did 13 not show that Staples had a conflict of interest as defined in § 38-502 and did not overcome the presumption that Staples was unbiased.”

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