Arizona Ignition Interlock Laws: Requirements, Costs, and Penalties

Arizona ignition interlock laws require anyone convicted of an alcohol-related DUI to install a certified ignition interlock device (IID) on every vehicle they drive, for a minimum of 12 to 24 months depending on the offense. The device makes you pass a breath test before the engine will start and again at random intervals while you’re driving. Violations during the restricted period can add six months or more to your time with the device, and some can be charged as a separate misdemeanor.

Who Has to Install an IID in Arizona

The IID requirement is triggered by a conviction under any of Arizona’s three main DUI statutes:

Standard DUI under ARS 28-1381, covering impairment by alcohol or a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.
Extreme DUI under ARS 28-1382, for a BAC of 0.15 or higher, with a separate “super extreme” tier at 0.20 or higher.
Aggravated DUI under ARS 28-1383, which includes a DUI while your license is already suspended or revoked, a third DUI within 84 months, or a DUI with a child under fifteen in the vehicle.

First-time offenders are covered along with repeat offenders. If the DUI conviction does not involve alcohol at all — for example, impairment by drugs only — the court has discretion whether to order an IID, but it is not automatic.¹

How Long the Device Stays on Your Vehicle

ARS 28-3319 sets the minimum IID periods by offense:

12 months for a first-offense standard DUI, an extreme DUI with a BAC between 0.15 and 0.199, or a second or subsequent standard or extreme DUI within 84 months.
18 months for a super extreme DUI (BAC 0.20 or higher) with no qualifying prior DUI in the last 84 months.
24 months for a super extreme DUI with a prior DUI within 84 months, and for most aggravated DUI offenses, including a third DUI, a DUI committed on a suspended license, or a DUI with a child under fifteen in the vehicle.

These are floors. A sentencing judge can order a longer period in any case.² The clock generally does not start on the date of conviction. It starts once you have completed any court-ordered alcohol screening or treatment and become eligible to reinstate your license.¹

Getting Back on the Road With a Restricted License

A DUI conviction suspends or revokes your driving privileges. Instead of waiting the suspension out, you can apply for a Special Ignition Interlock Restricted Driver License (SIIRDL), which lets you drive anywhere in Arizona as long as every vehicle you use has a certified IID.³

You have 30 days from your conviction date to have the device installed and have the manufacturer electronically report the installation to the Motor Vehicle Division.⁴ If you don’t provide evidence of a functioning IID within 72 hours of being required to, ADOT can suspend the restricted license.⁵ If you don’t own a vehicle, your privileges stay suspended until a provider confirms installation on whatever vehicle you eventually drive.

Applying for the SIIRDL is voluntary, and choosing it waives your right to an administrative hearing on the suspension. Commercial license holders must apply in person at MVD and are downgraded to a standard Class D license for the restricted period.³

No Exemption for Work Vehicles

Arizona does not offer the employer-vehicle exemption that some states allow. The IID rule covers every vehicle you operate, including company trucks and cars you drive for work. Knowingly letting a restricted driver operate an unequipped vehicle is a class 1 misdemeanor for both the driver and the person who lent or leased the vehicle.⁵

What the Device Costs and What You Have to Do

You pay for the whole program. Installation fees generally run $50 to $150, and monthly lease and calibration charges typically add roughly $70 to $100. A 12-month period commonly totals somewhere between $900 and $1,350, though the numbers vary by provider. ADOT publishes a list of certified ignition interlock service providers.

Two obligations recur throughout the restricted period. You must submit proof of compliance to ADOT at least once every 90 days, confirming the device is working and hasn’t been tampered with, and you must have the device calibrated by a certified provider on the same 90-day cycle.⁶ Missing either can extend the IID period and can also trigger a fresh license suspension.

How ADOT Monitors the Device

Modern certified devices in Arizona include GPS and transmit daily driving activity to ADOT in real time.⁷ The device also takes a digital image every time someone provides a breath sample, whether at startup or during a rolling retest.

The manufacturer must electronically report to ADOT:

Any tampering with or attempted circumvention of the device.
Any attempt to start the vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.
Any failure to complete rolling retests during a drive.
Any failure to provide the required proof of compliance or inspection.

ADOT uses this stream of data to decide whether to extend the IID period.⁶

Penalties for Violations

Violations carry two separate sets of consequences, and both can apply at once: administrative extensions under ARS 28-1461 and criminal charges under ARS 28-1464.

Six-Month Extensions

ADOT will add six months to your IID requirement if it has reasonable grounds to believe you did any of the following:

Tampered with or tried to bypass the device.
Attempted to start the vehicle with a BAC of 0.08 or higher two or more times during the restricted period.
Failed to submit proof of compliance or calibration on schedule.
Attempted to start the vehicle with a BAC of 0.08 or higher even once during a prior six-month extension.
Failed to properly complete any set of three consecutive rolling retests during a single drive cycle.

Each qualifying violation resets the extension clock, so repeated failures stack. The threshold also drops during an existing extension: one failed startup at 0.08 or above is enough to add another six months, compared with two during the original period.⁶

Criminal Charges

Some IID violations are also class 1 misdemeanors, carrying up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. A conviction for tampering with the device, driving an unequipped vehicle, or having someone else blow into the device on your behalf also extends the IID requirement by up to one year. Anyone who blows into your IID or starts a vehicle to help you get around the device commits the same class 1 misdemeanor.⁵

Zero Tolerance for Drivers Under Twenty-One

Arizona applies a stricter standard to younger drivers during the IID period. A driver twenty-one or older has to register two failed startup attempts at 0.08 or above before an extension kicks in. A driver under twenty-one faces a six-month extension for attempting to operate the vehicle with any detectable alcohol in their system, even once.⁶ Parents or legal guardians of drivers under eighteen can request full access to the device’s monitoring data — every breath test, GPS record, and flagged event — directly from the service provider.

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1381 – Driving or Actual Physical Control While Under the Influence
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3319 – Action After License Suspension, Revocation or Denial
3
Arizona Department of Transportation. Restricted Driver License
4
Arizona Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Services
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1464 – Ignition Interlock Devices, Violations, Classification, Definition
6
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1461 – Use of Certified Ignition Interlock Devices, Reporting
7
Legal Information Institute. Arizona Admin Code R17-5-603 – Device Requirements, Technical Specifications, and Standards for Setup and Calibration