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Defensive driving for an Arizona ticket?

Arizona law says the court drops your ticket if you finish a class you may take, unless you have a commercial driver license. With one, the court enters a judgment and the ticket goes on your driving record. You can use the class once every twelve months. A crash that kills or seriously hurts someone is left out. For criminal speeding, the court may say yes or no.

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The rule, fact by fact

Ticket result
Eligible driver finishes the class: court dismisses the ticket, except under 28-3394.01Finish the class and the court drops the ticket. Commercial driver license holders follow a different rule.
Verified. Arizona Legislature · Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3394 (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Who can take it
Civil moving violation, chapter 3 articles 2-4 or 6-15, or local match: court shall allowThe class is optional. For a ticket under those articles or a local traffic ordinance on the same subject, the law says the court must let you take it.
Verified. Arizona Legislature · Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3392 (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Use limit
Not again within twelve months from the day of the last violation you used it forThe count starts on the date of that earlier violation. Check it before you sign up.
Same source and date as above
Tickets left out
Violations that result in death or serious physical injuryThese aren't eligible. The court can still order the class as part of a sentence.
Same source and date as above
Cost
Each court sets its own court diversion feeThe fee can differ from court to court, so ask your court for its fee. Ask the school for the total.
Verified. Arizona Legislature · Arizona Revised Statutes 28-3396 (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Read your ticket first. AZ Court Help, a site of the Arizona Bar Foundation, says details on which violations are eligible are normally included with your ticket. If your ticket is silent on it, or you're not sure, call your court before you pay anyone.

  2. Step 2. Pick a school from the Arizona Supreme Court's list. You can search it on the Supreme Court website, or call the automated line at (888) 334-5565.

  3. Step 3. If you choose the class and you're eligible, don't pay the ticket. You can take the class before your court date, or ask to take it on your court date. The court clerk can process that request.

  4. Step 4. Ask the school how it will report your class to the court. AZ Court Help says that in most cases the school handles your attendance and reports it to the court.

Before you pay

Make sure the court says yes before you pay a school. The law says a court allows the class, so the court decides if yours counts.

Use the Arizona courts' eligibility check, or call the court.

Check that the school is on the Arizona Supreme Court's list. We haven't confirmed whether online classes count, so ask the court.

Ask your court for its diversion fee and the school for the total price, with every fee the law adds to its own course fee.

Questions

Which speeding tickets are criminal?

Some speeds are a crime in Arizona, a class 3 misdemeanor under section 28-701.02. That means going more than twenty miles per hour over the posted limit, in a business or residential district or in other locations. It also means going over forty-five in a business or residential district with no posted limit, or over thirty-five approaching a school crossing.

Are DUI and reckless driving eligible?

No. AZ Court Help says major violations like DUI and reckless driving are not eligible for defensive driving class.

What if I have a commercial driver license?

For a civil moving violation under chapter 3, articles 2-4 or 6-15, or a local ordinance on the same subject, the law lets you attend only if you were driving a class D or class M vehicle not used for commercial purposes. A driver of a commercial motor vehicle that requires a commercial driver license isn't eligible for the diversion program. If you are eligible and finish the class, the court can't charge you a civil penalty for that ticket.

What do I bring to the class?

AZ Court Help says to bring your traffic ticket and a government-issued license or ID. You pay the class fee before class starts and say that you're eligible. You must finish the whole class to get a certificate.

What fees come with the class?

Besides the court's fee, the law adds a surcharge of forty-five dollars and a Supreme Court fee of not more than fifteen dollars. The school collects the court's fee and the surcharge, plus the Supreme Court fee and any fee it charges for the course. You pay the court's fee and the surcharge instead of a civil penalty or criminal fine and any surcharge on the ticket.

Is Traffic Survival School the same?

No. AZ Court Help says Traffic Survival School is not the same as Defensive Driving School.

What to do next

Check with your court before you pay. Then read the Arizona law on who can take the class and find a school on the Supreme Court's list of approved schools.

www.azcourts.gov

Sources we read