Graham County License Hearing Guide
How to request your MVD Implied Consent Hearing and protect your driving privileges after a DUI arrest.
Last verified: July 12, 2026
15-Day Deadline
You have exactly 15 days from your arrest to request a hearing. Miss this deadline and your license is automatically suspended. No exceptions.
Enter your arrest date to see your deadline:
If You Request in Time
- • Temporary permit until hearing
- • Chance to keep your license
- • Gather evidence for defense
If You Miss the Deadline
- • Automatic 90-180 day suspension
- • No hearing, no appeal
- • Starts after waiting period
How to Request Your Hearing
Online Request
Fee: Typically $50-$125
Available: 24/7
Instant confirmation
Phone Request
Fee: Same as online
Hours: Business hours only
Expect hold times
Information You'll Need
From Your Notice:
- • Driver License Number
- • Date of Arrest
- • Arresting Agency
- • Arresting Officer Name
Personal Information:
- • Full Legal Name
- • Current Address
- • Date of Birth
- • Phone Number & Email
After You Request
Temporary Permit
ImmediateDrive legally until your hearing
Hearing Notice
20-40 daysDate, time, and format mailed to you
Prepare Defense
Before hearingGather evidence, hire attorney
Attend Hearing
Scheduled dateUsually phone or video
Decision
Same dayWin: keep license. Lose: suspension starts
Temporary Permit
Immediate
Drive until hearing
Hearing Notice
20-40 days
Date mailed to you
Prepare
Before hearing
Gather evidence
Attend Hearing
Scheduled
Phone or video
Decision
Same day
Win or suspension
What to Expect at the Hearing
Most hearings are by phone or video
You usually don't need to travel. When you receive your hearing notice, it will specify whether it's phone, video, or in-person.
Duration
30-60 minutes typically
Who's There
You, your attorney (optional), state attorney, hearing officer
What They Review
Probable cause for stop, proper arrest procedure, test validity
Evidence That Can Help
- Dashcam or bodycam footage showing procedural errors
- Breathalyzer calibration records (if not current)
- Witness statements about your sobriety
- Medical conditions affecting field sobriety tests
Should You Hire an Attorney?
With an Attorney
- Can subpoena arresting officer
- Knows how to challenge evidence
- Uses hearing to strengthen criminal defense
- Higher success rate at hearings
Without an Attorney
- State has experienced attorney present
- May not know proper objections
- Can't effectively cross-examine officers
- Lower win rate statistically
If You Lose Your Hearing
Losing the hearing isn't the end. You still have options to maintain limited driving privileges:
Ignition Interlock
Drive with device installed
Occupational License
Limited driving for work/essentials
Arizona DMV Office
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides
Safford has no local office to handle a license-suspension hearing request. Every request goes to Phoenix, and there's no desk to drop it off in person, so mail or fax is the only way to get it there.
The 15-Day Deadline
An Admin Per Se suspension notice, issued at arrest if you tested at 0.08% or above or refused testing, gives you exactly 15 days to request a hearing in writing. Miss it, and the suspension, 90 days to a year depending on the case, becomes automatic and can't be reversed. Because there's no local office, faxing the request (602-241-1624) is the safer option over relying on rural mail delivery to arrive on time.
The Hearing Itself
All hearings for Graham County residents are handled by the Executive Hearing Office in Phoenix, but you don't have to travel there. Hearings run by video conference or phone, with the officer and defendant appearing from a local field office or attorney's office while the administrative law judge presides remotely from Phoenix.
Reinstating Your License
The Safford MVD field office, 310 W Main St, is open weekdays 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, but effectively stops full service around 4:45 PM, and vehicle inspections need to happen before 4:00 PM. Walk-ins are discouraged; book an appointment through AZMVDNow.gov. Reinstatement itself requires a driving record review and proof of SR-22 insurance, plus a $20 fee for a revocation or $10 for a suspension; the office does not take personal checks.
If the state office's wait times are too long, MVP Motor Vehicle Processing, a private authorized third-party provider with locations in Thatcher and Willcox, offers walk-in service for a convenience fee.
Ignition Interlock
If reinstatement requires an IID, Safford has three installers: Intoxalock through Haralson Tire Company (214 E US Hwy 70, closed weekends), Smart Start through UTV Werks (1153 W Thatcher Blvd), and QuickStart (102 W 5th St). Installation ranges from free with a promotion up to $150, with a monthly lease of roughly $60 to $100 and calibration about every 30 days for around $20.
Last updated: July 12, 2026
Top Rated Graham County DUI Attorneys
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