Class 1 Misdemeanor in Arizona: Penalties, Examples, and the Other Classes

The three misdemeanor classes

• Class 1 — up to 6 months jail, $2,500 fine plus surcharges, up to 3 years probation (examples: DUI, assault causing injury, most DV charges, driving on a suspended license, shoplifting, disorderly conduct)
• Class 2 — up to 4 months jail, $750 fine plus surcharges, up to 2 years probation (examples: assault by threat, reckless driving)
• Class 3 — up to 30 days jail, $500 fine plus surcharges, up to 1 year probation (examples: assault by offensive touching, criminal speeding)

Maximums are not typicals

Outside of DUI — which carries its own mandatory minimums — first-offense misdemeanors rarely draw the maximum jail term. Typical contested territory is the fine, probation length and terms, mandatory classes, and above all whether a conviction enters at all: diversion, dismissal on compliance, and reductions to lower classes or civil violations are the real battlefield.

Why a misdemeanor still deserves a defense

A misdemeanor conviction shows on background checks indefinitely, can carry immigration and licensing consequences, triggers the federal firearm bar when it is a qualifying domestic violence offense, and stacks: priors turn future charges into felonies (a third DV in 84 months, a second theft). Misdemeanors are also where self-representation goes wrong quietly — people plead guilty at arraignment to "get it over with" and discover the consequences for years. The options at each stage are covered on the criminal defense page.