When the Ignition Interlock Period Starts After an Arizona Extreme DUI

Attorney Answer

Neither of the dates you are comparing is the one the statute uses. Under A.R.S. § 28-3319 the required interlock period begins when you complete the ordered alcohol or drug screening, education or treatment requirements and become eligible to have your license reinstated — not on the conviction date.

Section 28-3319, "Action after license suspension, revocation or denial for driving under the influence or refusal of test; ignition interlock device requirement," sets both the requirement and its length (12, 18 or 24 months depending on the offense). Two features answer your question. First, the start rule above: your 5/22 conviction date does not begin the period, and MVD's 8/16 figure reflects its own administrative processing rather than the statutory trigger. Second, time already served with a certified device installed counts toward the obligation, so installing early is not wasted. Certified devices are governed by A.R.S. § 28-1461, and interlock tied to an administrative suspension by A.R.S. § 28-1385.

That also explains why you have two numbers. A court-ordered interlock term and an MVD-administered term come from different authority, and satisfying one does not automatically satisfy the other. You should expect to comply with both until each is separately confirmed complete.

As for whether you need one "right now" — the honest answer is that the question only bites if you are driving. If your license is currently suspended or revoked, a device does not make it legal to drive; driving in that condition creates a new offense on top of everything else.

What you can do

1. Do not drive until MVD confirms in writing that you are eligible, and on what terms. 2. Ask MVD in writing for your compliance start date, the length it is applying, and what it still needs from you. Keep the reply. 3. Complete the screening, education or treatment requirement. Under § 28-3319 that completion, plus reinstatement eligibility, is what actually starts the clock. 4. If you install a device before MVD's stated date, keep the installation paperwork and monthly reports — time served with the device installed counts. 5. Ask the sentencing court separately what its 12-month order requires and whether it runs concurrently with the MVD period. Do not let one agency's answer stand in for the other's.