Arizona traffic tickets.
An Arizona speeding ticket is a civil matter, not a crime, and the state usually does not send a lawyer. That cuts both ways.
How it works in Arizona.
Civil traffic citations are heard in justice courts or municipal courts, whichever is printed on the ticket. ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division handles points and suspension separately, so the court outcome and the licence outcome are two different processes.
Eight to twelve points in twelve months means Traffic Survival School or a three month suspension. Thirteen to seventeen means three months. Eighteen to twenty three means six months. Twenty four points in thirty six months means a year.
8 to 12 points in 12 months
Traffic Survival School or a three month suspension
13 to 17 points
Three month suspension
18 to 23 points
Six month suspension
24 points in 36 months
One year suspension
A default judgment in Arizona cannot be appealed.
Because the case is civil, the burden of proof is only the balance of probabilities, there is no jury, and no lawyer is appointed for you. The state often sends nobody at all, and the citing officer presents the case himself. On paper that sounds like an easy room.
But if you simply do not turn up, the allegations are deemed admitted, judgment enters automatically, and a default judgment cannot be appealed. There is no route back. Not showing up is worse in Arizona than in almost anywhere else in the country.
Common violations and what they carry.
Speeding
A.R.S. 28-701
The ordinary speeding charge, and the highest point value of any routine civil traffic citation in the state.
Red light and stop sign
Civil traffic citation
Most other moving violations sit here, including running a red light and failing to stop at a stop sign.
Other moving violations
Civil traffic citation
The default value for a moving violation that is not speeding and is not on the eight point list.
DUI and reckless driving
Criminal charge
Eight points on a single charge, which is the MVD action threshold on its own.
Racing and aggressive driving
Criminal charge
Treated the same as DUI and reckless for point purposes. One conviction puts the MVD on your file.
Criminal speeding
A.R.S. 28-701.02
Twenty miles per hour or more over, or thirty five in a school crossing. This is not a ticket. It is a criminal charge with a criminal record attached.
What actually helps here.
Defensive Driving School
Under A.R.S. 28-3392 the violation is kept off your record entirely, no points are assessed, and the citation is dismissed. It is the single most useful thing available in this state.
You cannot use it again within twelve months of your last violation, and it is closed to CDL holders driving commercially.
Turning up, or being represented
The single biggest avoidable loss in Arizona is the default. Judgment enters automatically and there is no appeal from it, so the hearing date on the citation is the date that matters most.
An attorney licensed in Arizona who has filed a notice of appearance can handle the hearing, with written notice to the court at least ten calendar days beforehand.
The appearance date printed on the citation
There is no fixed statewide day count in Arizona. The date on the ticket is the deadline, and missing it is not a delay, it is a judgment against you that cannot be appealed.
No, an attorney can appear without you
An attorney licensed in Arizona who has filed a notice of appearance can handle the matter, with written notice to the court at least ten calendar days before the hearing.
Read this first.
How it works
You send us the ticket. That is your entire job. Four steps and a flat fee in writing.
What we fight
Speeding, red light, cell phone, reckless driving, suspended licence and CDL tickets.
Send us the ticket
Free review, no obligation, and a straight answer about whether fighting it is worth your money.
Send us the Arizona ticket.
Free review, no obligation, and a straight answer about whether fighting it is worth your money. Representation in Arizona is provided by an attorney licensed in Arizona.