It is NOT illegal for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub in Arizona
The Short Answer
The popular story claims a merchant's donkey, sleeping in a tub, was washed away in a 1924 flood requiring a costly rescue, prompting the town to ban the practice. Legal databases and historians have failed to find any such statute in Arizona law or the ordinances of Kingman, AZ.
The Full Story
This appears to be a distortion of general livestock containment laws or public nuisance statutes. While it is likely illegal to keep a donkey in a bathtub due to animal cruelty or sanitation codes, there is no specific "Donkey-Bathtub Act."
Like the ice cream myth, this story relies on a specific, humorous historical vignette (the flood) to give it credibility. It acts as a parable about the unintended consequences of human folly (putting a donkey in a tub) and the reactive nature of government.
Extensive research by legal experts and Arizona historians has found no evidence of this law in any Arizona statute, Kingman city ordinance, or historical record. The story is entertaining but entirely fictional.
Common Misconceptions
No such law exists. While there may be general animal welfare and zoning laws that would discourage keeping livestock in bathtubs, the specific "donkey in bathtub" law with its flood backstory is pure myth.
Actual Legal Text
No such law exists in Arizona's Revised Statutes. The story claims a 1924 ordinance was passed in Kingman, Arizona after a donkey sleeping in an abandoned bathtub was swept away in a flood, requiring a costly rescue. While the flood story is widely repeated, no such law appears in Arizona's current legal code, and the original ordinance (if it ever existed) has never been located or cited.
Current Status
Unknown
Penalty
No penalty exists because no such law currently exists in Arizona's Revised Statutes.
Last Verified
January 16, 2026