SR-22 in Arizona after a DUI
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Arizona requires an SR-22 for 3 years, counted from the end of the revocation or suspension, or the date you become eligible to reinstate — MVD sets it by action type. It is filed by your insurer with Arizona MVD — you cannot buy it separately and no company sells a cheaper version of it.
Arizona requires the certificate for DUI convictions, drug-test refusals and insurance violations, filed electronically by an Arizona-licensed insurer, and it runs three years. The MVD publishes the start dates by action type rather than a single rule, which is why two people convicted on the same day can have different end dates. Reinstatement also needs the permission-to-reapply notice, any required alcohol or drug screening, and proof the interlock is installed where one is ordered.
| What Arizona requires | Detail |
|---|---|
| Form | SR-22 |
| How long | 3 years |
| Clock starts | the end of the revocation or suspension, or the date you become eligible to reinstate — MVD sets it by action type |
| Filed with | Arizona MVD |
| If it lapses | Let it lapse and both the licence and the registration are suspended again. |
| Source | Arizona MVD, Future Financial Responsibility (SR-22) · checked 2026-09-06 |
The part of the Arizona rule that catches people
Arizona calls it future financial responsibility and starts the three years at different points depending on which action is on the record: the end of a revocation, the end of a court-conviction suspension, or the date of eligibility for reinstatement. The filing is required even if you no longer own a car — that is what a non-owner policy is for.
What this form is, and what it is not
An SR-22 is a certificate your insurer files with the state to confirm that a policy meeting the required liability limits is in force. Florida describes it plainly as an insurance filing certifying bodily injury and property damage liability for reinstatement purposes. You cannot buy an SR-22 on its own, no company sells a cheaper one, and shopping for “SR-22 insurance” is shopping for ordinary liability cover with a form attached.
So there is nothing to shop for in Arizona beyond an ordinary liability policy from a carrier that will do the filing. Some will not, and that — rather than price — is what narrows the list first.
How Arizona compares
The three-year figure that national pages quote for every state is right in some of them and wrong in the rest. Of the 12 states whose rules we hold, 8 run three years, and Arizona runs 3 years. North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Mississippi have no SR-22 in their processes at all.
The other requirement that arrives with it in Arizona
Arizona MVD (Department of Transportation) runs the interlock programme here, and a first offence carries at least 12 months on a standard first conviction; longer at higher readings — 12 months for Extreme DUI at 0.15%, 18 months for Super Extreme at 0.20% (A.R.S. 28-1382) That requirement and the insurance requirement start and finish at different moments, which is why people are surprised twice: once when the device comes off and the filing is still running, and once when the filing ends and the conviction is still on the record.
Arizona DUI law in full → · What the interlock costs in Arizona → · Certified installers in Arizona →
SR-22 questions in Arizona
How long do you need an SR-22 in Arizona?
3 years, counted from the end of the revocation or suspension, or the date you become eligible to reinstate — MVD sets it by action type. That start date matters as much as the length: it decides whether time already served under suspension counts toward the period or whether the clock only begins when you get the licence back.
What does an SR-22 cost in Arizona?
The filing fee itself is small. In Arizona the state does not raise the required limits after a DUI, so the increase you see is risk rating on the same policy you had.
What happens if my SR-22 lapses in Arizona?
Let it lapse and both the licence and the registration are suspended again.
Do I need an SR-22 in Arizona if I do not own a car?
Yes — that is what a non-owner policy is for. The requirement attaches to you rather than to a vehicle, so selling the car does not end it. What ends it is time, and in Arizona that is 3 years.
Is the SR-22 the same thing as the ignition interlock in Arizona?
No, and satisfying one does nothing for the other. The interlock is a condition on the vehicle and the licence, run in Arizona by Arizona MVD (Department of Transportation); the insurance requirement is a condition on your policy, handled by Arizona MVD. Both usually have to be in place before the state will reinstate, and they run on separate clocks that rarely end on the same day.
Attorney advertising. InterlockDeviceNearMe is not a law firm, does not practice law, and does not give legal advice. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Requesting a consultation connects you with an independent attorney or a legal referral service, who decide separately whether to take your case. Case outcomes depend on facts we do not know, and no result is ever promised. Deadlines in DUI cases are short and vary by state — speak to a licensed attorney in your state before relying on anything you read here.