How Much Is a Speeding Ticket in Arizona? Fines, Points, and Costs

Arizona has no single statewide dollar amount for a speeding ticket. What a driver actually pays depends on how the speeding is charged, which court handles it, and whether the driver takes defensive driving. This article covers civil speeding fines and the surcharges layered on top of them, when speeding becomes a criminal misdemeanor, how a conviction affects license points, and the defensive driving option. It is one of the procedures explained in how Arizona classifies traffic tickets.

How much a civil speeding ticket costs

Most speeding in Arizona is a civil traffic violation, not a crime. The core rule is Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-701, which requires a “reasonable and prudent” speed and treats going faster than the posted limit as prima facie evidence that the speed was unlawful. A civil violation is not punishable by jail; it results in a monetary penalty and points on the driving record.

There is no fixed statewide fine schedule. The base fine (called a civil penalty) is set by the individual justice or municipal court that processes the citation, so the same speed can carry a different base amount in different courts. What is uniform is the surcharge structure the state adds to whatever base amount the court sets.

Two statutes drive the total. Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-116.01 levies surcharges of 42%, 7%, and 6%, a combined 55%, on the base civil penalty for a traffic violation. On top of that, Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-116.02 adds another 13%. Both surcharges apply to the base fine only, not to each other, and courts may round the total to the nearest quarter dollar. Time-payment and processing fees can raise the amount further.

When speeding becomes a criminal charge

Some speeding is charged as a crime rather than a civil violation. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-701.02, a driver commits criminal speeding by exceeding 35 mph approaching a school crossing, exceeding the posted limit in a business or residential district by more than 20 mph (or driving faster than 45 mph where no limit is posted), or exceeding the posted limit by more than 20 mph in any other location. A driver charged criminally under this section cannot also be issued a civil speeding complaint arising out of the same conduct.

Criminal speeding is a class 3 misdemeanor. The maximum fine for a class 3 misdemeanor is $500 under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-802, and the state surcharges described above apply to that fine as well. A class 3 misdemeanor also carries a maximum of 30 days in jail under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-707, though a first-time speeding case rarely results in jail time. Because it is a criminal charge, a conviction produces a misdemeanor record in addition to the fine and points.

Points, your license, and Traffic Survival School

A speeding conviction is reported to the Motor Vehicle Division, which assigns points to the driving record. Points are how the state tracks repeat offenders. A driver who is convicted of moving violations often enough to show “a disrespect for traffic laws and a disregard for the safety of other persons” can face a discretionary license suspension or be ordered to attend Traffic Survival School under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-3306. Traffic Survival School is a separate educational program from defensive driving school and does not erase the underlying conviction.

A discretionary suspension for accumulated violations is limited in duration. Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-3315 bars the department from suspending a license for more than one year from the date of the conviction, and a driver seeking reinstatement generally must have no traffic convictions in the twelve months before applying. Beyond the state’s point system, a speeding conviction on the record can also affect auto insurance rates, which insurers set independently of the court.

Defensive driving school and the diversion fee

Arizona lets many drivers keep a civil speeding conviction off their record by completing an approved defensive driving course. Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-3392 requires a court to allow a driver cited for a civil moving violation to attend defensive driving school, and it gives the court discretion to allow the option for a criminal speeding citation under § 28-701.02. A driver may use the diversion program only once every 12 months, measured from the date of the last qualifying violation. The Arizona Judicial Branch maintains a list of certified schools and the eligibility rules on its defensive driving program page.

Choosing defensive driving does not make the ticket free. Under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 28-3396, the presiding judge of each court sets a court diversion fee, and the driver also pays a $45 state surcharge plus the school’s own tuition. Payment of the diversion fee and surcharge takes the place of the civil penalty and its surcharges. The court reports the total cost to attend to the Supreme Court, and the school collects the fees at or before the class.

Paying or contesting a speeding ticket

A civil speeding citation lists a response deadline, usually a court date or a deadline to respond in writing. A driver generally has three paths: pay the civil penalty (which admits responsibility), request a hearing to contest the citation, or ask to attend defensive driving school if eligible. The Maricopa County Justice Courts, which handle traffic citations across the Phoenix area, describe these options and online payment on their traffic case page; other counties and city courts follow similar procedures.

Missing the deadline has consequences. On a civil citation, a court can enter a default judgment for the full penalty, and unresolved traffic matters can lead the Motor Vehicle Division to suspend the license until the case is resolved. A driver who wants to dispute the speed, the radar or lidar reading, or the officer’s observations does so at the hearing rather than by not showing up. Contesting a citation is a distinct process with its own steps and deadlines.