What Are the Rules for a 16 Year Old Driver in Arizona?

A 16-year-old in Arizona drives on a Class G license, and the rules for a 16-year-old driver in Arizona come down to two restrictions that last six months: no driving between midnight and 5:00 a.m., and no more than one passenger under 18 in the car. On top of that, every driver under 18 answers to a stricter penalty track for ordinary traffic tickets, a zero-tolerance standard for alcohol, and the same statewide hands-free phone law that applies to adults.

The Midnight to 5 A.M. Driving Ban

For the first six months after a 16-year-old receives a Class G license, driving between midnight and 5:00 a.m. is off-limits.¹ Two exceptions carve out legitimate reasons to be on the road during those hours:

A parent or legal guardian with a valid Class A, B, C, or D license is sitting in the front passenger seat.
The teen is driving directly to or from a school-sponsored activity, their job, a religious activity, or responding to a family emergency.

The phrase “directly to or from” is doing real work. Stopping for food on the way home from a 1:00 a.m. shift arguably breaks the exception, because the trip is no longer direct.

The One-Passenger Limit

During that same first six months, a Class G driver can carry no more than one passenger under 18.¹ One teen passenger is fine. Two is a violation.

Two exceptions apply. Siblings don’t count toward the limit, so the teen driver can carry any number of siblings under 18. And if a parent or legal guardian with a valid license is seated beside the driver, the passenger cap doesn’t apply at all. Once the six-month clock runs out without a suspension, the passenger limit lifts automatically.²

Hands-Free Phone Use

Arizona’s hands-free law covers every driver, teenage or not. Holding or physically supporting a phone or standalone electronic device with any part of your body while driving is illegal.³ Propping the phone on a shoulder during a call, reading a text, or typing an address into a handheld GPS all qualify.

A phone used through a hands-free system is fine. A single touch or swipe to start or end a call or to pull up navigation is allowed, and calling 911 or reporting a crime is exempt.⁴

The fines sting: $75 to $149 for a first violation, and $150 to $250 for a second or later one.³ For a 16-year-old, the hands-free citation is also a moving violation, which feeds into the under-18 penalty escalation described below.

Zero Alcohol, Period

Arizona applies a zero-tolerance standard to every driver under 21. A driver under 21 can be charged with an underage DUI for any detectable alcohol at all.⁵ The 0.08% threshold that applies to adults does not apply here. A 16-year-old who gets caught faces license suspension, mandatory Traffic Survival School, and possible criminal charges on top of the administrative penalties.

Insurance the Car Has to Carry

Every vehicle driven in Arizona has to carry liability insurance at or above the state minimums:

$25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person in an accident
$50,000 total for bodily injury or death of two or more people in an accident
$15,000 for property damage in an accident

Those numbers are often written as “25/50/15.”⁶ Adding a 16-year-old to a family policy typically raises the premium noticeably, and most families add the teen to an existing policy rather than buying a separate one.

What Happens if You Break a GDL Restriction

Breaking the nighttime ban or the passenger limit does more than cost a fine. Each violation stretches out the six-month restriction period:

First violation: up to a $75 fine, and the restriction period extends by 30 days.
Second violation: up to a $100 fine, and the restriction period extends by 60 days.
Third or later violation: up to a $100 fine and a 30-day license suspension.

Two early violations can push the restriction period close to nine months instead of six. If the original six months has already ended by the time ADOT processes the violation, the extension starts fresh from the date the report is received.¹

What Happens for Other Moving Violations

Arizona runs a separate penalty track for any moving violation by a driver under 18, independent of the GDL restrictions. Speeding tickets, red-light citations, and similar offenses all plug into this system:

First conviction: mandatory Traffic Survival School, and the violation goes on the driving record.
Second conviction: three-month license suspension.
Third conviction: six-month license suspension.

These consequences stack on top of whatever fine the ticket itself carries.⁷ A single speeding ticket is survivable. A second one within a few months costs the license.

When the Restrictions Finally Lift

If the six months pass without a violation, the nighttime and passenger limits drop off automatically. All Class G restrictions also end on the driver’s 18th birthday, no matter how long the license has been held.¹ One caveat: turning 18 does not erase an outstanding extension or suspension. If a penalty is still running on the 18th birthday, the teen has to finish serving it before the record clears.

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3174 – Class G Driver Licenses; Restrictions; Civil Penalties; Motorcycles
2
Arizona Department of Transportation. Graduated Driver License (Class G)
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-914 – Use of Portable Wireless Communication Device While Driving
4
Department of Public Safety. Hands Free
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 4-244 – Unlawful Acts; Definition
6
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-4009
7
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3321 – Moving Violations by Persons Under Eighteen Years of Age; Traffic Survival School; Suspension