A. The department, or its appointees, including federal government employees or persons operating under contract with this state, on presenting appropriate credentials may conduct inspections and remove samples of fuel to determine coloration of diesel fuel, or to identify shipping paper violations at any place where taxable fuel is or may be produced, stored or loaded into transport vehicles. Inspections shall be performed in a reasonable manner consistent with the circumstances, but in no event is prior notice required. Inspectors may physically inspect, examine or otherwise search any tank, reservoir or other container that can or might be used for the production, storage or transportation of fuel. Inspection may be made of any equipment used for, or in connection with, the production, storage or transportation of fuel. Inspectors may demand that shipping papers, documents and records required to be kept by a person transporting fuel be produced for immediate inspection. The places that may be inspected pursuant to this section include:

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 28-5648

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Department: means the department of transportation acting directly or through its duly authorized officers and agents. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • Highway: means any way or place in this state of whatever nature that is maintained by public monies and that is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel, including a highway under construction. See Arizona Laws 28-5601
  • including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Person: means an individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation, estate, trust, business trust, receiver or syndicate, this state, any county, city, town, district or other subdivision of this state, an Indian tribe, or any other group or combination acting as a unit. See Arizona Laws 28-5601
  • State: means a state of the United States and the District of Columbia. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • State highway: means a state route or portion of a state route that is accepted and designated by the board as a state highway and that is maintained by the state. See Arizona Laws 28-101
  • Terminal: means a storage and distribution facility for motor fuel, which is supplied by pipeline or marine vessel, that is registered as a qualified terminal by the United States internal revenue service and from which motor fuel may be removed at a rack. See Arizona Laws 28-5601

1. A terminal.

2. A fuel storage facility that is not a terminal.

3. A retail fuel facility.

4. Highway rest stops.

5. A designated inspection site. For the purposes of this paragraph, "designated inspection site" means any state highway or waterway inspection station, weigh station, agricultural inspection station, mobile station or other location designated by the department that is either fixed or mobile.

B. Inspectors may reasonably detain any person or equipment transporting fuel in or through this state for the purpose of determining whether the person is operating in compliance with this article. Inspectors may detain a person or equipment only for such time as is necessary to determine whether the person is in compliance.