Arizona SR-22 Insurance: Who Needs a Filing and for How Long
Yes — Arizona uses the SR-22. How long it stays on file: 3 years.
- Used in this state
- Yes
- Form
- SR-22
The statute calls it a "certificate of insurance" filed as proof of financial responsibility (A.R.S. § 28-4077). ADOT MVD calls the requirement "future financial responsibility" and says the insurer files the SR-22 electronically. A $40,000 deposit with the State Treasurer is the alternative.
- How long it must stay on file
- 3 years
Three years. The director may waive the filing only after three years from the date proof was required (A.R.S. § 28-4088). For an unpaid judgment, proof must be kept for two years after the judgment is satisfied instead (§ 28-4073(C)). ADOT counts the three years from the end of the suspension or revocation for DUI and implied-consent cases, and from the date you become eligible for reinstatement for an insurance violation.
- What triggers it
- Alcohol- or drug-related license revocation · Court-conviction DUI suspension · Implied-consent suspension for refusing an alcohol or drug test · Driving without insurance (A.R.S. § 28-4135 violations) · An unpaid or default judgment arising from a crash · Getting a special ignition interlock restricted driver license (SIIRDL)
- If coverage lapses
- License and registration suspended
The insurer must notify MVD before cancelling a certified policy (A.R.S. § 28-4081). When the proof on file stops meeting the requirement, the director must suspend the license and registration until new proof is filed (§ 28-4087).
- Reinstatement fee
- $10
After an SR-22 lapse, ADOT MVD charges a $10 suspension fee once the insurer files new proof. Reinstating a suspended registration and plates costs more (see Driving uninsured).
Arizona requires 3 years — the highest of the 37 jurisdictions on this site. The range runs from 1 year to 3 years.
How Arizona compares with every other state
Every statute cited for Arizona
Why the rule looks like this
- What Changed in 2026Liability minimums doubled in Hawaii, two states dropped pure comparative fault, New Hampshire stopped inspecting cars, and three crash reporting thresholds moved — a dated account of the 2026 changes, and the ones already signed for 2027 and beyond.
- The Fine Is the Cheapest PartA first-offense fine for driving uninsured runs from $30 in Florida to a $1,500 floor in Delaware — but South Carolina's $100 fine arrives with a $700 reinstatement fee, and the reinstatement is usually the bigger number.
- The Form Some States Do Not UseAn SR-22 is a certificate, not a policy — and in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina and Michigan the form does not exist at all.
More on Arizona
Checked against the primary sources above on September 22, 2026. If a figure here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it — what we have corrected so far is public.