Arizona will take steps to punish a parent who is obligated to pay child support to a custodial parent and fails to do so. One method that the state will use to try to get the payments or to assess penalties is license suspension.
If the person has failed to pay child support and is a minimum of six months behind in the payments, the court has options. These include moving a driver’s license or recreational license suspension by sending a certificate of noncompliance to the relevant agency, or inform the department of transportation that the noncommercial driver’s license be restricted by sending a certificate of noncompliance.
With the restriction of travel, the following will be in effect as to where the person can drive: from the person’s place of residence and place of employment during work times; from the place of residence, place of employment and a secondary or post-secondary school based on the work and school schedule; between the place of residence and an education, treatment or screening facility if there are appointments; between the place of residence and the medical professional’s office; and between the place of residence and a place that has been designated for the person to have parenting time with the child.
There are criteria for a person who is found guilty of delinquent payments to have a restricted driver’s license: he or she must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week; there must be a place of employment or a school he or she is attending that is located further than one mile from the place of residence; it must be shown that the job or the school reasonably expects to help the person come into compliance with the court order in a timely fashion; and that he or she will begin a payment plan with the department of economic security to pay what is owed in child support. Failure to comply will result in a license suspension.
People who are confronted with a license suspension for failure to pay child support can have their lives negatively affected in many ways. For parents who are seeking to receive payments they are owed and parents who are subjected to these penalties, having legal assistance with the Arizona guidelines and navigating them is essential. A legal professional can help.
Source: AzLeg.gov, “25-518. Child support arrearage; license suspension; hearing A, B.,” accessed on Aug. 28, 2017
