Your DUI requirements, all in one place.
A DUI comes with two separate sets of obligations — one to the MVD for your license, one to the court for your case — and they run on different clocks. This page collects the links, forms, portals, and providers you will actually need, in the order you will need them.
Requirements are not identical in every court, and some deadlines are short. Read your paperwork carefully, confirm what your specific court expects, and call me if anything on your notice does not match what you see here.
The MVD suspension is administrative. It happens because of the test result, not because of a conviction — and it proceeds on its own schedule regardless of what the criminal court does. Even a dismissal or a not-guilty verdict does not clear it by itself. Why your license is at risk even if you beat the case →
The court requirements come after a conviction. Traffic Survival School, interlock, the MADD panel, your screening hours, jail or home detention. Different deadlines, different proof, and usually a review hearing at the end. How the MVD/ADOT process works →
Your driver’s license
Officers rely on Arizona’s admin per se and implied consent laws to obtain a breath or blood sample. If the result is at or over the limit, MVD suspends your license for 90 days — independent of the criminal case. Under the 2023 law, that suspension begins 30 days after service.
Confirm what MVD says
Log in to AZ MVD Now and look at your compliance timeline. It shows your suspension dates and every requirement on your record. Check it regularly — it updates before you get mail.
Decide on the hearing
You have 30 days from service to request an administrative hearing with ADOT. There is no extension and no do-over. Talk through the pros and cons with me before the window closes.
Complete the screening
A substance abuse screening with an approved provider is required before reinstatement. It is an interview and assessment — not a urine or chemical test.
Reinstate your license
Once the suspension is served and the screening is done, pay the reinstatement fee on AZ MVD Now and confirm your record shows no remaining compliance issues.
After a DUI conviction
These are the standard requirements. Your sentence controls, so check your paperwork — but this is the list most clients are working through, with the link you need for each one.
Traffic Survival School
An eight-hour defensive driving course ordered after most DUI convictions. Register through the state’s official TSS site and keep your completion certificate.
Certified ignition interlock device
Required after conviction under A.R.S. §§ 28-1381 through 28-1383. You install it at your own cost with an authorized provider, and it reports directly to MVD.
The required duration depends on your conviction, and a six-month deferment is available in some cases — confirm your end date on AZ MVD Now rather than assuming.
MADD Victim Impact Panel
A required panel, available online. Register, attend the full session, and save the certificate it issues you — that certificate is your proof.
Your recommended screening hours
The screening you completed for MVD may have recommended education or counseling hours. Those hours are a separate obligation from the screening itself, and the court will want proof of both.
AA and NA meetings do not substitute for the required hours.
Jail time and/or home detention
Pima County runs a home detention program that can substitute for part of a jail sentence for eligible people. Eligibility and the application process have changed over time, so start early.
Fines, fees, and assessments
Court fines and surcharges are separate from your MVD reinstatement fee — you will likely pay both. If the amount is not realistic for you, tell me before you fall behind. Unpaid fines create their own set of consequences.
Submitting your proof
Completing a requirement and proving you completed it are two different things. Almost every compliance problem I see comes from this step.
Do not assume your provider sent anything to the court.
Providers report to MVD. That is not the same as filing proof with your court. Some providers send it, some do not, and some send it to the wrong place. The obligation is yours.
Submit through your court’s portal, hand it to the clerk in person, or send it to my office and I will file it. Whichever route you use, get confirmation you can keep — a portal receipt, a stamped copy, or an email reply. Keep your own copy of every certificate indefinitely.
Justice Court
Has an online proof submission portal. This is the easiest route if your case is here — and it gives you a receipt.
- Submit online Online proof submission →
- Court info jp.pima.gov →
Tucson City Court
No public proof portal. Mail or deliver your documents, and confirm receipt by phone before your deadline.
- Mail PO Box 27210, Tucson AZ 85726-7210
- In person 103 E. Alameda, Tucson
- Phone & forms 520-791-4216 · Forms & filings →
On felony probation?
If your case was a felony and you were placed on probation, your proof does not go to the court clerk at all. It goes to your probation officer.
- Submit to Your assigned probation officer, on the schedule they set
- Keep in mind Probation has its own reporting rules and its own consequences for missed deadlines — ask your officer directly what they want and when
Case in another Pima County or Arizona court? The requirements are usually similar but the submission method is not. Check your minute entry or call the clerk — and when in doubt, send it to me.
Your review hearing
This is the hearing where you show the court you finished everything. It is usually set six months to a year after a change of plea, and it is often held online.
- ▸You will typically appear without an attorney — this appearance is normally outside the scope of my representation.
- ▸Bring or upload every certificate: TSS, MADD panel, screening, education or counseling hours, interlock, and proof of any custody time served.
- ▸If you already submitted everything, call the court ahead of time. Many courts will vacate the hearing if you are fully compliant — but confirm before you skip it.
- ▸If you are not finished, do not simply miss the hearing. Missing it can trigger a warrant. Appear and ask for more time.
Two habits that prevent most problems
Keep your address current with MVD. Every notice about your license goes to the address on your record. If it is stale, you will not learn about a suspension until you are pulled over.
Check AZ MVD Now regularly. Your compliance timeline shows every requirement and its status. It is the fastest way to catch a problem while it is still fixable.
Trouble reinstating online?
If the AZ MVD Now site will not let you reinstate, book an in-person appointment rather than waiting it out. Office wait times are shorter with an appointment.
Straight answers
My case isn’t over. Why am I already suspended?
Because the suspension does not come from the court. It comes from MVD, based on the test result, under Arizona’s admin per se law. It runs on its own schedule and does not wait for your case to resolve.
The one thing that can stop it is the ADOT administrative hearing — and you have to request it within 30 days of service. Admin per se vs. refusal, explained →
How long do I actually have to request the ADOT hearing?
Thirty days from service of the suspension notice. Not usually thirty. Thirty, in every case, with no extensions. Miss it and the suspension takes effect without anyone reviewing it.
Requesting the hearing also puts the suspension on hold until it is decided, which is part of the strategic calculation. Understanding the admin per se hearing →
Do I still have to do all of this if my charges get dismissed?
It splits. The court requirements — TSS, MADD, interlock, jail — come from a conviction, so a dismissal or acquittal takes those off the table.
The MVD suspension and the screening requirement are separate and survive a dismissal. To clear those you need to either win the administrative hearing or complete the screening and reinstate. Why your license is still at risk →
I have an out-of-state license. Does any of this apply to me?
Yes. Arizona can suspend your privilege to drive in Arizona, and your home state may act on the record too. You can generally complete the screening with an approved counselor where you live using ADOT’s driver improvement compliance report, form 99-0211.
Do AA or NA meetings count toward my required hours?
No. Support group attendance is genuinely valuable, and I am glad when clients go, but it does not satisfy the education or counseling hours recommended by your screening. Those have to come from an approved provider.
My case is a felony, or I refused the test. Is this list still accurate?
Partly. Felony DUI and implied consent refusals carry different and generally longer consequences — a refusal typically means a one-year suspension rather than 90 days, and felony convictions can mean prison and revocation rather than suspension.
This page is a general guide. If your case falls into either category, we should walk through your specific requirements together. Reach out →
Can I just drive to work during the suspension?
Not without authorization. Depending on your situation you may be eligible for a restricted license or a special ignition interlock restricted driver license, but that is something MVD has to grant — it is not something you can assume.
Driving on a suspended license is a separate criminal charge that will make everything else on this page harder. Ask before you drive. License consequences after a DUI stop →
Resource directory
License & MVD
Programs & Providers
Guides worth reading
What to expect after a DUI arrest
The overall shape of a DUI case, from the stop through resolution.
Understanding DUI penalties in Arizona
What the statutes actually require at each charge level.
Your first court date in Tucson
What happens at arraignment and what to do before it.
The MVD / ADOT process
How the administrative side works, step by step.
Living with an ignition interlock
What the device does, what it reports, and what trips a violation.
How to prepare for sentencing
What actually helps, and what to have ready before the hearing.
Treatment as mitigation
Why finishing your hours early can change your outcome.
What breath test numbers really mean
Why a BAC reading is a starting point, not a verdict.
Every DUI article
The full library, from field sobriety tests to sentencing.
Ask me before you guess.
Deadlines on this page are real and local procedures vary. If your notice says something different from what you read here, or you are not sure a requirement applies to you, that is exactly the kind of question I would rather answer early than untangle later.
- Phone 520-333-7977
- Email amanda@ajblawfirm.com
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Office
177 N. Church Ave., Suite 808
Tucson, AZ
This page is a short, practical guide for current clients of AJB Law Firm, LLC. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is not an all-inclusive list. Felony DUI cases, implied consent refusals, prior convictions, and cases involving drugs rather than alcohol can carry additional or different consequences.
Requirements, deadlines, fees, and submission procedures change, and they differ between city and justice courts. Always read your own paperwork and confirm requirements with your specific court. If you have a question about your situation, contact the firm directly.