Arizona Plumbing Contractor License — Requirements, Fees & Exam

Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) administers plumbing 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

In Arizona, there is no state-issued ‘journeyman plumber license’, ‘master plumber license’, or ‘plumber apprentice card’. The state credential is a CONTRACTOR license issued by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC), and individual plumbers working for wages are exempt from the contractor licensing chapter under A.R.S. 32-1121(A)(11). Common names for the Arizona plumbing credential include ‘Arizona plumbing contractor license’, ‘ROC plumbing license’, ‘C-37 license’ (commercial plumbing), ‘CR-37 license’ (dual commercial and residential plumbing), ‘R-37 license’ (residential plumbing including solar), and ‘R-37R license’ (residential plumbing). A business must hold an ROC license and designate a qualifying party to advertise, bid, or perform plumbing work for compensation in Arizona.

License types & fees

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

Arizona regulates plumbing as a contractor classification under the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC), and A.R.S. 32-1121 sets forth the statutory exemptions from the contractor licensing requirement. azleg.gov publishes two versions of 32-1121: https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01121.htm (Laws 2019 ch. 140; paragraphs (A)(1)-(A)(18), no subsection E) and https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01121.01.htm (Laws 2019 ch. 145, ‘Version 1’; paragraphs (A)(1)-(A)(17) plus subsection E). The list below follows the ch. 140 version, with subsection E from the ch. 145 version. (A)(1) Authorized representatives of the United States government, the state of Arizona, or any county, incorporated city or town, or other political subdivision. (A)(2) Trustees of an express trust that is not formed for the purpose of conducting contracting, or officers of a court acting within the terms of their office. (A)(3) Public utilities operating under regulation of the corporation commission, or construction, repair or operation incidental to discovering or producing petroleum or gas, or drilling, testing, abandoning or otherwise operating a petroleum or gas well, if performed by an owner or lessee. (A)(4) Any materialman, manufacturer or retailer furnishing finished products, materials or articles of merchandise who does not install or attach such items, or who installs them where the total transaction value does not exceed $1,000, provided the seller informs the purchaser that a licensed contractor may perform the installation. (A)(5) Owners of property who improve their property or build structures themselves or through their own employees or with licensed contractors, where the structure is intended solely for occupancy by the owner and not for sale or rent. Sale or rent within one year after completion is prima facie evidence of intent to sell/rent. (A)(6) Owners acting as developers who build or improve structures on their property for sale or rent and contract with a licensed general contractor (to build) or with a licensed general contractor or specialty contractors (to improve), provided the licensed contractors’ names and license numbers appear on all sales documents. (A)(7) Architects or engineers in professional practice hiring contractors for preconstruction investigation (subsurface utilities, potholing, soil/rock samples, locating existing building features). (A)(8) Pest management licensees under Title 3, Chapter 20. (A)(9) Sale or installation of finished products, materials or merchandise not fabricated into and not a permanent fixed part of the structure, unless a permit is required, removal causes damage, or the total price exceeds $1,000. (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) EMPLOYEES: ‘Any person who engages in the activities regulated by this chapter, as an employee of an exempt property owner or as an employee with wages as the person’s sole compensation’ — this is the statutory provision that permits plumbers to work without an individual state license when employed by a licensed plumbing contractor. (A)(12) Authorized surety companies undertaking to complete a contract using duly licensed contractors. (A)(13) Authorized insurance companies performing casualty repairs using duly licensed contractors. (A)(14) CASUAL OR MINOR WORK ($1,000 HANDYMAN EXEMPTION): Any person other than a licensed contractor engaging in work of a casual or minor nature on one undertaking or project by one or more contracts for which the aggregate contract price (labor, materials, and all other items, but excluding certain unaltered manufacturer-designed electrical fixtures or appliances that plug into a household outlet or run on internal batteries of not more than twelve volts and use no gas or other fuel, or are attached by a nail, screw or other fastening device to the frame or foundation of a residential structure) is less than $1,000. This exemption does NOT apply: (a) where the work requires a local building permit; (b) where the work is part of a larger or major operation or divided to evade the chapter; or (c) to a person who advertises without disclosing unlicensed status by including ’not a licensed contractor’. (A)(15) A person licensed, certified or registered pursuant to Title 41, Chapter 37, Article 4 who is not otherwise required to be licensed under this chapter, or an employee of such person. (A)(16) Gardeners performing lawn, garden, shrub, and tree maintenance. (A)(17) Alarm agents as defined in A.R.S. 32-101. (A)(18) Telecommunications, cable, and satellite providers installing low-voltage cabling and internet drops. SUBSECTION B: A person licensed in a trade is not required to obtain a separate license for mechanical or structural service work within the scope of that trade. SUBSECTION D — CRITICAL STATUTORY CARVE-BACK: The $1,000 exemptions under paragraphs 4, 9, and 14 DO NOT APPLY to: (1) All fire safety and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work done in connection with fire safety installation and fire safety maintenance and repair; and (2) ‘All work done, 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.’ (ch. 140 wording; the ch. 145 version reads ‘All work that is done, including the installation, maintenance and repair of devices, appliances or equipment, that involves the connecting to any supply of natural gas, propane or other petroleum or gaseous fuel.’) SUBSECTION E (ch. 145 version only): a joint venture or other combination is not required to obtain a separate contractor’s license in its own name if at least one member holds a contractor’s license in good standing, each member that acts as a contractor holds a license in good standing, and each licensed member only performs work within the scope of that member’s license.

Fees

Fees are authorized by A.R.S. 32-1126, A.R.S. 32-1126(G), and A.A.C. R4-9-130, effective July 1, 2014, and cover a two-year (biennial) license term. INITIAL APPLICATION TOTALS: (1) Specialty Dual (CR-37, CR-77): $100 application fee + $380 license fee + $370 Residential Recovery Fund assessment = $850 total. (2) Specialty Commercial (C-37, C-77): $100 application fee + $480 license fee + $0 Recovery Fund assessment = $580 total. (3) Specialty Residential (R-37, R-37R): $80 application fee + $270 license fee + $370 Recovery Fund assessment = $720 total. BIENNIAL RENEWAL TOTALS: Specialty Dual (CR) = $380 license fee + $270 Recovery Fund assessment = $650 total; Specialty Commercial (C) = $480 license fee + $0 Recovery Fund = $480 total; Specialty Residential (R) = $270 license fee + $270 Recovery Fund assessment = $540 total. An annual renewal granted on a hardship petition under A.R.S. 32-1123.01(C) costs one-half of the biennial license renewal fee (A.R.S. 32-1126(B)). EXAMINATION FEES (paid to third-party vendors): SRE exam fee is $61 paid directly to Gmetrix; trade exam fee is $66 paid directly to PSI. LATE RENEWAL: a license suspended for failure to renew may be reactivated within one year by paying the renewal fee plus a $50 fee (A.R.S. 32-1125(B); penalty set at $50 by 32-1126(D)). FEE WAIVER: under A.R.S. 41-1080.01, “any fee charged for an initial license” is waived for a first-time applicant whose family income does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, an active duty military service member’s spouse, or a veteran honorably discharged not more than two years before application; AZ ROC applies it to Sole Proprietor applicants and still charges the Residential Recovery Fund assessment to Residential and Dual applicants. BONDS: A surety bond or cash deposit must be posted (Specialty Residential $4,250 or $7,500; Specialty Commercial $2,500 to $50,000 based on volume; Dual is combined).

Exam

The qualifying party must pass the required examinations before an Arizona contractor license can be issued (A.R.S. 32-1122(E)(2), exam “taken not more than two years before application”): (1) AZ Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE) – a computer-based, open-book training course and exam on Arizona building, safety, health and lien laws, administrative principles of the contracting business and the Registrar’s rules (A.A.C. R4-9-106(A)(1)), offered only online through Gmetrix for a fee of $61 paid directly to Gmetrix. (2) Trade-specific Plumbing Examination – taken online or at a testing center through PSI Services for a fee of $66 paid directly to PSI. Each examination requires a grade of at least 70% (R4-9-106(C)); retakes wait 30 calendar days after the first failure, 30 after the second and 90 after any other (R4-9-106(D)). Trade exam waiver: under A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) the Registrar may waive the trade exam if the qualifying party “is currently or has previously been a qualifying party for a licensee in this state or another state in the same classification, or a comparable classification as determined by the Registrar, within the preceding five years” (AZ ROC, Applying for a License); the waiver is requested by including the Application to Waive a Trade Examination with the license application, and “The Registrar does not pre-approve trade exam waivers prior to license application”. Out-of-state qualifying parties use the Out-of-State Waiver Request Form, which can waive the trade exam and experience if the comparable license was held within the past 5 years and “was obtained by a trade examination” (AZ ROC). The SRE is not waived for an out-of-state qualifying party (Out-of-State Waiver Request Form RC-L-200G: “This waiver will not waive the Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE).”), but it can be waived for a qualifying party who has been a qualifying party on an Arizona ROC license within the past five years: A.R.S. 32-1122(F) says “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,” and AZ ROC states that the SRE “cannot be waived unless the proposed qualifying party has been the qualifying party on an Arizona contractor’s license within the past five years of the application date” (In-State Waiver Request Form RC-L-200H covers the SRE). AZ ROC’s own FAQ on the same page also says, without that exception, “The AZ SRE Statutes and Rules Exam cannot be waived because it has reference to Arizona specific statutes and rules.” For solar plumbing classifications (C-77, R-37, CR-77), a Solar examination is also required. AZ ROC lists NASCLA exam alternatives only for the KB-1/B-1 and KB-2/B-2 building classifications and the CR-11/C-11/R-11 electrical classifications; no plumbing classification is on that list.

Renewal & continuing education

Biennial (every two years): A.R.S. 32-1123.01(B) “The registrar shall implement a system for biennial license renewal”, with staggered licensure throughout the year (32-1123.01(A)). The Registrar may allow an annual renewal “based on a written petition by a contractor claiming that the biennial requirements would cause a real and immediate hardship” (32-1123.01(C)), at one-half of the biennial renewal fee (32-1126(B)). Under A.R.S. 32-1125(A), a license “is suspended on the next business day following its renewal date by operation of law”; a renewal application with a valid bond or cash deposit on file and the required fee, received or mailed postage prepaid on or before the renewal date, lets the licensee keep operating until the renewal issues. A license suspended for failure to renew may be reactivated and renewed within one year of suspension by filing the application and paying the renewal fee plus a $50 fee (32-1125(B)). If a license remains suspended for more than one year for failure to renew, a new application must be made and a new license issued. 0 (none listed). The requirements to “obtain, renew or maintain a license” in A.R.S. 32-1122(B), the biennial renewal section A.R.S. 32-1123.01 and A.R.S. 32-1125 (“Renewal of license; qualifying party”) include no continuing education. License renewal requires Arizona Corporation Commission good standing (for LLCs and corporations), maintenance of an active surety bond or cash deposit covering anticipated gross volume, workers’ compensation insurance policy information or exemption certification, and payment of the biennial renewal fee.

How to apply

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