Arizona red light law, set out in A.R.S. 28-645, treats running a red as a civil traffic violation that carries a fine, two points on your driving record, and mandatory Traffic Survival School after conviction.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend If you qualify, defensive driving school can get the citation dismissed entirely. If someone was seriously hurt, the whole thing changes and becomes a criminal case.
What Counts as Running a Red Light
The statute turns on one word: entering. Facing a steady red signal, you must stop before the intersection, crosswalk, or stop line, and stay stopped until the light changes.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend A driver already past the stop line when the light turned red has not violated the statute. A driver who crossed the line after it was red has.
That distinction does most of the work during left turns. If you pull into the intersection on green and wait for oncoming traffic to clear, you can legally finish your turn even after the signal changes. The law prohibits entering against a red, not being present when the light turns.
Right on red is allowed after a complete stop, provided you yield to pedestrians and cross traffic, unless a “No Turn on Red” sign is posted.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend A left on red is also legal in one narrow situation: going from a one-way street onto another one-way street where traffic flows left, after stopping and yielding.
A flashing red works like a stop sign. A flashing yellow means proceed with caution. When a signal is completely dark or malfunctioning, treat the intersection as an all-way stop.
Fines and Points
A red light ticket is a civil traffic violation, not a criminal charge.2Arizona Judicial Branch. Traffic Law The base fine depends on the court. Maricopa County posts $182; Pinal County sets it at $235.3Maricopa County Justice Courts. List of Violations, Payment Amounts, and Class Eligibility Surcharges and processing fees push the total higher, and a judge can adjust the fine either direction based on the case.
Points on your record work in tiers. A standard red light violation adds two points. If the violation caused serious injury, that becomes four points. A violation tied to a fatal crash carries six.4Department of Transportation. Points Assessment
Mandatory Traffic Survival School After a Conviction
This is the part most Arizona drivers don’t see coming. Every red light conviction triggers Traffic Survival School automatically. It isn’t tied to accumulating points. The MVD orders it each time a red light conviction hits your record, and you have 60 days to complete the course.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend
Miss the deadline and your license is suspended until you finish. The suspension has no fixed length. It runs until you complete the class.5Department of Transportation. Penalties
Traffic Survival School is separate from the general points rule that can require TSS or up to a 12-month suspension when a driver accumulates eight or more points in any 12-month period.4Department of Transportation. Points Assessment For red light convictions, TSS attaches on its own.
Getting the Ticket Dismissed Through Defensive Driving School
Arizona offers a diversion option that many people miss. If you’re eligible, you can attend an Arizona Supreme Court-certified defensive driving school and have the citation dismissed. The court drops the charge and the MVD keeps it off your record.6Arizona Judicial Branch. Defensive Driving Legislation
The main limits:
- You can only use this option once every 12 months, measured from the date of the last violation you used it for.
- It’s not available if your violation involved serious injury or a fatal crash.
- CDL holders can only use it if they were driving a personal vehicle and not using it commercially.7Arizona Judicial Branch. Defensive Driving Schools
- The course must be completed at least seven days before your scheduled court date.
Do not confuse this with Traffic Survival School. Defensive driving is voluntary and dismisses the citation. Traffic Survival School is mandatory after a conviction and does not erase anything from your record. A successful defensive driving dismissal means no points, no TSS requirement, and no insurance hit.
How a Red Light Ticket Affects Your Insurance
Insurers will see a red light conviction on your record and treat it as a moving violation. Expect a rate increase that stays with you for three to five years, depending on the carrier. Multiple violations can push you into a high-risk tier where coverage costs substantially more. This is the practical case for taking defensive driving school seriously when you qualify: a dismissed citation never reaches your driving record, and the insurer never sees it.
Red Light Cameras and Photo Enforcement
Photo enforcement is legal in Arizona and expanding again after years of cutbacks. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lists active red light camera or photo enforcement programs in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Paradise Valley, Surprise, and Tempe.8IIHS. U.S. Red Light Camera Communities
If a camera catches you, understand the difference between the two documents you may receive. A notice of violation is often mailed first. Arizona law requires that notice to tell you it is not a court-issued document and that you are under no obligation to identify the driver or respond.9Arizona Attorney General. Service of Citations Photo Enforcement Systems By itself, the notice does not create a court case.
The formal document is a traffic complaint, delivered by process service or another method authorized under civil procedure rules. That one requires a response. The initial notice must warn you that ignoring it may lead to official service, which adds fees. For violations detected by the state photo enforcement system, the case must be filed in court within 120 days of the alleged violation.
Short yellow-light timing is one legitimate basis for contesting a camera citation. Federal Highway Administration standards call for yellow change intervals between three and six seconds, with longer intervals on higher-speed roads.10Federal Highway Administration. Chapter 4D Traffic Control Signal Features A yellow that falls short can be raised as a defense.
When Running a Red Light Becomes a Crime
The violation is no longer civil if someone gets seriously hurt or killed. Under A.R.S. 28-672, causing serious physical injury or death through a moving violation is a class 1 misdemeanor.11Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-672 – Causing Serious Physical Injury or Death by a Moving Violation That carries up to six months in jail, plus possible probation, community service, and license suspension.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-707 – Misdemeanors Sentencing Defensive driving school is not available in these cases.
Commercial Driver’s License Holders
CDL holders face federal consequences on top of Arizona’s penalties. Under FMCSA rules, a traffic control violation connected to a fatal crash in a commercial vehicle counts as a serious traffic violation. A second serious violation within three years brings a 60-day disqualification from operating a commercial vehicle. A third or later offense in the same window stretches that to 120 days.13eCFR. 49 CFR 383.51 – Disqualification of Drivers
Running a red light at a railroad-highway grade crossing in a commercial vehicle triggers a minimum 60-day disqualification on the first offense.14eCFR. Subpart D – Driver Disqualifications and Penalties
Out-of-State Drivers
Visiting Arizona doesn’t insulate you from a red light ticket you get here. Arizona participates in the Driver License Compact, an agreement among most states to share traffic violation and suspension information. Your home state receives the conviction and applies its own point system and penalties as if you’d committed the offense there.15CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts. Driver License Compact Points at home, and often an insurance increase to match.