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Arizona DUI penalties breakdown: every component, line by line

Our Arizona DUI costs page gives the state overview. This page does the narrower job: each separate component of an Arizona DUI under A.R.S. § 28-1381 — the base fine, the two statutory assessments stacked on top of it, the jail minimum, and the Motor Vehicle Division actions — with the statute that sets each one, and no added-up total, because Arizona courts add surcharges and costs that vary by court.

The money stack: a $250 base fine with $1,000 of assessments fixed by statute

A first conviction under § 28-1381 is a class 1 misdemeanour, and § 28-1381(I) builds the sentence in layers. The court must impose at least ten days in jail, a fine of at least $250, and two additional assessments of $500 each — one prescribed for the state fund and one under the statute's assessment provisions — so the base fine and the two named assessments together reach at least $1,250 before the court adds anything else. The judge may also order community restitution. Under § 28-1381(J), the court may suspend all but one day of the ten-day jail term where the defendant completes court-ordered alcohol or drug screening, education or treatment — the ten days are imposed, and the screening is what reduces the time actually served.

A second conviction within 84 months raises every layer: at least 90 days in jail, of which at least 30 consecutive days must be served; a base fine of at least $500; assessments totalling $2,500, so fine and assessments reach at least $3,000; at least 30 hours of community restitution; and revocation of the driving privilege for one year. Arizona courts also apply the surcharges and court costs prescribed for criminal cases in the court where the case is heard, which is exactly why this page quotes the base fine and the two assessments the DUI statute itself names instead of presenting a surcharge-inclusive figure as if A.R.S. § 28-1381 published one.

Extreme tiers, license actions and interlock

Blood alcohol concentration moves the case into § 28-1382. An extreme DUI — 0.15 to under 0.20 within two hours of driving — is a class 1 misdemeanour carrying at least 30 days in jail on a first conviction, with the statute allowing much of that term to be suspended where the defendant completes screening and equips a vehicle with a certified interlock for twelve months, and a base fine of at least $250 plus the statutory assessments. A super extreme DUI — 0.20 or higher — carries at least 45 days in jail and a base fine of at least $500 plus the assessments on a first conviction. Our high-BAC page puts these tiers in national context.

The license runs on the Motor Vehicle Division's track. An administrative per se action under § 28-1385 suspends the license for 90 days; a chemical-test refusal under § 28-1321 suspends it for twelve months on a first refusal. A conviction-based second offence revokes for one year, as noted above. Interlock is mandatory after an alcohol-related conviction: § 28-1381(I) requires the defendant to equip any motor vehicle they operate with a certified ignition interlock, and the standard first-offence interlock period is twelve months, administered through the MVD and a certified provider whose lease and calibration charges are contract prices, not state fees. Before driving privileges are restored, the defendant must also complete the required screening, education or treatment and traffic survival school. See our interlock page and refusal page for those components.

Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes §§ 28-1321, 28-1381, 28-1382, 28-1385; Arizona Motor Vehicle Division DUI and interlock guidance. Last verified: October 2026.

What this state does not publish as a single figure

Arizona is a state where a single 'minimum total' is genuinely misleading, and this page avoids printing one. The surcharges applied to criminal fines are calculated as percentages and additional charges that depend on the court and the year, the jail and screening providers bill under their own arrangements, and interlock lease and calibration charges are set by the certified provider's contract. The DUI statute fixes the base fine and the two $500 assessments; everything beyond those layers is real money, but it is not a figure A.R.S. § 28-1381 publishes, so it is described here rather than totalled.

There is also no published Arizona figure for the effect of a DUI on the price of insuring a car. The state's financial-responsibility requirements are a separate subject — see our SR-22 page — and the premium itself is set by insurers, not by the MVD or the courts.

Common questions

Why do Arizona sources quote $1,250 for a first DUI?

That figure is the base fine of at least $250 plus the two $500 statutory assessments in § 28-1381(I). It does not include court surcharges and costs, screening, or interlock charges.

How much of the 10 days does a first offender actually serve?

The court imposes at least ten days, but § 28-1381(J) allows all but one day to be suspended where the defendant completes the ordered screening, education or treatment.

What makes an Arizona DUI 'extreme'?

A concentration of 0.15 or more within two hours of driving moves the case to § 28-1382: at least 30 days at the extreme tier and at least 45 days at 0.20 or higher.

Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes §§ 28-1321, 28-1381, 28-1382, 28-1385; Arizona Motor Vehicle Division DUI and interlock guidance. Last verified: October 2026. This page is educational information about costs only — not legal advice. Laws and fees change; confirm current figures with your court and your state's driver-licensing agency.