How Do You Get a Restricted License After a DUI in Arizona?

Can You Get a Restricted License After a DUI in Arizona?

In most cases, yes — but not automatically, and not without conditions. Arizona’s main tool is the special ignition interlock restricted driver license (SIIRL) under A.R.S. § 28-1402, which lets an eligible driver whose license is suspended for a DUI-related reason keep driving — as long as every vehicle they operate is equipped with a certified ignition interlock device. There is no blanket “work permit” that skips the interlock for most DUI suspensions; the device is the price of the road.

The Suspensions That Follow a DUI Arrest

License consequences in a DUI case start long before any conviction. Under Arizona’s admin per se law, A.R.S. § 28-1385, a test result of 0.08 or more (or a drug finding) triggers a 90-day administrative suspension served through MVD, entirely separate from the criminal case — and reinstatement after it requires completing alcohol or drug screening. A test refusal under the implied consent law triggers a 12-month suspension. These MVD clocks run on their own schedule, with their own short deadlines to request a hearing, which is why acting in the first days after arrest matters so much.

Who Qualifies for the Interlock Restricted License

Under 28-1402, MVD can issue a special ignition interlock restricted license to a driver whose Class D or G license was suspended or revoked for:

• The admin per se suspension under 28-1385 (the standard post-arrest 90-day suspension);
• A first test refusal under 28-1321;
• A second violation of the DUI statutes (28-1381 or 28-1382); or
• A first violation of aggravated DUI based on a child under 15 in the car (28-1383(A)(3)).

The applicant must be “otherwise qualified by law” — outstanding suspensions from other causes, unpaid obligations, or ineligibility windows can block issuance. And the restricted license does exactly what its name says: it authorizes driving only in a vehicle with a functioning certified interlock.

Interlock After Conviction Too

Separately from the restricted-license path, every DUI conviction in Arizona carries its own certified ignition interlock requirement after reinstatement — and for Extreme and Super Extreme DUI, agreeing to a 12-month interlock is also what unlocks the statutory jail reductions (30 days down to 9, 45 down to 14) under 28-1382. In other words, the interlock shows up at multiple stages: as the key to driving during suspension, as a condition after conviction, and as the lever that reduces mandatory jail. Coordinating all three is a core part of DUI defense strategy — see our guide to what’s required after pleading guilty to a DUI.

How to Actually Get One

• Watch the MVD clock, not just the court date. The admin per se suspension and hearing deadlines run from the arrest paperwork, not the arraignment.
• Complete the required screening. Alcohol/drug screening is a reinstatement prerequisite after the 90-day suspension and a practical prerequisite for most restricted paths.
• Install the certified interlock first. The device must be installed and reported by an authorized installer before the SIIRL issues.
• Apply through MVD once eligible, and keep proof of the restriction’s terms in the vehicle.

How Tamou Law Group Handles the License Side of a DUI

We treat the MVD case as a case, requesting the administrative hearing before the deadline, contesting the suspension where the stop or test is challengeable, and sequencing screening, interlock installation, and the SIIRL application so our clients spend the minimum lawful time off the road. On the criminal side, the same interlock strategy is often what unlocks the Extreme DUI jail reductions.

Related guides: requirements after pleading guilty to a DUI, can I go to jail for a DUI?, and our full Arizona DUI defense guide. Call 623-321-4699, 24/7.