Arizona Ignition Interlock Laws: Duration, Costs, and Penalties

Arizona ignition interlock laws require anyone convicted of an alcohol-related DUI to install a certified ignition interlock device (IID) in every vehicle they drive, for a minimum of 12 to 24 months depending on the offense. The device blocks the engine from starting until you pass a breath test, and it tests you again at random intervals while you drive. You pay for it, you keep it calibrated, and violations during the restricted period can tack another six months onto the clock.

Who the Requirement Applies To

The IID requirement attaches to convictions under Arizona’s three main DUI statutes:

Standard DUI under ARS 28-1381, covering impaired driving or driving with a BAC of 0.08 or higher.
Extreme DUI under ARS 28-1382, which covers a BAC of 0.15 or higher and includes a separate “super extreme” tier at 0.20 or higher.
Aggravated DUI under ARS 28-1383, which applies when you drive on a suspended or revoked license, have a child under fifteen in the car, or pick up a third DUI within 84 months.

First-time and repeat offenders alike must install the device; repeat offenders simply keep it on longer. When a DUI involves drugs rather than alcohol, the court may order an IID but is not required to.¹ The device goes on every vehicle you operate, including personal cars, rentals, and company vehicles.² Arizona does not carve out a work-vehicle exemption. If your employer lets you drive an unequipped truck for the job, both of you can be charged.³

How Long the Device Stays Installed

ARS 28-3319 sets the minimum IID periods, and the sentencing court can always order longer:

12 months for a first-offense standard DUI, an extreme DUI with a BAC between 0.15 and 0.199, certain aggravated DUI charges, or a second or subsequent standard or extreme DUI within 84 months.
18 months for a super extreme DUI (BAC of 0.20 or higher) with no qualifying prior DUI in the past 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, DUI on a suspended license, or DUI with a child under fifteen in the vehicle.

The clock generally starts when you finish any required alcohol screening or treatment and become eligible to reinstate your license, not on the date you were convicted.⁴

Getting a Restricted License and Installing the Device

A DUI conviction suspends or revokes your driving privilege. Rather than wait out the full suspension, 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.⁵

To qualify, you need:

A DUI violation date on or after February 1, 2006.
No other unresolved suspensions or revocations on your record.
A certified IID installed within the 90 days before the SIIRDL is issued, with the manufacturer electronically confirming installation to MVD.
Proof you’ve completed any court-ordered alcohol screening or treatment.
An SR-22 on file.
All reinstatement fees paid.

Applying is voluntary, and it costs you something: you waive your right to an administrative hearing on the suspension. CDL holders must apply in person and will be downgraded to a standard Class D license for the duration of the restricted period.⁵

You have 30 days from your conviction date to install the device and have the manufacturer report the installation to MVD.² If you cannot produce evidence of a working IID within 72 hours of being asked, ADOT can suspend the restricted license.³ If you do not own a vehicle, your driving privileges stay suspended until a provider confirms installation on whatever vehicle you eventually drive.

What It Costs and What You Have to Do

You pay for the entire program. Installation typically runs $50 to $150, with monthly lease and calibration charges that generally total $70 to $100. Over a 12-month period, plan on roughly $900 to $1,350. Prices vary by provider, and ADOT publishes a list of certified providers on its website.

Two recurring obligations run alongside the payments. You must submit proof of compliance to ADOT at least once every 90 days, confirming the device is working and has not been tampered with. You must also have the device calibrated by a certified provider at least once every 90 days.⁶ Miss either and you risk both an extension of the IID period and a new license suspension.

How the Device Is Monitored

Arizona’s IIDs do more than block the ignition. Certified devices include GPS and transmit daily driving data to ADOT in real time.⁷ Each breath sample is paired with a digital image, whether at startup or during a rolling retest.

The manufacturer must report to ADOT:

Tampering or circumvention attempts.
Attempts to start the vehicle with a BAC above 0.08.
Missed rolling retests during a drive cycle.
Missed proof-of-compliance or inspection submissions.

ADOT uses that data to decide whether to extend the IID period. Parents or legal guardians of drivers under eighteen can request the full monitoring record from the service provider.⁶

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Violations trigger two tracks of consequences, and they can run together: administrative extensions under ARS 28-1461 and criminal charges under ARS 28-1464.

Administrative Extensions

ADOT adds 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 at any point 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 clock, so extensions can stack. The threshold also tightens once you’re in an extension: a single failed startup attempt at 0.08 or above triggers another six months, versus two attempts during the original period.⁶

Criminal Penalties

Several IID violations are also class 1 misdemeanors, punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. A conviction for tampering, driving an unequipped vehicle, or having someone else blow into the device adds up to a year to the IID requirement on top of the criminal sentence. Anyone who blows into your device, or starts a vehicle to help you bypass it, faces the same class 1 misdemeanor charge.³

Zero Tolerance for Drivers Under Twenty-One

Younger drivers get no margin. Where drivers twenty-one and older need two failed startup attempts at 0.08 or above to trigger an extension, a driver under twenty-one gets a six-month extension for attempting to start the vehicle with any detectable alcohol in their system, even once.⁶

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1381 – Driving or Actual Physical Control While Under the Influence
2
Arizona Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Services
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-1464 – Ignition Interlock Devices, Violations, Classification, Definition
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3319 – Action After License Suspension, Revocation or Denial
5
Arizona Department of Transportation. Restricted Driver License
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