Arizona Interlock Early Removal: Who Qualifies, Costs, and Pitfalls

Arizona allows early removal of an ignition interlock device for some first-time DUI drivers through a Motor Vehicle Division deferment program. If you qualify, the device can come off after six consecutive violation-free months instead of the standard 12. The remaining six months convert to a probationary period: no device in the car, but every other DUI sentence condition still applies, and any misstep can reset your interlock clock to zero.

This is not a right you argue for in court. It is an administrative program run by MVD, and MVD has discretion over whether you qualify.¹ Before you schedule anything with your interlock provider, you have to get MVD to confirm your eligibility in writing.

Who Qualifies for Six-Month Removal

The deferment is narrow. You must meet every one of these conditions:

First-time offender with no DUI conviction in the previous seven years (84 months).
Convicted of a standard DUI under ARS 28-1381, not an extreme DUI (BAC 0.15 or higher) or super extreme DUI (BAC 0.20 or higher).
No accident involved in the underlying DUI.
Offense date on or after January 1, 2012.
Six consecutive violation-free months operating the interlock, measured from the date your driving privilege was reinstated.
At least 16 hours of substance abuse education completed.

Extreme DUI, aggravated DUI, and second offenses within seven years are excluded. Those drivers serve the full term the court ordered, which for aggravated DUI under ARS 28-1383 can run beyond 24 months and does not even begin until the license revocation ends and required treatment is complete.²

What “Removal” Actually Buys You

The interlock requirement for an alcohol-related DUI is at least 12 months, running from the date your driving privilege is reinstated or the date MVD receives notice of the conviction, whichever is later.³ Courts can order longer, and they routinely do for extreme and aggravated cases.

The deferment doesn’t shorten that 12-month requirement legally. It lets you drive without the device physically installed for the second half of it. You are still in the interlock period on paper, still subject to every other condition of your sentence, and still on a short leash with MVD. If a court ordered more than 12 months, the deferment doesn’t touch the extra time; it applies to the standard 12-month minimum.

How to Apply

The sequence matters, and getting it wrong is expensive.

Contact MVD first. Use your AZ MVD Now online account or call (602) 255-0072 and ask for a Level 2 Customer Service Representative. Ask them to confirm you qualify for the deferment based on your compliance record.⁴
Wait for written confirmation. MVD pulls your interlock data electronically from the manufacturer in real time, so they already know your record. Do not schedule removal until they clear you.
Have your certified interlock provider remove the device. The provider reports the removal to MVD electronically.

Here is the trap. If you have the device removed without MVD authorization, or if the device is off your vehicle for more than 72 hours for any reason (switching cars, changing manufacturers, unauthorized removal), your driving privileges are immediately suspended and your entire interlock period starts over from day one.¹ Driving during that gap is also a separate misdemeanor.

What Kills Your Eligibility

A single violation during your first six months disqualifies you from the deferment and adds six months to the standard requirement. Arizona counts the following as violations:

A breath sample of 0.08 BAC or higher on any start attempt. For drivers under 21, any detectable alcohol.⁵
Tampering, circumvention, or having someone else blow into the device.
Three consecutive missed or failed rolling retests within an 18-minute window during a single drive cycle. Shutting the engine off during a requested retest counts as a miss.⁶
Failure to submit proof of compliance and calibration to MVD every 90 days.

Violations across separate drive cycles stack, and each one adds another six months.⁶

Missed Calibration Is Worse Than a Violation

Your device has to be calibrated every 90 days. Missing a calibration appointment doesn’t just extend your interlock period. It suspends your license and restarts the entire interlock requirement from the beginning.⁴ Put every calibration date on your calendar the day it’s scheduled.

False Positives

Interlocks detect alcohol in your breath but can’t tell where it came from. Mouthwash, breath fresheners, tooth pain relievers, antiseptics, and hand sanitizer residue can all trigger a positive. So can some spicy foods, and people with diabetes or on high-protein diets sometimes register readings from elevated acetone. AZDOT’s guidance is to wait a short period and retest after the substance clears, and to call your manufacturer’s customer service line if a reading looks wrong.⁴ Rinse with water before every test and stay away from alcohol-containing products while you’re in the program.

If MVD Extends Your Term or Denies Removal

If MVD notifies you that your interlock period is being extended, start with your interlock provider. They can sometimes correct a false reading or device error at the manufacturer level before it triggers a formal extension.⁴

If that doesn’t resolve it, you can request a hearing through MVD’s Executive Hearing Office. Most MVD action notices give you 15 days from the date on the notice to request a hearing, though some allow up to 30. Read the notice carefully; missing the deadline usually means the request is denied outright.⁷

Keep the device installed while you wait for the hearing. Removing it early and losing at the hearing means paying to reinstall and starting the extension period over. Keeping it past your original end date means paying for extra months of maintenance, but that’s the cheaper mistake.

Prerequisites That Affect Your Timeline

Your interlock clock doesn’t start when the court says “12 months.” It starts when your driving privilege is reinstated or MVD receives notice of the conviction, whichever is later, and MVD won’t reinstate until two conditions are met. You need to file proof of financial responsibility (SR-22 insurance), and if the court ordered alcohol or drug screening, education, or treatment, you have to show MVD that you completed the program or are participating satisfactorily.⁸ Delays in either push back the whole timeline, including your earliest possible early-removal date.

The SR-22 obligation itself runs for three years from the end of your DUI suspension, independent of the interlock.⁹

Costs Between Now and Removal

You pay for the device.⁵ Installation typically runs $50 to $150, and monthly monitoring and lease charges run roughly $70 to $100. Over a standard 12-month period, that’s usually $900 to $1,350 in device costs alone. Getting to the six-month deferment cuts monthly device fees in half, which is often the strongest practical reason to pursue it.

Two Things People Assume Wrong

There is no employer vehicle exemption. Arizona eliminated it in April 2013. Every vehicle you drive during your interlock period, including a company car, must have a certified device installed.¹ If your employer won’t allow installation, you can’t legally drive that vehicle until your interlock period ends.

Driving without a required interlock is a Class 1 misdemeanor. The maximum is six months in jail and a $2,500 fine, plus an extension of your interlock period that can add up to another year. Borrowing a friend’s car doesn’t get around it. Neither does removing the device before MVD authorizes removal.

1
Arizona Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Removal
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 Section 28-1383 – Aggravated Driving or Actual Physical Control While Under the Influence
3
Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division. Arizona Motor Vehicle Division Policy – Certified Ignition Interlock Device Requirements
4
Arizona Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Services
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 Section 28-1461 – Use of Certified Ignition Interlock Devices; Reporting
6
Cornell Law Institute. Arizona Administrative Code R17-5-615 – Rolling Retest
7
Arizona Department of Transportation. Requesting a Hearing
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 Section 28-3319 – Action After License Suspension, Revocation, or Denial
9
Arizona Department of Transportation. Future Financial Responsibility (SR-22)