When Do Points Fall Off Your License in Arizona?

Arizona assigns points based on violation severity. Speeding 1-9 mph over the limit adds 2 points. Speeding 10-19 mph over adds 3 points. Speeding 20-29 mph over adds 4 points. Speeding 30+ mph over adds 5 points. Reckless driving, aggressive driving, and DUI violations add 8 points each. The Arizona MVD suspends your license when you accumulate 8 or more points within a 12-month rolling window. A single reckless driving citation triggers immediate suspension. Two speeding tickets of 20+ mph over within 12 months also reach the threshold. Points from violations more than 12 months old do not count toward the suspension calculation, but they remain visible on your full MVD record for 3 years. Insurance carriers price on the violation itself, not the point value. A 3-point speeding ticket and a 5-point speeding ticket may trigger similar rate increases if both fall within the same mph-over bracket on the carrier's surcharge schedule. The point total matters for license suspension risk, but premium impact depends on how each carrier classifies the underlying violation.

Most Arizona carriers apply moving violation surcharges for 36 months from the violation date, not the conviction date or the date points fall off your MVD record. A speeding ticket issued on January 10, 2023 will affect your premium through renewals up to January 10, 2026, even though the points disappear from your MVD record on January 10, 2024. At-fault accidents trigger longer lookback periods. Carriers in Arizona typically review 5 years of accident history and apply surcharges for 60 months from the accident date. A $15,000 at-fault claim in March 2022 will influence premiums through March 2027, regardless of whether you've maintained a clean record since. Surcharge amounts vary by carrier and violation type. A first speeding ticket of 10-15 mph over typically increases premiums 15-25% at renewal. A second ticket within 36 months compounds the surcharge, often pushing total increases to 35-50%. An at-fault accident with a payout over $5,000 commonly adds 25-40% to your base premium for the full 5-year period. Non-standard carriers may surcharge less aggressively but offset this with higher base rates.

Arizona allows drivers to attend Traffic Survival School (TSS) once every 24 months to remove up to 3 points from their MVD record. You must complete the 8-hour course before accumulating 8 points, and the MVD must approve your enrollment. The course costs $250-350 depending on the provider, and completion removes 3 points immediately upon MVD processing. Point removal through TSS does not erase the underlying violation from your insurance record. Carriers still see the original ticket when they pull your 3-year MVD history at renewal, and the surcharge remains in place. The primary benefit is reducing your current point total to avoid license suspension, not lowering your insurance premium. Some carriers offer a premium reduction if you complete a defensive driving course voluntarily, separate from court-ordered TSS. This discount typically ranges from 5-10% and applies for 3 years. You must provide proof of completion to your carrier and request the discount manually — it does not apply automatically. The discount partially offsets the violation surcharge but does not remove it entirely.

Your current carrier applies its surcharge at your next renewal after the violation is reported, typically 30-90 days after the ticket is paid or the accident claim closes. This is the moment to request quotes from at least 3 other carriers before accepting the renewal increase. Carriers in Arizona weight violations differently. Progressive and Geico typically remain competitive for drivers with a single speating ticket under 20 mph over. State Farm and Farmers often apply steeper surcharges for the same violation but may offer better base rates for drivers with other risk factors like a short insurance history. Non-standard carriers like Bristol West and Acceptance Insurance specialize in 2-3 ticket drivers who exceed preferred carrier thresholds. Shop again 12 months after the violation date, even if you already switched carriers. As the violation ages, more carriers become willing to quote competitively. A ticket that triggered a 40% increase at month 6 may only add 20% at month 18 with a different underwriter. The surcharge does not disappear, but the carrier pool expands and base rate competition improves as time passes.

Your violation becomes invisible to Arizona carriers at your first renewal after the 36-month anniversary of the violation date (60 months for at-fault accidents). The MVD still retains the record, but carriers' underwriting systems only pull the most recent 3 or 5 years depending on the violation type. You must wait until renewal for the surcharge to drop. If your violation date was April 1, 2021 and your policy renews every October 1, the surcharge will remain in place through your October 1, 2024 renewal. The April 1, 2024 anniversary makes the violation invisible to underwriting, but your rate does not adjust mid-term. At the October 2024 renewal, the system pulls your record from October 2021 forward, the old violation is excluded, and your premium drops to reflect a clean 3-year window. Some drivers see smaller-than-expected decreases because other rating factors changed during the surcharge period. Your vehicle aged 3 years, you moved ZIP codes, your annual mileage increased, or statewide base rates rose. The violation surcharge is removed, but the new base rate incorporates those updated variables. A 30% surcharge drop does not always produce a 30% premium drop if base factors shifted upward during the same period.