Arizona License Suspension for Tickets, Court Holds, or Fines

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What are the published Arizona requirements for tickets, court dates, and fines?

Arizona Senate Bill 1551 (effective September 29, 2021) repealed license suspensions for civil failure to pay (FTP) and failure to appear (FTA). Arizona courts can no longer suspend or restrict a regular driver's license for unpaid civil penalties, surcharges, or assessments, or for failing to appear at a civil court date. Any suspensions that already existed for these reasons were automatically rescinded. What happens instead: the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) will refuse to renew your vehicle registration for the unpaid penalty or failure to appear, and courts must offer a payment plan so you can keep driving while you pay it off. This repeal does not apply to every case. Your license can still be suspended if: 1. You hold a commercial driver's license (CDL) and failed to pay (this leads to a restricted license). 2. Your case involves a DUI (DUI cases are excluded from the payment-plan option). 3. You failed to appear on a criminal-traffic matter (not a civil one). 4. You did not complete Traffic Survival School after a red-light camera referral (this is a compliance suspension that lasts until you finish the class, not a suspension for an unpaid fine). If one of these four situations applies to you, contact the court listed on your notice to get a Court Abstract or Court Clearance receipt, then bring it to the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) along with the reinstatement fee ($10 for a standard suspension, or $50 if it is an Admin Per Se DUI suspension).