After the Arizona fair E. coli outbreak, that sickened an unknown number of children, a bill has been introduced to the Arizona Senate requiring handwashing stations at petting zoos and animal exhibits. SB 1082 was introduced by Senator Kavanaugh. The state fair was held from September 19 to October 26, 2025.
The bill would mandate that operators of these types of attractions must make sure that visitors wash their hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer right after leaving any area where animals are accessible to the public. In addition, an official would have to be present to supervise this process. And a sign must be prominently displayed at all entrances and exits containing this statement:
“For the safety of all persons, participants must wash their hands on exiting. Persons may not eat or drink within the animal contact area and each petting zoo, animal encounter exhibit and similar operation shall maintain the animals in an enclosed or otherwise restricted area so that persons who have not entered through a designated entrance cannot pet, feed or otherwise physically contact the animals.”
Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association said in a statement, “In an ideal world, you could just rely on the state fair people and the county and state health departments to ensure that the petting zoos are run properly and safely.
“But, as we saw with the state fair, sadly, it looks like you can’t rely on just good public health practice. You probably need some legislation to ensure that people take it seriously and are held accountable for making sure that just the basic safety measures are in place.”
If you or a family member have been sickened with a food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.
