Arizona Laws 28-1323. Admissibility of breath test or other records
A. The results of a breath test administered for the purpose of determining a person‘s alcohol concentration are admissible as evidence in any trial, action or proceeding on establishing the following foundational requirements:
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 28-1323
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Alcohol: means any substance containing any form of alcohol, including ethanol, methanol, propynol and isopropynol. See Arizona Laws 28-101
- Department: means the department of transportation acting directly or through its duly authorized officers and agents. See Arizona Laws 28-101
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Evidence: includes both of the following:
(a) A display on a wireless communication device of a department-generated driver license, nonoperating identification license, vehicle registration card or other official record of the department that is presented to a law enforcement officer or in a court or an administrative proceeding. See Arizona Laws 28-101
- Manufacturer: means a person or an organization that is located in the United States, that is responsible for the design, construction or production of an ignition interlock device and that is certified by the department to offer ignition interlock devices for installation in motor vehicles in this state. See Arizona Laws 28-1301
- Operator: means a person who drives a motor vehicle on a highway, who is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle on a highway or who is exercising control over or steering a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle. See Arizona Laws 28-101
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
1. The test was performed using a quantitative breath testing device approved by the department of health services or the department of public safety. A properly authenticated certification by the department of health services or the department of public safety or judicial notice of department of health services or department of public safety rules is sufficient to establish this requirement.
2. The operator who conducted the test possessed a valid permit issued by the department of health services or the department of public safety to operate the device used to conduct the test.
3. Duplicate tests were administered and the test results were within 0.02 alcohol concentration of each other or an operator observed the person charged with the violation for twenty minutes immediately preceding the administration of the test.
4. The operator who conducted the test followed an operational checklist approved by the department of health services or the department of public safety for the operation of the device used to conduct the test. The testimony of the operator is sufficient to establish this requirement.
5. The device used to conduct the test was in proper operating condition. Records of periodic maintenance that show that the device was in proper operating condition are admissible in any proceeding as prima facie evidence that the device was in proper operating condition at the time of the test. Calibration checks with a standard alcohol concentration solution bracketing each person’s duplicate breath test are one type of records of periodic maintenance that satisfies the requirements of this section. The records are public records.
B. Compliance with subsection A of this section is the only requirement for the admission in evidence of a breath test result.
C. The inability of any person to obtain manufacturer‘s schematics and software for a quantitative breath testing device that is approved as prescribed in subsection A of this section shall not affect the admissibility of the results of a breath test pursuant to this section.
D. Records that may be obtained or that are otherwise maintained pursuant to section 28-1327 are admissible as evidence in any trial, action or proceeding.