Arizona Driver License: Permit, Class G, Fees (2026)

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To get a driver license in Arizona as a teen, you get a Class G instruction permit at 15 years and 6 months, hold it for at least 6 months, then apply for a Class G graduated license at 16. This guide is for Arizona teens, their parents and first-time adult drivers. It covers each stage, the tests, the practice hours, the restrictions and the laws that catch new drivers out.

Key facts (Arizona, as of November 2026)

Licensing agency: Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD).
Instruction permit: from 15 years and 6 months. Valid for 12 months. Fee $7.
Supervisor: a licensed driver (Class A, B, C or D) aged 21 or older in the seat beside you.
Class G license: from 16, after holding the permit at least 6 months.
Practice: 30 supervised hours (10 at night) certified by a parent; 20 hours (6 at night) if you also complete a defensive driving or Traffic Survival School course; or an approved driver education program.
First 6 months on Class G: no driving midnight to 5 a.m., no more than 1 passenger under 18, no wireless devices (each with exceptions).
Class D (full) license: you can apply on or after your 18th birthday.

How to get a driver license in Arizona: the stages

Stage	Minimum age	How you get it	Main rules
Class G instruction permit	15 years 6 months	Pass the vision and knowledge tests; parent or guardian signs the application	Supervisor 21+ beside you; no wireless device use while driving
Class G graduated license	16	Permit held 6 months; 30 hours certified or approved driver ed; road test (or driver ed waiver)	Curfew, passenger and phone limits for the first 6 months
Class D license	18	Apply on or after your 18th birthday	No teen restrictions

If you are 18 or older when you start, the teen holding period and the Class G restrictions do not apply to you. You still take the knowledge, vision and road tests.

Step by step for an Arizona teen

Study the Arizona Driver License Manual. ADOT MVD publishes it free (English, and a Spanish edition). The knowledge test comes from it.
Take the permit test. 30 multiple-choice questions; you need 80% to pass. Most teens can take it at home through a parent’s AZ MVD Now account. Details: Arizona MVD permit test guide.
Get the permit issued in an MVD office or Authorized Third Party office. An adult signs your application, witnessed by an MVD agent or a notary. Your 6-month hold starts when the permit is issued.
Practice. Log 30 hours with at least 10 at night (20 hours with 6 at night after a defensive driving or Traffic Survival School course), or complete approved driver education. See the Arizona 30-hour supervised driving log.
Pass the road test at MVD or an Authorized Third Party, unless an approved driver education program waives it. See Arizona road test and third party testing.
Drive under Class G rules for your first 6 months. See Arizona Class G graduated license rules.

Arizona driver license fees

Item	Fee (as of November 2026)
Instruction permit	$7
Driver license, age 16 to 39	$25

ADOT MVD sets license fees by age band. Check the current figures on the ADOT MVD fees page before you go.

How long an Arizona driver license lasts

Under Arizona law, a standard driver license is valid until your 65th birthday. That is why Arizona licenses issued to teens have such a distant expiry date.

What the Arizona Driver License Manual covers

The manual is the source for the knowledge test. Its main areas:

License classes and testing. Class G (graduated, under 18), Class D (regular), Class M (motorcycle), documents and Travel ID. For the federal ID rules see REAL ID and your first US driver’s license.
Graduated licensing. Covered in the Class G post above.
Signs, signals and markings. Shapes and colors are national standards: US road signs by shape and color, traffic signals and pavement markings.
Rules of the road. Right of way, turns, passing, parking and speed. Arizona’s default limits, unless signs say otherwise: 15 mph approaching a school crossing, 25 mph in business or residential districts, 65 mph elsewhere. The MVD manual’s own list is more detailed (55 mph on open highways and city freeways, 65 on designated open highways, 75 on rural freeways), so on highways follow the posted sign. You must also drive no faster than is reasonable for conditions. More: speed limits and the basic speed law.
Safe driving and emergencies. Freeways, night driving and Arizona’s monsoon dust storms: Arizona dust storm driving and Pull Aside, Stay Alive.
Sharing the road. Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks and emergency vehicles. Arizona has a move over law for stopped vehicles showing flashing or warning lights: move over laws in the US.
Alcohol, drugs and DUI. Drivers under 21 may not drive with any alcohol in their body. See Arizona DUI and extreme DUI rules for new drivers.
Points, suspension, insurance and registration. Below.

Arizona figures from the MVD manual

These are the Arizona-specific numbers and rules in the Driver License Manual that the permit test and new drivers most often trip on.

Topic	Arizona rule
Seat belts	Every front-seat occupant buckles up. The driver must make sure every passenger under 16 is buckled.
Child restraints	Under 5: a child restraint system. Ages 5 to 7: a restraint until the child is at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Children 12 and under are safest in the back seat.
Turn signals	Signal at least 100 feet (about 4 seconds) before you turn.
No-passing zones	No passing within 100 feet of an intersection, a railroad crossing, or a bridge, tunnel or underpass where your view is blocked.
Bicycles	Leave at least 3 feet when you pass a cyclist going your way.
Roundabouts	Yield to traffic already in the circle and to large vehicles entering with you. Designed for 15 to 20 mph; do not pass trucks inside.
Parking	Not on a sidewalk, in an intersection, in front of a driveway, on a bridge or in a tunnel, on a freeway (except emergencies), within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or within 50 feet of a railroad crossing.
Diverging diamond interchanges	At some freeway interchanges the cross street briefly switches traffic to the left side of the road. The crossovers happen at signals; follow the signals, signs and lane markings.
Freeway gore areas	Driving over or parking in the striped area between a ramp and the through lanes is illegal (3 points).
HOV lanes	At the posted weekday times, at least 2 people in the vehicle (or a motorcycle or bus). Cross the solid white line with care and a signal.
Railroad crossings	When a signal, gate or train warns you, stop no closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail.
School buses	Stop for a bus with flashing lights and stop arm out, from either direction. The only exception is the opposite side of a road divided by a physical barrier; painted lines do not count.
Emergency vehicles	Pull right and stop. Stay at least 500 feet behind a fire truck and 300 feet behind a police vehicle on an emergency call, and do not park in the block where it stopped.
Move Over law	Move over one lane for any vehicle stopped with flashing lights, including tow trucks, road crews and private cars. If you cannot, slow down.
Funerals	Yield to a funeral procession led by an escort with a flashing red or blue light.
Work zones	Fines double where signs are posted.
Flooded roads	A driver who goes around flood barricades is liable for the cost of any emergency rescue if the vehicle stalls.
Phoenix light rail	Cross the METRO tracks only at signal-controlled crossings, and turn across them only from a marked turn lane on its signal.
Red lights	A red light conviction means mandatory Traffic Survival School. Causing serious injury: up to $500 and a 3-month suspension; causing a death: up to $1,000 and 6 months.
Low beams	Dim for oncoming traffic, and use low beams within 200 feet of a car you are following.
Open containers	No open alcohol container in the passenger area for the driver or any passenger (bus, limo, taxi and motor home living area passengers excepted).
Aggressive driving	Speeding plus two listed acts (such as running a signal, unsafe lane change or following too closely) that put others in immediate danger. First offense: Traffic Survival School and a possible 30-day suspension; a second within 24 months: 12 months.
Medical conditions	Report any condition that could affect safe driving. A seizure in the 90 days before you apply must be reported to MVD.

Phones while driving in Arizona

All Arizona drivers are banned from holding or supporting a phone while driving and from writing, sending or reading texts, with hands-free and voice exceptions. Permit holders and Class G drivers in their first 6 months face a stricter ban on any wireless device use. Background: hands-free and texting laws for US drivers.

Points and Traffic Survival School in Arizona

ADOT MVD says 8 or more points in any 12-month period can lead to Traffic Survival School or a suspension of up to 12 months.
DUI, extreme DUI, reckless driving and aggressive driving are each 8 points. Leaving the scene of a crash is 6.
Under 18: your first moving violation means Traffic Survival School. A second means a 3-month suspension; a third, 6 months.

How points work nationally: points systems and license suspensions in the US.

After a crash in Arizona

Stop and stay at the scene. Help anyone injured and call 911; police must be called if anyone is hurt.
Exchange license numbers, names and addresses, insurance details, plate numbers and witness details.
In a minor crash with no injuries, state law requires you to move a car that can be driven safely out of the travel lanes. Moving it does not make you at fault.
Leaving the scene: 1-year suspension if only vehicles are damaged, 3-year revocation for injury, 5 years for serious injury and 10 years for a death.

Step-by-step guidance: what to do after a car crash.

Insurance in Arizona

For policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2020, Arizona law requires liability cover of at least $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $15,000 for property damage in any one accident. Keep proof of insurance in the car. Conviction for not having or not showing it suspends your license and registration for 3 months, 6 months for a second within 36 months, and 1 year for a third. More: car insurance for new drivers.

Paperwork after you are licensed

Tell MVD about a change of name or address within 10 days. Address changes can be done online at AZ MVD Now.
You cannot hold an Arizona ID card and a driver license at the same time.
The Travel ID (the REAL ID version) costs $25 and in most cases lasts 8 years.
The adult who signed a minor’s application can ask MVD to cancel that license at any time.
Male applicants under 26 are registered with the Selective Service through the license application.
The application also lets you register to vote and join the organ donor registry.

Common questions

What age can you get a permit in Arizona?

15 years and 6 months. A 2026 bill to lower it to 15 (HB2003) was vetoed, so the age is unchanged.

Can you get a license at 16 in Arizona?

Yes, if you have held your permit for at least 6 months and meet the practice or driver education requirement.

How long is an Arizona permit valid?

12 months. If it runs out before you are ready, you need a new one.

Do adults need a permit first in Arizona?

The 6-month holding period and the Class G rules apply only to applicants under 18. Adults still pass the vision, knowledge and road tests, and can get a permit to practice first.

I have a license from another state. Do I wait 6 months?

No. The 6-month permit hold does not apply if you hold a currently valid license from another jurisdiction. See moving to a new state.

When does the Class G become a regular license?

The Class G restrictions stop on your 18th birthday, and you can apply for a Class D license from then.

Compare Arizona with other states

Sources

Arizona Department of Transportation MVD, “Permit and License Requirements” (azdot.gov)
Arizona Department of Transportation MVD, “Permit Test (at Home or in an Office)” (azdot.gov)
Arizona Department of Transportation MVD, “Fees: Driver License” (azdot.gov)
Arizona Department of Transportation MVD, “Points Assessment” (azdot.gov)
Arizona Department of Transportation MVD, “Arizona Driver License Manual and Customer Service Guide” (azdot.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “A.R.S. 28-3154 Instruction permit for a class D or G license” (azleg.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “A.R.S. 28-3174 Class G driver licenses; restrictions” (azleg.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “A.R.S. 28-3171 Driver license expiration and renewal” (azleg.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “A.R.S. 28-3321 Moving violations by persons under eighteen years of age” (azleg.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “A.R.S. 28-701 Reasonable and prudent speed” (azleg.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “A.R.S. 28-914 Use of portable wireless communication device while driving” (azleg.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “A.R.S. 28-4009 Motor vehicle liability policy requirements” (azleg.gov)
Arizona State Legislature, “HB2003 (2026) House Bill Summary, Vetoed” (azleg.gov)

How to Get a Driver License in Arizona: Permit to Class G