Arizona · Tickets, Points & Your Record
How many points is a speeding ticket in Arizona?
Three — flat. Arizona doesn’t care whether you were 5 over or 15 over. Civil speeding is 3 points either way. The schedule is short and lopsided. Most everyday tickets are 2, and speeding is 3. Six criminal violations jump straight to 8 — the exact number that triggers Traffic Survival School. Here’s the whole table, and the one legal way to keep an eligible ticket off the board entirely.
Verified against Arizona’s current points rule — R17-4-404
Ticket in hand? The diversion class dismisses eligible citations →
Before — the ticket runs its course
Your Arizona record
- Citation
- Civil speeding
- Outcome
- Conviction
- Points
- 3
- Insurers see
- 39 months
After — eligible citation, class completed
Your Arizona record
- Citation
- Dismissed
- Outcome
- No conviction
- Points
- None
- Insurers see
- Nothing — non-CDL
The whole table
How many points is each Arizona violation?
Some sites list a separate value for red lights or stop signs. Table 1 has no such row. Both count as 2 points, the same as any other moving violation. Points go on your record at conviction or judgment, not when the officer writes the ticket. That gap is where the diversion program works. Also, more than 20 over can be charged as criminal speeding, a class 3 misdemeanor. It is the only criminal charge the program can ever divert.
What accumulating does
What happens when points add up?
| Points in the window | What MVD does |
|---|---|
| 8–12 points in 12 months | Traffic Survival School — or a 3-month suspension instead, if you completed TSS in the previous 24 months |
| 13–17 points in 12 months | 3-month suspension |
| 18–23 points in 12 months | 6-month suspension |
| 24+ points in 36 months | 12-month suspension |
8 points One DUI conviction
- 0–7 No MVD action
- 8–12 Traffic Survival School
- 13–17 3-month suspension
- 18–23 6-month suspension
- 24+ 12-month suspension
Traffic Survival School (TSS) can also be ordered with no point count at all. That happens after a conviction for DUI, wrong-way driving, running a red light or stop sign, or aggressive driving. It also happens when a moving violation causes death or serious injury. A driver under 18 gets the order after a first conviction for a moving violation. TSS is in person. You have 60 days from the order to finish it. Miss that and the license is suspended for 6 months.
Two schools, one confusion
Traffic Survival School ≠ defensive driving school
Arizona runs two separate programs, and mixing them up costs drivers real money. MVD orders one after a conviction. You choose the other before your court date.
| Traffic Survival School | Defensive driving school | |
|---|---|---|
| Who starts it | MVD orders it | You elect it, once every 12 months |
| What triggers it | 8+ points, or one of the listed violations regardless of points | One eligible civil citation |
| Where you take it | In person | Online, at your own pace |
| The deadline | 60 days from the date of the order | 7 days before your court date |
| What it does | Satisfies the order and avoids the suspension. It removes no points | The court dismisses the citation, so no points are assessed |
The full TSS guide covers the order itself — the deadline, the hearing request, and what happens if you ignore it.
The way out
The best point strategy: never collect them.
Eligible ticket + the 4-hour class = no conviction, no points.
Once every 12 months, Arizona lets you resolve one eligible civil moving violation through the defensive driving diversion program. Complete the class by your deadline and the court dismisses the citation. For non-CDL drivers it never touches your record, so the points rule never gets a turn. $39.95 to us, everything included. The state and your court add their set fees — identical at every school. The cost guide adds up your court’s exact total.
First check your ticket qualifies — the eligible-violations guide has the full list. Ticketed outside Arizona? Every state scores tickets differently.
Points questions, answered
Arizona ticket points FAQ
How many points is a speeding ticket in Arizona?
Three — flat. Arizona doesn't band speeding by how far over you were. 5 over and 15 over are both 3 points on conviction. More than 20 over the posted limit is not a civil ticket at all. It is criminal speeding, a class 3 misdemeanor (A.R.S. 28-701.02) — a bigger problem than the points.
How many points is running a red light or a stop sign?
Two. Arizona's points table has no separate row for red lights or stop signs. They fall under the 2-point catch-all for moving violations. But don't relax yet. Running a red light or stop sign can send you to Traffic Survival School regardless of your point total.
Which violations carry 8 points?
The criminal six: DUI, extreme DUI, aggravated DUI, reckless driving, racing on highways, and aggressive driving. Any one of them puts you at the 8-point threshold by itself. And none of them can be dismissed through defensive driving.
What happens if I get 8 points in a year?
At 8 to 12 points in 12 months, MVD assigns you to Traffic Survival School. One exception: if you already completed TSS in the previous 24 months, it's a 3-month suspension instead. Higher bands are fixed by rule. 13–17 points is a 3-month suspension. 18–23 is 6 months. And 24 or more within 36 months is 12 months.
How long do points count against me?
Points count within rolling windows: 12 months for the 8-to-23-point tiers, 36 months for the 24-point tier. The conviction itself stays on the standard record for 39 months, and insurers can see it that whole time. So a ticket can affect your insurance long after it stops counting toward a suspension.
Does defensive driving remove points from my record?
It does something better — for an eligible ticket, the points are never assessed at all. Complete the diversion class and the court dismisses the citation. For non-CDL drivers it never reaches your record. It can't remove points from past convictions. And you can use it once every 12 months.
My teenager just got their first ticket. What happens?
For drivers under 18, MVD orders Traffic Survival School on the first moving-violation conviction — regardless of points. But there may be an out. If the ticket is diversion-eligible, defensive driving school first can stop the conviction from ever landing.
When do points actually hit my record?
On conviction or judgment — not when the officer hands you the citation. That gap is exactly where the diversion program lives. Resolve the eligible ticket through the class before it becomes a conviction. Then there's nothing for the points rule to attach to.
Keep the board at zero.
Eligible citation dismissed, no points, and for non-CDL drivers nothing for your insurer to see. Four hours online, filed with your court electronically.
Register Now — $39.95 →