What does A.R.S. followed by that funny little sign mean?

'A.R.S.' stands for Arizona Revised Statutes. The statutes are laws written and passed by the Legislature (or citizen initiative in Arizona) and then enacted by the Governor. The ' § ' symbol means 'section' which, followed by a number, indicates which title and section of the code covers a certain topic. For example, A.R.S § 13-2911 is read as 'Arizona Revised Statutes Title 13, Section 2911 and is entitled, "Interference with or disruption of an educational institution; violation; classification; definitions"

Statutes, or written laws, as the basis of law came about in the Revolutionary period (late 1700s). Napoleon (in 1804) instituted the Napoleonic Code which put all laws in written language that was accessable to the average citizen. Law before this was based largely on custom, where judges relied not on written laws but on how other judges had ruled on a subject in the past. Although judges still serve an important role in American government, the basis of law are written statutes (or ordinances on the local level) which are organized in collections such as the Arizona Revised Statutes. For more information about how laws are made, see Question 352

You can visit the Arizona State Legislature online for a searchable list of the Arizona revised Statutes for more information.