Arizona General Contractor License — Requirements, Fees & Exam

Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) administers general contractor licensing in Arizona. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

AZ ROC license; Arizona contractor’s license; Registrar of Contractors license; B-1 General Commercial Contractor; B General Residential Contractor; B-2 General Small Commercial Contractor; KB-1 Dual Building Contractor; KB-2 Dual Residential and Small Commercial; A General Engineering

License types & fees

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

AZ ROC’s own summary: “Generally, if labor and materials exceed $1,000 OR a permit is required (regardless of the price of labor and materials), then a license is required.” The statutory list is A.R.S. 32-1121, “Persons not required to be licensed; penalties; applicability.” TWO OFFICIAL VERSIONS OF 32-1121 ARE PUBLISHED CONCURRENTLY AND THEY DIFFER IN SUBSTANCE. The Arizona Legislature publishes both texts as current law (both files rebuilt 09/20/25). They are identified here by session-law annotation, because the version labels are themselves inconsistent: the Title 32 table of contents at azleg.gov lists the second file as “32-1121; Version 2,” while that file’s own heading reads “32-1121; Version 1.” CH. 140 TEXT (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01121.htm) , annotated “(L19, Ch. 140, sec. 1)”: the subsection A exemption list runs to paragraph 18, and the section has no subsection E. CH. 145 TEXT (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01121.01.htm) , annotated “(L19, Ch. 145, sec. 5)”: the subsection A list ENDS AT PARAGRAPH 17 - it contains NO cable/satellite/telecommunications exemption - and the section ADDS a subsection E exempting qualifying joint ventures. Where the two diverge, both are stated below with attribution. LicensingAtlas does not determine which text controls; anyone relying on a divergent paragraph should take Arizona legal advice. KEY EXEMPTIONS (statutory paragraph cites are to subsection A unless stated). A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(14) HANDYMAN / MINOR WORK - exempts “any person other than a licensed contractor engaging in any work or operation on one undertaking or project by one or more contracts, for which the aggregate contract price, including labor, materials and all other items… is less than $1,000,” and “the work or operations that are exempt under this paragraph shall be of a casual or minor nature” (Ch. 140 text; the Ch. 145 text is the same in substance and reads “must be of a casual or minor nature”). This exemption does NOT apply (a) “in any case in which the performance of the work requires a local building permit”; (b) where the work is only part of a larger or major operation, or the operation is divided into contracts of less than $1,000 to evade the chapter; or (c) “to a person who uses any form of advertising to the public in which the person’s unlicensed status is not disclosed by including the words ’not a licensed contractor’ in the advertisement.” Both texts exclude certain electrical fixtures and appliances from the $1,000 computation, but they define the carve-out differently: the Ch. 140 text excludes a manufacturer-designed, unaltered fixture “that can be plugged into a common household electrical outlet using a two-pronged or three-pronged electrical connector or that has internal batteries that do not exceed twelve volts… and that does not use any other form of energy, including natural gas, propane or other petroleum or gaseous fuel, to operate or is attached by a nail, screw or other fastening device to the frame or foundation of any residential structure”; the Ch. 145 text uses the shorter test - designed by the manufacturer, “unaltered, unchanged or unmodified by any person” and “can be plugged into a common electrical outlet.” A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(5) OWNER-BUILDER - exempts owners who improve their own property with their own labor, their own employees, or duly licensed contractors, where the structure is “intended for occupancy solely by the owner,” is not intended for occupancy by members of the public as the owner’s employees or business visitors, and is “not intended for sale or for rent.” “In all actions brought under this chapter, except an action against an owner-occupant as defined in section 33-1002, proof of the sale or rent or the offering for sale or rent of any such structure by the owner-builder within one year after completion or issuance of a certificate of occupancy is prima facie evidence that such a project was undertaken for the purpose of sale or rent” - the owner-occupant carve-out limits the one-year prima-facie rule. “Sale” or “rent” includes any arrangement by which the owner receives compensation in money, provisions, chattels or labor. A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(6) OWNER-DEVELOPER - exempts owners acting as developers who build for sale or rent and contract the project to a general contractor licensed under the chapter (or, for improvements, to a licensed general or specialty contractor), provided the licensed contractors’ names and license numbers are included in all sales documents. A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(4) MATERIALMAN / MANUFACTURER / RETAILER - exempts a materialman, manufacturer or retailer that furnishes finished products, materials or articles of merchandise and either does not install or attach them, or installs or attaches them where the total value of the sales contract or transaction plus the cost of installation “does not exceed $1,000, including labor, materials and all other items” (subject to the same electrical-fixture carve-out described above). The exemption is conditioned on the seller informing “the purchaser that the installation may also be performed by a licensed contractor whose name and address the purchaser may request.” NOTE: paragraph (A)(4) carries NO local-building-permit condition in either published version - the building-permit disqualifier appears only in (A)(9) and in (A)(14)(a). The Ch. 145 text opens (A)(4) with “Except as provided in subsection D of this section.” A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(9) SALE OR INSTALLATION OF NON-PERMANENT FINISHED PRODUCTS - exempts “the sale or installation of finished products, materials or articles of merchandise that are not fabricated into and do not become a permanent fixed part of the structure.” This exemption is lost on any of three triggers: if a local building permit is required; if the total price (including labor, excluding the electrical-fixture carve-out) is more than $1,000; OR if removal of the item “causes material damage to the structure or renders the structure unfit for its intended use” (Ch. 140 text) / “causes damage to the structure or renders the structure unfit for its intended use” (Ch. 145 text - the word “material” is absent, so the Ch. 145 text disqualifies on a lower threshold of damage). (A)(1) Authorized representatives of the United States government, this state, or any county, incorporated city or town, reclamation district, irrigation district or other municipality or political subdivision of this state. (A)(2) Trustees of an express trust not formed for the purpose of conducting business as a contractor, and officers of a court, if acting within the terms of their trust or office. (A)(3) Public utilities operating under regulation of the Corporation Commission, and petroleum or gas well construction, repair or operation performed by an owner or lessee. (A)(7) Architects or engineers engaging in their professional practice who hire or offer to hire a contractor for listed preconstruction investigation and discovery activities (subsurface utility location and designation, potholing, drilling for soil/rock/pavement samples, and locating existing electrical, mechanical, plumbing and structural features of a building). (A)(8) A person licensed, certified or registered pursuant to title 3, chapter 20, “or a person working under the direct supervision of a person certified or qualified pursuant to title 3, chapter 20,” to the extent the person is engaged in pest management. (A)(10) Employees of the owners of condominiums, townhouses, cooperative units or apartment complexes of FOUR UNITS OR LESS, or the owners’ management agent or employees of the management agent, repairing or maintaining structures owned by them. (A)(11) Any person who engages in regulated activities as an employee of an exempt property owner, or as an employee with wages as the person’s sole compensation. (A)(12) A surety company or companies “that are authorized to transact business in this state” and that undertake to complete a contract on which they issued a performance or completion bond - conditioned in the Ch. 140 text on “if all construction work is performed by duly licensed contractors” (emphasis ours on “all”) and in the Ch. 145 text on “if construction work is performed by duly licensed contractors” (the word “all” is absent). (A)(13) Insurance companies “that are authorized to transact business in this state” and that undertake to perform repairs resulting from casualty losses under a policy - conditioned in the Ch. 140 text on “if all construction work is performed by duly licensed contractors” (emphasis ours on “all”) and in the Ch. 145 text on “if construction work is performed by duly licensed contractors.” (A)(15) A person licensed, certified or registered pursuant to title 41, chapter 37, article 4 “and who is not otherwise required to be licensed under this chapter or an employee of such person.” (A)(16) “A person who functions as a gardener by performing lawn, garden, shrub and tree maintenance.” (A)(17) Alarm agents as defined in section 32-101. A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(18) CABLE / SATELLITE / TELECOMMUNICATIONS - PRESENT IN THE CH. 140 TEXT ONLY; THE CH. 145 TEXT HAS NO PARAGRAPH 18. The Ch. 140 text exempts cable television, satellite television and telecommunications providers, including data and related services, and their contractors and subcontractors, where the work “is limited to installing low-voltage cable, telephone services, internet services and data service,” and provides that installation “does not include digging, trenching, grading, horizontal boring, compacting or filling earthen or other material before the service drop of the commercial or residential structure.” Because the Ch. 145 text’s list ends at paragraph 17, a low-voltage installer cannot rely on this exemption as settled law on the strength of one published version alone. JOINT VENTURES - 32-1121(E), PRESENT IN THE CH. 145 TEXT ONLY; THE CH. 140 TEXT HAS NO SUBSECTION E. “A joint venture or other combination of persons, firms, partnerships, corporations, associations or other organizations is not required to obtain a separate contractor’s license in its own name if all of the following apply: 1. At least one member of the joint venture or combination holds a contractor’s license in good standing with the registrar. 2. Each member of the joint venture or combination that acts as a contractor holds a license in good standing with the registrar. 3. Each licensed member of the joint venture or combination only performs work within the scope of that member’s contractor’s license or licenses.” HARD CARVE-OUT: 32-1121(D) (in BOTH versions) states that the (A)(4), (A)(9) and (A)(14) exemptions do NOT apply to either of the following: (1) “All fire safety and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work that is done in connection with fire safety installation and fire safety maintenance and repair,” where “fire safety installation” means “hardwired or interconnected smoke alarms and fire sprinklers and does not include an individual device that is attached by a nail, screw or other fastening device to the frame or foundation of any residential unit,” and where fire safety maintenance and repair “does not include routine work that is conducted by an employee of an apartment or condominium complex and that is incidental to the fire safety equipment”; and (2) all work, “including installing, maintaining and repairing devices, appliances or equipment, that involves connecting to any supply of natural gas, propane or other petroleum or gaseous fuel” (this paragraph does not affect section 36-1624.01). Also note 32-1121(B) (both versions): a person licensed to perform work in a particular trade is not required to obtain and maintain a separate license for mechanical or structural service work performed within the scope of that trade. And 32-1121(C) (both versions): a person without the (A)(14)(c) advertising exemption “is subject to prosecution for a violation of section 44-1522.”

Fees

AZ ROC published schedule (roc.az.gov/licensing-fees, marked “Effective 7/1/2014”); all license fees are for a TWO-YEAR license. NEW LICENSE (application fee + license fee + recovery fund assessment = total): General Commercial (A, B-1, B-2) $200 + $580 + $0 = $780; Specialty Commercial (C) $100 + $480 + $0 = $580; General Residential (B, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-10) $180 + $320 + $370 = $870; Specialty Residential (R) $80 + $270 + $370 = $720; General Dual (KA, KB-1, KB-2) $200 + $480 + $370 = $1,050; Specialty Dual (CR) $100 + $380 + $370 = $850. RENEWAL (license fee + assessment = total): General Commercial $580 + $0 = $580; Specialty Commercial $480 + $0 = $480; General Residential $320 + $270 = $590; Specialty Residential $270 + $270 = $540; General Dual $480 + $270 = $750; Specialty Dual $380 + $270 = $650. AZ ROC notes these totals do NOT include examination fees. Examination fees (paid to the vendor, not AZ ROC): SRE $61 to GMetrix; trade exam $66 to PSI; NASCLA Commercial General Building $106 plus a surcharge that AZ ROC’s own two pages state differently - “the $30 transcript purchase” (roc.az.gov/licensing-fees) vs “the $25 application fee” (roc.az.gov/applying-for-a-license), both paid directly to NASCLA; see the exam field; NASCLA Electrical $116. Other published fees: $50 penalty for late renewal (A.R.S. 32-1126(D)); $100 application to change qualifying party; $30 application to change name of licensee (A.A.C. R4-9-130). A.R.S. 32-1126(A) sets statutory MAXIMA on the application-plus-license fee (the Residential Recovery Fund assessment is capped separately by 32-1126(G) at “not more than $600” per biennial license period). Those caps are ceilings, not the amounts charged - but AZ ROC does not charge below all of them. On every RESIDENTIAL row AZ ROC charges EXACTLY AT the statutory maximum: original general residential cap “not more than $500” vs $180 + $320 = $500 charged; original specialty residential cap “not more than $350” vs $80 + $270 = $350; biennial renewal general residential cap “not more than $320” vs $320 charged; biennial renewal specialty residential cap “not more than $270” vs $270 charged. The commercial and dual rows are charged BELOW the cap: original general commercial “not more than $1,500” vs $780; original general dual “not more than $2,000” vs $680; original specialty commercial “not more than $1,000” vs $580; original specialty dual “not more than $1,350” vs $480.

Exam

Two exams, both administered by private vendors and paid directly to them. (1) Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE), taken online through GMetrix - $61. AZ ROC’s License Classification Requirements table: “The Statutes and Rules Exam is not optional, but may be waived by the Registrar if the proposed qualifying party has been named as a qualifying party on an Arizona ROC license at any time during the past five-year period.” (2) A classification-specific Trade Exam, online or at a testing center, through PSI - $66. Applicants for C-11, R-11 and CR-11 Electrical may use the NASCLA Electrical Examination Program - $116. Solar classifications also require a Solar Exam. A.R.S. 32-1122(E)(2) requires the written examination to have been taken not more than two years before application; 32-1122(F): “The registrar shall waive the examination requirement if the records reflect that the qualifying party is currently or has previously been a qualifying party for a licensee in this state in the same classification within the preceding five years.” NASCLA COMMERCIAL GENERAL BUILDING EXAM - TWO OFFICIAL AZ ROC PAGES CONFLICT, ON BOTH ELIGIBILITY AND FEE. AZ ROC’s License and Renewal Fees page (roc.az.gov/licensing-fees) states: “Applicants for the KB-1/B-1 Commercial or Dual Building Contractor and KB-2/B-2 Small commercial or Dual Residential and Small Commercial license classifications may take the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) Commercial General Building Exam in lieu of the AZ ROC trade exam,” and “The fee for these exams is $106 plus the $30 transcript purchase. The transcript purchase is paid directly to NASCLA online and is required in order for the ROC to view the results of the examination.” AZ ROC’s Applying For A License page (roc.az.gov/applying-for-a-license) states: “Applicants for the KB-1 Dual Building Contractor and KB-2 Dual Residential and Small Commercial license classifications may take the National Association of State Licensing Agency Commercial General Building Exam in lieu of the AZ ROC trade exam. The fee for these exams is $106 plus the $25 application fee. The application fee is paid directly to NASCLA and the examination fee to PSI Exams Online.” The two pages therefore differ on WHICH classifications qualify (the fee page adds the commercial B-1 and B-2; the applying page names only the dual KB-1 and KB-2) and on the surcharge (a $30 transcript purchase vs a $25 application fee - different amount, different label, different routing). Both pages are official, current AZ ROC publications; LicensingAtlas does not resolve the conflict. A B-1 or B-2 applicant intending to substitute NASCLA should confirm eligibility with AZ ROC Licensing before paying. EXAM WAIVERS. Out of state: form RC-L-200G (Out-of-State Waiver Request Form) can support waiver of the trade examination and/or experience requirements for a qualifying party licensed in another state, and the form states “This waiver will not waive the Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE).” A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) permits the Registrar to waive the trade examination where the qualifying party “is currently or has previously been a qualifying party for a licensee in the other state in the same classification, or in a comparable classification, within the preceding five years.” In state - AZ ROC’S OWN SOURCES CONFLICT ON WHETHER THE SRE CAN BE WAIVED. AZ ROC publishes form RC-L-200H “IN-STATE WAIVER REQUEST (STATUTES AND RULES EXAM),” which states: “Under A.R.S. 32-1122(E)(1) and (F); the Registrar must waive certain licensing requirements if the applicant qualifies under the conditions of these statutes. See also A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) and (F). This may result in a waiver of the statutes and rules examination (SRE) requirements.” That agrees with the License Classification Requirements table (SRE “may be waived … past five-year period,” quoted above) and with A.R.S. 32-1122(F). But AZ ROC’s Applying For A License page states flatly, under its “Waiver of Trade Exam” heading: “The AZ SRE Statutes and Rules Exam cannot be waived because it has reference to Arizona specific statutes and rules.” Both are official AZ ROC publications and both are current; the reason given on the applying page is categorical rather than limited to the out-of-state route. LicensingAtlas reports both and does not resolve them.

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial (two years), on a staggered schedule. A.R.S. 32-1123.01: “The registrar shall maintain a system of staggered licensure to distribute the work of licensure throughout the twelve months of the year” and “shall implement a system for biennial license renewal and provide for proration of license renewal fees for that purpose.” The Registrar may grant an exception allowing ANNUAL renewal on written petition showing that biennial renewal would cause “a real and immediate hardship”; the annual renewal fee is one-half the biennial renewal fee (32-1126(B)). A.R.S. 32-1125(A): a license “is suspended on the next business day following its renewal date by operation of law” if not renewed. 32-1125(B): a license suspended for failure to renew may be reactivated within one year by filing the application and paying the renewal fee plus a $50 fee; “When a license has been suspended for more than one year for failure to renew, a new application for a license must be made and a new license issued.” AZ ROC’s Renew a License Checklist requires: Arizona Corporation Commission status “Active” and “In Good Standing” (LLC/Inc), an active bond in an amount covering the annual volume (a bond rider is required if volume increases), and a workers’ compensation policy number or exemption. None published. AZ ROC’s Renew a License Checklist (steps 1-8) lists no continuing education requirement, and A.R.S. 32-1125 (Renewal of license) imposes none. The only occurrence of “continuing education” in AZ ROC’s 2024 Statute and Rules Book is A.R.S. 32-1129, which permits - but does not require - a person who completes a US Department of Labor- or DES-approved apprenticeship program to file the certificate of completion “and any related updates to the certificate, including documentation for completed continuing education courses,” with the registrar.

How to apply

Applications are handled by Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC). Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Arizona

Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) publishes a public license search , searchable by 6-digit license number, contractor or business name, person name, city, license classification or license status. It covers AZ ROC-licensed residential and commercial contractors statewide.

Records come from Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC)’s own system. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.