DUI Law
Arizona DUI Penalty Chart: Sentences, Fines, and License Loss Explained
This Arizona DUI penalty chart sorts sentences into four tiers set by your blood alcohol concentration and any prior conviction within 84 months. A first offense standard DUI starts at 10 days in jail and $1,250 in fines, while a super extreme DUI at 0.20 BAC opens at 45 days and roughly $2,750. Every alcohol related conviction also triggers an ignition interlock device plus a driver license suspension the MVD handles on its own separate track.
Key Takeaways
Every Arizona DUI conviction carries mandatory jail time. Judges may suspend part of it on conditions but cannot go below the floor.
A first offense DUI means 10 days in jail, though the court may suspend 9 of those days after you complete screening and treatment.
Extreme DUI at 0.15 BAC triggers 30 days. Super extreme DUI at 0.20 BAC triggers 45 days.
A third DUI inside 84 months becomes an aggravated felony DUI with at least 4 months in state prison.
The MVD suspends your license administratively even when the criminal case ends without a conviction.
Arizona DUI Penalty Chart by BAC and Prior Offenses
Standard DUI, first offense
BAC: 0.08 to 0.149
Minimum Jail: 10 days, 9 suspendable
Minimum Fines and Assessments: $1,250
License Loss: 90 day suspension
Ignition Interlock: 12 months
Standard DUI, second in 84 months
BAC: 0.08 to 0.149
Minimum Jail: 90 days, 60 suspendable
Minimum Fines and Assessments: $3,000
License Loss: 1 year revocation
Ignition Interlock: 12 months
Extreme DUI, first offense
BAC: 0.15 to 0.199
Minimum Jail: 30 days, 21 suspendable
Minimum Fines and Assessments: $2,500
License Loss: 90 day suspension
Ignition Interlock: 12 months
Extreme DUI, second in 84 months
BAC: 0.15 to 0.199
Minimum Jail: 120 days, 60 consecutive
Minimum Fines and Assessments: $3,250
License Loss: 1 year revocation
Ignition Interlock: 12 months or more
Super Extreme DUI, first offense
BAC: 0.20 and above
Minimum Jail: 45 days, 31 suspendable
Minimum Fines and Assessments: $2,750
License Loss: 90 day suspension
Ignition Interlock: 18 months
Super Extreme DUI, second in 84 months
BAC: 0.20 and above
Minimum Jail: 180 days, 90 consecutive
Minimum Fines and Assessments: $3,750
License Loss: 1 year revocation
Ignition Interlock: 24 months
Aggravated DUI (felony)
BAC: Any DUI level
Minimum Jail: 4 months in prison (class 4)
Minimum Fines and Assessments: $4,600 and up
License Loss: Revoked, no new license for 1 year
Ignition Interlock: 24 months
Those dollar figures are statutory floors. Arizona adds court fines and surcharges of roughly 84 percent to the base fine, so a first offense realistically lands near $1,500.
17 sept 2026
Arizona DUI Penalties by BAC and Offense Tier
Your BAC reading sets the floor. Arizona stacks penalties upward from three thresholds, then adds a felony tier for aggravating facts.
Standard DUI at 0.08 to 0.149 BAC
A standard DUI under A.R.S. 28-1381 is a class 1 misdemeanor. The court must impose 10 consecutive days, but it may suspend 9 of those once you complete court ordered screening, education, treatment, or evidence based psychotherapy.
Arizona added that psychotherapy pathway effective September 26, 2025, giving your attorney one more route to cut custody to a single day.
Extreme and Super Extreme DUI at 0.15 BAC and Above
Extreme DUI under A.R.S. 28-1382 carries 30 consecutive days, and a judge may suspend all but 9 days if you install a certified interlock device for 12 months.
Super extreme DUI at 0.20 BAC lifts that floor to 45 days, with all but 14 days suspendable under the same condition. Both stay class 1 misdemeanors, so the ceiling holds at 6 months.
Aggravated Felony DUI
Aggravated DUI under A.R.S. 28-1383 turns on circumstances rather than BAC. You face it if you drive impaired on a suspended license, collect a third DUI within 84 months, carry a passenger under 15, drive the wrong way on a highway, or drive while already under an interlock order.
Most versions are class 4 felonies requiring at least 4 months in prison, rising to 8 months with three or more priors. The child passenger version is a class 6 felony, where custody tracks the underlying DUI. Reviewing your aggravated DUI charge options early matters because class 4 prison time is flat time.
Mandatory Secondary Penalties Behind the Headline Numbers
Courts and the MVD layer on requirements that rarely appear in a basic penalty summary:
Alcohol and drug screening: Required in every case, usually leading to 16, 36, or 56 hours of education or treatment.
Traffic survival school: Required by the MVD after every DUI conviction, including a first offense.
Community restitution: Discretionary on a first offense, but at least 30 hours on any second conviction.
SR22 insurance: File proof of financial responsibility with the MVD and keep it active for 3 years.
Interlock costs: Roughly $70 to $150 to install and $60 to $100 monthly, all out of pocket.
Points and fees: A conviction adds 8 points to your record plus reinstatement fees.
How License Suspension Actually Works After an Arrest
The MVD moves faster than the court. A test result at 0.08 or above triggers a 90 day administrative suspension under A.R.S. 28-1385, with no driving privileges for the first 30 days.
Days 31 through 90 allow a restricted permit for work, school, and treatment if this is your only suspension in 84 months. Refusing the test brings a 12 month suspension instead.
You have 30 days from service to request a hearing. Missing it forfeits your best chance to keep driving, so review the Arizona ignition interlock requirements and your deadlines now.
Where Defense Strategy Still Changes the Outcome
Mandatory minimums apply only after a conviction, which leaves real room to work. Attorneys challenge the stop, breath machine calibration records, blood draw chain of custody, and the two hour testing rule.
A reading of 0.151 versus 0.149 separates 30 days from 10, so DUI charge reduction strategies are worth exploring before you plead.
Written and approved by: Zachary Divelbiss, Esq., founder of Future First Criminal Law and one of Arizona's most respected criminal defense attorneys. Mr. Divelbiss is an independent attorney not an employee of Legalbid.io and one of the accomplished legal professionals available on the platform to bid on your case. With 1,000+ clients represented across Maricopa County and a firm ranked among the fastest-growing in the U.S. by Law Firm 500 for four straight years, he supports Legalbid.io's mission because he believes a criminal hiccup should never become a life sentence. Learn more at futurefirst.law.
