Pinal County ALR Hearing Guide

Florence is the county seat of Pinal County, and it doesn't have a real DMV office. The one location there handles titles and registration only, not driver's license reinstatement, which means Florence residents have to drive to Coolidge or Casa Grande to actually deal with a suspension.

The 15-Day Trap, Explained

Arizona's Admin Per Se suspension technically doesn't take effect for 30 days after you're served, and the yellow copy of your paperwork works as a temporary permit during that window. But the right to request a hearing expires after only 15 days. Wait until day 20 thinking you're still safe because the suspension hasn't started, and the hearing request gets rejected as too late, with the suspension then locking in automatically on day 30. Treat day 15 as the real deadline and day 30 as just when the consequence lands.

Miss it entirely, and a standard failed-test suspension runs 90 days, the first 30 an absolute hard suspension with no driving at all, the remaining 60 potentially eligible for a restricted interlock license. A refusal is far worse: a full year.

Where the Hearing Actually Happens

The hearing is not held at your local Justice Court or a nearby MVD counter. It's run entirely by ADOT's Executive Hearing Office in Phoenix, and if you want to hand-deliver anything, Phoenix is the only place that accepts a walk-in drop-off, a 60 to 90 minute drive for most Pinal County residents. Email is the fastest, most reliable way to request a hearing: hearingoffice@azdot.gov, which gives you an instant timestamp if the state later disputes your timing. Certified mail works too, but a regular letter carries real risk if it arrives late. Once the request is in on time, the suspension is stayed, meaning your license stays valid until the hearing produces a decision; check AZMVDNow.gov a few days after submitting to confirm the stay actually took effect.

Hearings themselves are conducted by video by default; a link (Teams, Zoom, or Meet) typically arrives by email 24 to 48 hours ahead. If you don't get one the day before your hearing, call the Executive Hearing Office directly (602-712-7737) rather than assuming it's coming.

Getting the Evidence Yourself

Unlike a criminal trial, the administrative hearing doesn't hand you the police report. You request it directly from whichever agency arrested you, and pay for it yourself. Pinal County Sheriff's Office charges $7.50 for the police report (up to 25 pages) plus $15 per photo/audio/video disc, money order or business check only, no cash or personal checks accepted. Casa Grande PD's fees run similarly for the report but its body-camera and dash-camera video costs $23 per 30-minute segment, which adds up fast for a lengthy DUI stop.

Reinstating Your License

Florence residents have to go to Coolidge (672 N. AZ Blvd) or Casa Grande (240 W Cottonwood Ln) for full driver's license services; the Florence office only handles titles and registration. A private Authorized Third Party provider in Casa Grande offers extended hours, including Saturdays, for a convenience fee, which can be faster than the state office depending on when you need to go.

Once eligible, most drivers qualify for a Special Ignition Interlock Restricted Driver License rather than the old fixed-schedule hardship permit. There's no time-of-day restriction with an SIIRDL; the device itself tracks every start, stop, and test, uploaded to the state, and driving is limited to specific purposes like work, school, and medical appointments rather than set hours.