Find an amusement park injury lawyer in Tempe: ride inspections, waivers and claims
We found no large permanent amusement park in Tempe's city sources. Rides here are mostly temporary carnival rides and city water slides. Arizona has no state ride inspectors. Rides must be inspected yearly by an insurer or a local inspector, and Tempe Fire takes carnival permits. A suit over a carnival ride in Tempe is generally due in 2 years.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (25)
Are there amusement parks and carnival rides in Tempe?
Not big ones that we could verify. We did not find a permanent amusement park on Tempe's city pages. What people do ride here is temporary: carnival rides set up for events, and the water slide at the Kiwanis Recreation Center pool.
Tempe Fire takes operational permit applications for fireworks, carnivals, open burning and more. If a carnival hurt you, ask the organizer which permit it held and when the ride was last inspected.
The Kiwanis slide has a 48 inch minimum height and a 250 pound limit. If you were hurt on the slide and were within those limits, say so in any claim.
Who inspects rides in Tempe, and can you see the records?
Arizona does not run its own ride inspection program, so a Tempe carnival ride depends on its owner's paperwork. The owner must have each ride inspected at least once a year by an insurer, a person the insurer hires or an inspector provided by a city or county. The owner must also have a written inspection certificate and an operating permit from the city or county.
| Record | Who has it | Can you get it? |
|---|---|---|
| Annual inspection certificate | The ride owner, and the city or county on request | Ask the organizer; ask Tempe for permit records |
| Insurance papers | Owner and the city or county | Ask for the policy once you have a lawyer |
| Serious injury records | Owner, for at least two years | Not public; limited to officers and enforcement officials |
| Copy of those records | The permit office, filed with the permit application | Request through a public records request, then expect limits |
Arizona law lets a city or county enforce the ride law inside its borders and review inspection reports, permits, maintenance records and injury records. Because the public injury files are limited, evidence you collect on the day matters.
Who pays if you are hurt on a ride in Tempe?
For a Tempe carnival ride, the ride owner or operator, through its insurer. Arizona sets a minimum of $1 million for bodily injury and $500,000 for property damage, or $2 million combined. That is a floor, not a promise of what a claim is worth.
A ride that is not permanently fixed to a site can fall under federal consumer product law too. If the ride broke or was built wrong, the maker may share fault. Arizona splits fault by each party's share.
Does a signed waiver stop you from suing in Tempe?
Not on its own. Under the Arizona Constitution, assumption of risk is a question for a jury, and a court has said that covers a signed release. Still, a waiver may be used to argue you knew the risk, so keep a copy of what you signed.
If you share some blame, for example by ignoring a posted rule, Arizona does not bar your claim. It reduces your award by your share.
What if a City of Tempe event or slide caused your injury?
- Report it to staff and ask for an incident report the same day.
- Keep the incident report with every bill and any photo of the slide.
- Within 180 days, call 480-350-8242 to set a drop-off time and bring the Notice of Claim Form to the City Clerk's Office, 31 East 5th Street, 2nd Floor.
- A claim over a Tempe city slide must name one settlement amount and the facts that support it.
- If the Clerk's office says nothing for 60 days, treat the claim as denied, and a suit against Tempe then has a one-year limit.
Questions
How long do I have to sue after an amusement ride injury in Arizona?
Generally 2 years. If it was a Tempe slide or other city equipment, the notice of claim is due in 180 days.
What if my child was hurt on a ride?
For a child hurt on a carnival ride run by a private owner, the 2-year clock waits until age 18. If the child was hurt at a Tempe pool slide, the 180 days start after the child turns 18.
Are inflatable bounce houses covered by the ride law?
Not under the state ride article, which does not cover inflated devices. An inflatable may still be a premises or product claim, so ask a lawyer.
Amusement park injury in Tempe? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (25)
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “Have the amusement ride inspected at least once a year by an insurer, a person with whom the insurer has contracted or an amusement ride inspector provided by a municipality or county”
- City of Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, Operational Permit Application, checked 2026-11-09. “Permits for fireworks, carnivals, open burning and more”
- A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “in an amount of not less than one million dollars for bodily injury and five hundred thousand dollars for property damage per occurrence or in an amount of two million dollars per occurrence for a combined single limit”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “Maintain for a period of at least two years accurate records of serious injuries actually caused by the amusement ride”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “The injury records are not subject to public inspection except upon demand of a municipal or county peace officer or enforcement official.”
- A.R.S. 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
- City of Tempe, Pools, checked 2026-11-09. “The City of Tempe is home to four public pools, including the indoor wave pool at Kiwanis Recreation Center and the outdoor pools at Escalante Multi-Generational Center, Clark Park Community Center and McClintock High School.”
- City of Tempe, Pools, checked 2026-11-09. “there is a maximum weight capacity of 250 lbs. and a minimum height requirement of 48 inches to use the slide.”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.62, checked 2026-11-09. “Review and retain other records necessary to establish compliance with this article, including insurance certificates or policies, inspection certificates and reports, permits, licenses, maintenance records, injury records and operational records.”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.63, checked 2026-11-09. “A copy of these records shall be provided to the municipality or county at the time of application for a permit”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.62, checked 2026-11-09. “Administer and enforce this article for amusement rides in their respective jurisdictions.”
- 15 U.S.C. 2052, checked 2026-11-09. “which is customarily controlled or directed by an individual who is employed for that purpose and who is not a consumer with respect to such device, and which is not permanently fixed to a site”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-2506, checked 2026-11-09. “the liability of each defendant for damages is several only and is not joint”
- Phelps v. Firebird Raceway (Ariz. 2005), checked 2026-11-09. “applies to an express contractual assumption of risk. We hold that it does.”
- A.R.S. 12-2505, checked 2026-11-09. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
- City of Tempe, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “claims must be filed with the City Clerk's Office within 180 days after the cause of action accrues”
- City of Tempe, Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “City of Tempe City Clerk's Office 31 E. 5th Street, 2nd Floor Tempe, AZ 85281”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “The claim shall also contain a specific amount for which the claim can be settled and the facts supporting that amount.”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “is deemed denied sixty days after the filing of the claim”
- A.R.S. § 12-821, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues and not afterward”
- A.R.S. 12-542, checked 2026-11-09. “there shall be commenced and prosecuted within two years after the cause of action accrues”
- A.R.S. 12-502, checked 2026-11-09. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
- Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “a minor or an insane or incompetent person may file a claim within one hundred eighty days after the disability ceases”
- A.R.S. 44-1799.61, checked 2026-11-09. “Inflated devices and elements.”