Arizona school sports heat policy
AIA recommends WBGT activity limits for all sports and training except in-water swimming and diving, in one statewide table of its own numbers. How to read these labels
- Association
- AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association)
- Label
- WBGT recommended
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 28, 2026
What AIA’s document says
The state association recommends WBGT-based activity modification.
The zones here are AIA’s own table (Article 43, §43.6.2, printed p. 156). AIA prints its top band, “No outdoor workouts”, as “> 92.0”; this card starts it at 92.0 °F, a tenth of a degree earlier. AIA’s table leaves two readings in no band (82.0 °F and 92.0 °F). This card shows 92.0 °F in the top band, as above, and 82.0 °F in the band below it.
- < 82.1°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 82.1 to under 87°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 87 to under 90.1°FReduced: cap 2 h
Cap practice at 2 hours. Football: helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts only (pads off for conditioning). 4+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min).
- 90.1 to under 92°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 92°FCancel outdoor activity
No outdoor workouts: delay or cancel until the WBGT drops to a cooler level.
This is a plain-language summary to help you plan. It is not legal advice, and it is not the association’s document. Associations revise these policies often. Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association.
What else to know
- AIA says the WBGT “will be obtained on the same playing surface as the practice/event site”, every 30 minutes or as needed when the weather changes significantly, and that all monitoring “should be documented”. It adds that its guidelines may also be used indoors where a facility is not temperature controlled.
- AIA’s activity changes apply to all sports and training activities except in-water swimming and diving, where coaches are to consider water temperature, shade, ice and water instead. AIA says dry-land training follows the table.
- AIA calls its practice changes “flexible”: stricter in more oppressive heat and “relaxed as conditions improve”.
- AIA’s heat acclimatization protocol “applies to all football and outdoor fall sports teams”: one practice a day for the first five days, and practice time that should not exceed three hours in any single day.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “82.1 to under 87°F” includes the first number and stops just below the second. The short activity notes in each row are a general guide, worded the same on every state page. AIA’s document may word its limits differently or add rest breaks, equipment and water rules, so open it for the exact rules.
Before you rely on this
- This page summarizes AIA’s document. It does not replace it. If they differ, go by the document and by the policy your school or league has adopted.
- Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association. Many schools adopt their own version.
- Any WBGT number WetBulbTracker shows is a modeled estimate for planning, not an official reading. Where a policy calls for an on-site reading, that reading governs.
- This page does not replace an athletic trainer’s judgment.
Live heat readings in Arizona
Suggest a correction
Associations update these documents, often before the fall season. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us a link to the current document and we will re-check it.
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