Arizona Probation: Types, Conditions, and Violations

Arizona felony probation runs from three years for the lowest-level felonies up to seven years for a Class 2 felony, with lifetime supervision possible for certain sex offenses. You may be placed on standard supervision with periodic check-ins or on intensive probation with near-daily contact, and either way you will pay a monthly fee, submit to drug testing, and follow conditions the judge sets. For simple drug possession, Proposition 200 requires the court to give you probation instead of prison, at least for a first or second offense.¹

How Long Probation Lasts

A.R.S. § 13-902 sets maximum probation terms by felony class:

Class 2 felony: up to 7 years
Class 3 felony: up to 5 years
Class 4 felony: up to 4 years
Class 5 or 6 felony: up to 3 years

Convictions for certain sex offenses and offenses listed in Chapters 14 and 35.1 of the criminal code are treated separately. For those, probation can run from the standard minimum all the way to life at the judge’s discretion.¹ The number the judge announces at sentencing is a ceiling, not a fixed term. You can shorten it through earned time credits or a court order ending probation early.

Standard Probation vs. Intensive Probation

Arizona runs two tiers of felony supervision that look nothing alike in daily practice.

Standard Supervision

Standard probation is the more common form. You meet with your probation officer on a regular schedule, follow the conditions the court set at sentencing, and otherwise live your life. Check-in frequency depends on your assessed risk level, with many probationers seeing their officer monthly or bimonthly, sometimes with remote reporting when the officer allows it.²

Intensive Probation Supervision

Intensive probation, or IPS, is defined by statute as a “highly structured and closely supervised” program reserved for people who would otherwise be sent to prison.³ At the top supervision level, administrative rules require at least four face-to-face contacts each week, with two at your home. Visits are spread across days, nights, weekends, and holidays, and many are unannounced.⁴

IPS also requires you to work full-time, attend school full-time, or combine supervised job searches with community service at least six days a week. Your team verifies employment weekly by contacting your employer directly. You stay at your residence except to go to work, school, community service, or somewhere your officer has approved in advance. The monthly IPS fee is at least $75, compared to $65 for standard probation.⁵ If the court finds you pose a serious threat to the community or commit a new felony on IPS, revocation and a prison sentence are mandatory.

Conditions Every Probationer Must Meet

A.R.S. § 13-901 sets a baseline of mandatory obligations that apply whether you are on standard or intensive supervision.

You pay a monthly supervision fee of at least $65 (or at least $75 on IPS). A judge can reduce it if you show you cannot pay, but the statutory minimum is the default, and the money goes into the adult probation services fund.²

If there is a victim with a financial loss, the court must order restitution as a condition of probation. Falling behind is a violation, and unpaid restitution can block restoration of your civil rights after you finish your sentence.²

Random drug and alcohol testing is a routine condition. A positive result or a no-show for a test is one of the most common reasons a probation officer files a petition to revoke.

You need your officer’s approval before leaving the county or state in most cases. Moving to another state is a separate process handled through the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision.⁶

Every probationer must waive extradition in advance. If you leave Arizona and violate, the state can bring you back without going through the usual extradition process.²

Judges routinely add other conditions on top: warrantless search terms, curfews, employment requirements, counseling. A judge can also order jail time served in intervals during your probation, capped at one year total or the maximum imprisonment for the offense, whichever is shorter.²

Mandatory Probation for Simple Drug Possession

Proposition 200, codified at A.R.S. § 13-901.01, forces the court to give you probation instead of prison for a first or second conviction of possessing a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia for personal use. The judge must suspend the prison sentence and order you into a drug treatment or education program run by a qualified provider.⁷ Refuse treatment and the judge can revoke your probation and send you to prison.

Several categories of defendants are excluded from Prop 200’s guarantee even on a first offense:

Prop 200 also softens what happens if you slip up. On a first conviction, the court generally has to set new conditions rather than jail you for a violation, unless the violation involves a new offense under the standard sentencing chapters or defiance of a court order tied to drug treatment. On a second conviction, the judge gains more room to impose tougher conditions like intensive probation, home arrest, or community restitution. By the third possession conviction, Prop 200 no longer applies and you face standard felony sentencing.⁷

Shortening Your Term

There are two paths out early: statutory credits you earn month by month, and a court order ending probation.

Earned Time and Work Time Credits

A.R.S. § 13-924 gives you 20 days of credit for every 30 days of full compliance with your case plan, restitution, and community service. If you also work at least 130 hours in that 30-day period and meet all other conditions, you earn an additional 30 days of work time credit.⁸ You have five business days after each 30-day work period to give your officer pay stubs or other documentation.

A compliant, employed probationer can therefore accumulate 50 days of credit for every 30 days served, potentially cutting the term by more than half. One catch: if you are later found in violation of any condition, all previously earned credits are wiped out.⁸

Early Termination

The court can also discharge you at any point during your term. You or your attorney can file an application, or the judge can act on their own. The standard is whether “the ends of justice will be served” and your conduct on probation supports it. The prosecutor and any victims get notice and a chance to weigh in first.²

What Happens if You Violate

When your officer believes you have violated a condition, they file a petition to revoke. Arizona’s Rules of Criminal Procedure lay out a three-stage process that moves quickly.

First is a revocation arraignment within 7 days of your arrest or service of the summons, where the court reads the alleged violations and you admit or deny each. Next is a violation hearing, held 7 to 20 days later, at which the state must prove the violation by a preponderance of the evidence, a lower standard than in a criminal trial. If the court finds a violation, a disposition hearing follows 7 to 20 days after that, where the judge decides whether to continue probation with modified conditions, add sanctions, or revoke and impose prison.⁹

The whole thing can play out in under two months. A revocation means the judge sentences you on the original felony as if probation had never been granted. Treating a minor violation casually is a mistake.

After You Finish: Civil Rights and Set-Asides

A felony conviction strips you of the right to vote, hold public office, and serve on a jury. Getting those rights back depends on your record.

If this is your first felony, civil rights are restored automatically once you complete probation and pay all victim restitution. No application is needed.¹⁰ If you have prior felonies, restoration is not automatic; after final discharge, you apply to the superior court in the county where you live, and the county attorney gets a copy. There is no filing fee.¹¹

Firearm rights follow a separate track. For convictions classified as “dangerous offenses” under A.R.S. § 13-704 or “serious offenses” under A.R.S. § 13-706, the automatic restoration provisions do not touch firearm rights at all, and you must petition the court under A.R.S. § 13-910.¹⁰ For non-dangerous, non-serious felonies, firearm rights can be restored through the standard application, but generally not until at least two years after discharge from probation.¹¹

Most people who complete probation can also apply to set aside the conviction under A.R.S. § 13-907. A set-aside dismisses the original charges and releases you from the penalties and disabilities of the conviction, and it restores firearm rights unless the offense was “serious.”¹⁰ It is not an expungement. The conviction stays in your record, law enforcement is not required to delete it, and it can still be used as a prior in future prosecutions or admitted in court where it would have been admissible without the set-aside. It still carries real weight when you apply for jobs, housing, or professional licenses. A set-aside is unavailable for dangerous offenses, offenses requiring sex offender registration, offenses with a finding of sexual motivation, and offenses where the victim was a child under fifteen.

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-902 – Periods of Probation
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-901 – Probation
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-913 – Definition of Intensive Probation
4
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Code of Judicial Administration 6-202 – Adult Intensive Probation
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-914 – Intensive Probation
6
Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision (ICAOS). Fees
7
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-901.01 – Probation for Persons Convicted of Possession or Use of Controlled Substances or Drug Paraphernalia
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-924 – Probation; Earned Time
9
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Rule 27.8 – Probation Revocation
10
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-907 – Automatic Restoration of Civil Rights for First Offenders; Firearm Rights
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-908 – Restoration of Civil Rights