An Arizona red light ticket is a civil traffic violation under A.R.S. 28-645 that typically costs between $182 and $235 in base fine, adds two points to your driving record, and triggers mandatory Traffic Survival School on conviction.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend2Maricopa County Justice Courts. List of Violations, Payment Amounts, and Class Eligibility If you qualify, defensive driving school can get the citation dismissed before it ever hits your record.
Did You Actually Run the Light
Arizona’s statute turns on one word: entering. You violate the law by crossing the stop line, crosswalk, or entering the intersection after the signal is already red.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend A driver already past the stop line when the light turns red has not run the light.
This matters most on left turns. If you pulled into the intersection on green and waited for oncoming traffic to clear, you can finish the turn after the light goes red. The statute prohibits entering on red, not being inside the intersection when the signal changes.
Right on red is allowed after a complete stop and yield, unless a sign says otherwise. Left on red is allowed from a one-way onto a one-way where traffic flows left, again after stopping. A flashing red works as a stop sign. A dark or malfunctioning signal becomes an all-way stop.
Fine, Points, and What the Numbers Mean
The base fine depends on the court. Maricopa County posts $182; Pinal County sets it at $235.2Maricopa 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 amount based on the circumstances.
A standard red light conviction puts two points on your Arizona driving record. If the violation caused serious injury, it is four points. A fatal crash connected to the violation carries six.3Department of Transportation. Points Assessment Accumulating eight or more points in any 12-month period can separately require Traffic Survival School or trigger a suspension of up to 12 months.
Mandatory Traffic Survival School
Here is the consequence most drivers do not expect. Every red light conviction in Arizona triggers Traffic Survival School automatically, regardless of your point total.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-645 – Traffic Control Signal Legend The MVD orders it as soon as the conviction posts, and you have 60 days to complete the course.
Miss that window and your license is suspended until you finish it.4Department of Transportation. Penalties The suspension does not run for a set period. It lasts as long as you take to complete the school. TSS does not erase the violation; the conviction stays on your record and points stay assessed.
Defensive Driving School Can Dismiss the Ticket
If you are eligible, this is the single most useful thing you can do with an Arizona red light ticket. Completing an Arizona Supreme Court-certified defensive driving school dismisses the citation entirely. The court drops the charge, no points attach, and the MVD never records a conviction.5Arizona Judicial Branch. Defensive Driving Legislation
The eligibility rules are strict. You can use the option only once every 12 months, measured from the date of your last diversion. You cannot use it if the violation caused a serious injury or fatality. CDL holders qualify only when the ticket came while driving a personal vehicle for non-commercial purposes.6Arizona Judicial Branch. Defensive Driving Schools The course has to be completed at least seven days before your scheduled court date.
Do not confuse this with Traffic Survival School. Defensive driving is voluntary, used before conviction, and dismisses the ticket. Traffic Survival School is mandatory after conviction and does nothing to erase the violation. If you qualify for defensive driving school and the ticket is a straightforward one, taking it almost always makes sense: no points, no TSS, and your insurer never sees it.
If the Ticket Came From a Camera
Photo enforcement is active and expanding in Arizona. As of March 2026, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lists Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Paradise Valley, Surprise, and Tempe among communities with red light or photo enforcement programs.7IIHS. U.S. Red Light Camera Communities Phoenix relaunched its program in February 2026.8City of Phoenix. Photo Safety Cameras Return to Phoenix
If you get something in the mail from a camera ticket, read it carefully. Arizona distinguishes between two different documents. A notice of violation is informal; by law it must tell you it is not a court-issued document and that you are not obligated to identify the driver or respond to it.9Arizona Attorney General. Service of Citations Photo Enforcement Systems A notice of violation by itself does not open a court case.
If the agency wants to actually pursue the citation, it has to formally serve you with a traffic complaint through a process server or another method allowed by civil procedure. That formal complaint is the one that requires a response, and ignoring it carries real consequences. The notice must warn you that failing to respond may lead to formal service, which adds fees. Many camera citations are never followed up with formal service.
If the camera is at an intersection with a yellow interval that seems too short, that can be a basis for contesting. Federal Highway Administration standards require yellow change intervals of three to six seconds, with longer intervals for higher-speed roads.10Federal Highway Administration. Chapter 4D Traffic Control Signal Features
When a Red Light Violation Becomes Criminal
A standard red light ticket is civil, not criminal. That changes if someone was seriously injured 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 which carries up to six months in jail along with possible probation, community service, and license suspension.12Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-707 – Misdemeanors Sentencing Defensive driving school is not available in these cases.
What It Does to Your Insurance
A red light conviction is a moving violation that your insurer will see. Expect a rate increase that lasts three to five years depending on the company. Multiple violations compound the problem and can push you into high-risk pricing. The practical lesson: if defensive driving school is available, use it. A dismissed citation never reaches your insurer.
If You Hold a CDL
Commercial drivers face federal consequences on top of Arizona’s. Under FMCSA regulations, a traffic control violation tied to a fatal crash in a commercial vehicle counts as a serious traffic violation. A second serious violation within three years results in a 60-day disqualification from commercial driving, and a third within the same window extends 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 60-day disqualification even on a first offense.14eCFR. Subpart D – Driver Disqualifications and Penalties
If You Were Visiting From Another State
An Arizona red light ticket follows you home. Arizona participates in the Driver License Compact, under which most states share information about traffic convictions. Your home state treats the Arizona violation as though you committed it there, applying its own points and penalties.15CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts. Driver License Compact Insurance effects follow accordingly.