You can’t remove points from your license in Arizona. Once a moving violation is recorded as a conviction, the points stay on your driving record permanently, and the MVD offers no process to clear them.1Arizona Department of Transportation. Points Assessment What you can do is stop points from being added in the first place by getting an eligible ticket dismissed through defensive driving school, and if points have already piled up, use Traffic Survival School to keep your license from being suspended.
Points Are Permanent, But the 12-Month Window Is What Hurts You
Arizona doesn’t expire points the way many other states do. They sit on your record indefinitely. The number that actually threatens your license, though, is how many points you accumulate inside any rolling 12-month period.1Arizona Department of Transportation. Points Assessment
Hit eight or more points in 12 months and the MVD will either order you into Traffic Survival School or suspend your license for up to 12 months. A single serious conviction can get you there on its own: DUI, reckless driving, and aggressive driving each carry eight points. Hit-and-run carries six. Speeding is three. Most other moving violations are two.1Arizona Department of Transportation. Points Assessment
So the practical goal isn’t erasing anything. It’s keeping the next ticket from becoming a conviction.
Dismiss the Ticket Before It Becomes Points
Defensive driving school is Arizona’s diversion program. Complete an approved course for an eligible ticket, and the court dismisses the citation. No conviction, no points on your record.2Arizona Judicial Branch. Defensive Driving Schools This only works before the case is resolved, which is why the decision has to be made when you first receive the ticket.
Which Tickets Qualify
Most common moving violations are eligible: speeding, running a red light, improper lane changes. Any violation that caused serious injury or death is excluded. Criminal speeding appears on the eligible list but needs express permission from the presiding judge of the court handling your citation.3Arizona Judicial Branch. List of Eligible Violations
You can use the program only once every 12 months, measured from one violation date to the next.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3392 – Defensive Driving School Eligibility If a single stop produced two tickets, the course dismisses only one; the other has to be handled through the court.
If You Hold a CDL
The rule splits based on what you were driving. Holding a CDL doesn’t disqualify you if you were in a regular passenger vehicle for non-commercial reasons when cited. But if you were operating a commercial motor vehicle at the time, the diversion program isn’t available. A judge may still order the class, but it won’t dismiss the ticket or prevent points.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3392 – Defensive Driving School Eligibility
How the Course Works
The Arizona Supreme Court certifies every defensive driving school in the state.5City of Phoenix. Defensive Driving Program The full list of approved in-person and online providers is posted on the Judicial Branch site at azcourts.gov. Plan on about four and a half hours of coursework.
Watch the deadline. The course must be finished no later than seven days before your scheduled court date.2Arizona Judicial Branch. Defensive Driving Schools Miss that window and the court can refuse the completion, which ends the dismissal option.
Your total cost is a court diversion fee, a state fee, a state surcharge, and the school’s own fee.6Arizona Judicial Branch. Cost to Attend School The exact amount depends on the county and school, and the breakdown is posted by county on the Judicial Branch site. Once you finish, the school reports completion to the court and the dismissal is processed for you.2Arizona Judicial Branch. Defensive Driving Schools
If You’re Already Facing Suspension: Traffic Survival School
Traffic Survival School is a different program, and confusing it with defensive driving is the most common mistake. TSS doesn’t dismiss any ticket and doesn’t remove any points. It’s assigned by the MVD, not chosen, and its role is to prevent a suspension when your record has already put your license at risk.7Arizona Department of Transportation. Traffic Survival School
The MVD orders TSS in two situations: when you hit eight or more points in a 12-month window, and when you’re convicted of certain violations regardless of point total. Those include DUI, wrong-way driving, running a red light or stop sign, aggressive driving, and any moving violation that caused death or serious injury. A first moving violation for a driver under 18 also triggers it.7Arizona Department of Transportation. Traffic Survival School
If you don’t complete TSS by the assigned deadline, the MVD suspends your license automatically. There’s no grace period.7Arizona Department of Transportation. Traffic Survival School TSS courses generally run about $139 to $149, in person or virtual.
Check Your Record Before You Decide
Before you choose between paying a ticket, hiring an attorney, or signing up for defensive driving school, find out where you actually stand. You can buy a copy of your Motor Vehicle Record through the MVD’s online portal at azdot.gov using your name, date of birth, and driver license number.8Arizona Department of Transportation. How Can I Determine How Many Points I Have on My Driving Record Knowing your current 12-month total tells you whether another conviction would tip you into suspension range, and whether spending the money on the diversion course is worth it.
What a Suspension Actually Costs You
Driving during a suspension is a class 1 misdemeanor in Arizona, the most serious misdemeanor level, and it can carry up to six months in jail. Picking up a new charge while suspended also resets the timeline for getting your license back.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 28-3473 – Driving on a Suspended, Revoked or Canceled License
Reinstatement requires waiting out the full suspension, paying the MVD’s reinstatement fee, and clearing every underlying obligation, including fines, court orders, and any required TSS completion.10Arizona Department of Transportation. License Revocation and Suspension in Arizona After serious offenses the MVD may also require an SR-22 filing from your insurer before restoring your privileges.
The insurance side is often the longer tail. Even a dismissed ticket can show up on the reports insurers pull, though it carries far less weight than a conviction. A conviction typically raises premiums by roughly 20% or more, and that increase tends to hold for about three years, since most carriers look back three to five years when setting rates. Serious violations like DUI can affect what you pay for longer and can push you into high-risk coverage.