Sep 2, 2026

Phoenix Heat and Dogs: 77 Degrees Outside Is 125 on the Asphalt

Seventy-seven degrees is a pleasant spring morning, and the asphalt is 125, which is where the county says skin damage takes one minute. The full table, the trail ban, and what not to do when a dog overheats.

Anant ShastriTelling stories through PetCompass

Phoenix, Arizona10 min readPet Care & Services

Maricopa County publishes a table nobody should have to read twice. At 77 degrees outside, the asphalt is 125 degrees. And 125 degrees is the temperature at which the county says skin damage can occur in one minute.

Seventy-seven degrees. That is a pleasant spring morning. Nobody calls it hot.

Here is the county's table, verbatim from its pet heat safety page:

Outside temperature	Asphalt temperature
77 degrees F	125 degrees F
86 degrees F	135 degrees F
87 degrees F	143 degrees F
102 degrees F	167 degrees F

And the county's own gloss on it: "Skin damage can occur in ONE MINUTE when asphalt temperatures are above 125 degrees. It's hot enough to fry an egg when asphalt temperatures are above 135 degrees."

The capitals on ONE MINUTE are the county's.

The seven-second test

This is the thing to actually do, rather than trying to remember a table.

Verbatim: "Place your bare foot or the back of your hand on the pavement for 7 seconds, if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for pets too!"

Seven seconds, bare foot or the back of your hand. Not a glance, not a guess. Most cities in this series publish some version of a pavement test; Maricopa County is the only one that puts a number of seconds on it and pairs it with a conversion table.

Do it at the kerb, before you set off. A dog cannot tell you the surface is hurting until it is already burnt, and a burn on a pad is not a scrape. It is a wound in the place the dog has to keep walking on.

Phoenix bans dogs from all city trails at 100 degrees

The city writes this one as a prohibition rather than advice. Verbatim from Phoenix's heat safety page:

"Did you know that dogs are prohibited on ALL city hiking trails when the temperature is 100 degrees or warmer?"

The capitals on ALL are the city's. And 100 degrees in Phoenix is not an unusual afternoon; it is most of the summer.

Two things follow.

The rule is temperature-triggered, not seasonal. There is no date range to remember. If it is 100 or warmer, the trails are closed to dogs, whether that is April or October.

It applies to all city hiking trails, which in a city with the trail network Phoenix has means the whole of the obvious answer to the question of where to take the dog.

Separately, the city closes specific trails to everyone during an Extreme Heat Warning, verbatim: "On days when the National Weather Service issues an Extreme Heat Warning, Camelback Mountain's Echo and Cholla Trails and all trails associated with Piestewa Peak Trailhead in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve and South Mountain Park and Preserve will close from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m."

And its blunt summary, from the summer safety page: "When it's hot, leave pets at home."

Since June 2026, you cannot tether a dog outside in the heat at all

Phoenix updated its animal cruelty ordinance, and the heat provision is worth reading in full.

From the city's own announcement of the 17 June 2026 Council meeting, verbatim:

"Dogs may not be restrained outdoors at any time during extreme weather. This includes temperatures above 100 degrees, heat advisories, monsoon activity, or dust storm warnings, conditions that can quickly overwhelm a dog's ability to regulate body temperature."

The source uses a dash before "conditions"; the comma is ours.

Four triggers, not one. Above 100 degrees, a heat advisory, monsoon activity, or a dust storm warning. Monsoon and dust storms are the two that people forget, and both are Phoenix-specific.

The wider rule, verbatim: "it is unlawful to confine a dog using a tether, trolley, or similar device unless the dog is under the direct supervision or control of its owner or handler. Direct supervision means keeping the dog within visual range at all times."

The city dated commencement to roughly thirty days after that 17 June 2026 meeting; its page says "in approximately 30 days" without giving an exact date, so we are not going to print one.

Maricopa County's guidance says the same thing more briefly, verbatim: "Never chain or lock your pet outdoors."

What the county says to actually do

Four instructions, all verbatim, and the last two run against instinct.

Timing. "Limit your pet's time outside and try to stick to the mornings or evenings when the temperatures are cooler."

Water. "Ensure pets have consistent access to cool drinking water."

Play differently. "Consider play activities that involve water such as a hose or sprinkler." A sprinkler in the yard is a better summer plan in Phoenix than a walk.

Protect the feet. "If walks on pavement are necessary, consider getting dog booties to protect your pet's paws." Note the framing: if walks on pavement are necessary. The county's default assumption is that they often are not.

Our summer heat safety for pets guide covers the physiology behind all of this.

Heat first aid, and the two things not to do

This is the part most worth reading before you need it, because two of the county's six instructions are prohibitions on what people naturally reach for.

Verbatim, the full list:

"Move your pet out of the heat" "Place a cool wet cloth on their belly, paws, and neck" "Place a fan so that it is blowing on your pet" "Do not attempt to rapidly cool pet with water or ice; this may cause shock" "Do not force water" "Do not leave pet unattended"

Do not rapidly cool with water or ice. The county gives the reason: shock. A hose on a badly overheated dog is not the answer, and neither is an ice bath. Cool, damp, and on the belly, paws and neck.

Do not force water. An overheated dog that will not drink is not a dog to pour water into.

Cool wet cloth on belly, paws and neck. Those are the places with the least insulation between blood vessels and the surface.

Then get to a vet. Our pet first aid basics guide covers the handling, and our emergency vet, what to know explainer covers what to expect. Greater Phoenix has an unusually strong 24-hour picture, with the county itself publishing a directory of hospitals, which we cover separately.

Cars, and the Arizona law that lets a stranger break your window

The numbers first, verbatim from the county: "When the outside temperature reaches 100 degrees, the inside of a car can reach 129 degrees in just 20 minutes." And: "Even a 75 degrees day can become deadly for a pet inside a car."

Seventy-five degrees. Same order of surprise as the 77-degree asphalt row.

The county's instruction is unqualified, verbatim: "NEVER leave your pet in a hot car! See a pet locked in a hot car? If it appears to be in immediate danger, call 911."

And Arizona protects the rescuer. Verbatim from the county: "The Good Samaritan Law (Arizona HB 2494) protects a person who breaks a car window to rescue a pet if they believe the pet is in imminent danger and have verified that the car is locked."

Two conditions in that sentence, and both matter: a belief that the pet is in imminent danger, and having verified that the car is locked.

We are quoting that protection as Maricopa County states it. It is also a sharp contrast with several cities in this series, including Washington DC, where the power to force a vehicle sits only with officers and firefighters. In Arizona, on the county's account, a member of the public is covered.

That cuts both ways for a dog owner. If you leave a dog in a car in Phoenix, a stranger may lawfully break the glass, and they would be right to.

A month-by-month version

November to March. The usable stretch. Long walks at most hours, trails open, asphalt manageable. This is the season Phoenix dog owners plan the year around.

April. Watch the thermometer rather than the calendar. The 100-degree trail ban starts biting on individual days well before summer proper, and the 77-degree row in that asphalt table applies from early spring.

May to September. Dawn and dusk only. Trails closed to dogs on any day at 100 or above. Tethering outdoors unlawful during extreme weather. And this is when the city closes its dog parks in rotation for turf recovery, which we cover separately, so check before you drive.

October. Reopening, slowly. Asphalt holds heat after the air cools, so keep the seven-second test in the routine.

All year. Never the car. Never chained outside. Water always.

If you have just moved here

Three adjustments, and they are bigger than newcomers expect.

Your walking day inverts. In most cities you walk the dog when you get home from work. In Phoenix, for half the year, that is the worst hour of the day. The walk moves to before dawn.

Grass and shade become the route, not the scenery. The county's own framing treats pavement walks as something to be avoided rather than protected against.

The trail plan you had is a winter plan. Dogs are barred from all city hiking trails at 100 degrees or warmer, which removes most of the summer. That rule has a second mechanism stacked on it, because an Extreme Heat Warning closes several named trails to everybody between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and our dogs on Phoenix trails guide sets out both along with a seasonal plan that works.

Our guide to moving to a new city with a pet covers the wider arrival list. If you are visiting, our roundup of pet-friendly hotels in Phoenix and our Phoenix hotel directory are the places to start, and a room with grass nearby is worth more here than a room with a view.

Frequently asked questions

How hot is too hot to walk a dog in Phoenix? Maricopa County's test is seven seconds of bare foot or the back of your hand on the pavement. Its table gives 125 degree asphalt at 77 degrees air temperature, and it states that skin damage can occur in one minute above 125 degrees.

Are dogs allowed on Phoenix hiking trails in summer? Not at 100 degrees or warmer. The City of Phoenix states that dogs are prohibited on all city hiking trails when the temperature is 100 degrees or warmer.

Can I tether my dog outside in Phoenix? Not during extreme weather, and not otherwise unless the dog is under direct supervision. The June 2026 ordinance update makes it unlawful to confine a dog using a tether, trolley or similar device unless the dog is within visual range at all times, and bars outdoor restraint entirely during temperatures above 100 degrees, heat advisories, monsoon activity or dust storm warnings.

How hot does a car get in Phoenix? Maricopa County states that when the outside temperature reaches 100 degrees, the inside of a car can reach 129 degrees in just 20 minutes, and that even a 75 degree day can become deadly for a pet inside a car.

Can I break a car window to save a dog in Arizona? Maricopa County states that the Good Samaritan Law, Arizona HB 2494, protects a person who breaks a car window to rescue a pet if they believe the pet is in imminent danger and have verified that the car is locked.

What should I do first if my dog overheats in Phoenix? Maricopa County advises moving the pet out of the heat, placing a cool wet cloth on the belly, paws and neck, and using a fan. It explicitly says not to rapidly cool the pet with water or ice because it may cause shock, not to force water, and not to leave the pet unattended.

Sources

Guidance and ordinances change. Check the city and county pages before each summer.