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How to Check an Arizona Contractor License Before You Hire

Checking an Arizona contractor takes two steps, and most people only do one. First, match the license class on the quote to the job. Second, run the contractor through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors' own search, which is the official tool. A license that exists but covers the wrong trade will not protect you.

Updated Oct 22, 2026

Match the license class to the job before you sign

Start with the quote or the ad, not the search box. Find the class code the contractor names, then check that the class fits the work.

A plumbing license does not make someone an electrician. A valid license can still be the wrong one for your job.

Homeowner comparing a printed quote with a laptop
Comparing a printed quote with a license lookup on a laptop

The Arizona Administrative Code defines the classes. The table below lists every class in our reference set, by trade, with its code and name.[1][2][3] The code text defines what each class may do.

The Registrar of Contractors (ROC) has the authoritative descriptions.

Trade Class code and name
General B- General Residential Contractor; B-3 General Remodeling and Repair Contractor; R-61 Carpentry, Remodeling and Repairs; R-62 Minor Home Improvements[1]
General B-1 General Commercial Contractor; B-2 General Small Commercial Contractor[2]
General KB-1 Dual Building Contractor; KB-2 Dual Residential and Small Commercial[3]
HVAC R-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Including Solar[1]; CR-79 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Including Solar (dual); CR-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (dual)[3]
Plumbing R-37 Plumbing, Including Solar[1]; CR-77 Plumbing Including Solar (dual); CR-37 Plumbing (dual)[3]
Electrical R-11 Electrical[1]; CR-11 Electrical (dual)[3]
Pool B-5 General Swimming Pool Contractor; B-6 General Swimming Pool Contractor, Including Solar; B-10 Pre-Manufactured Spas and Hot Tubs; R-6 Swimming Pool Service and Repair[1]; CR-6 Swimming Pool Service and Repair (dual); KA-5 Dual Swimming Pool Contractor; KA-6 Dual Swimming Pool Contractor, Including Solar[3]
Roofing R-42 Roofing[1]; CR-42 Roofing (dual)[3]

For background on how classes are organized, see the license guide.

The ROC runs the official contractor search, and the lookup happens on its site, not ours: Arizona ROC contractor search.[4] Bring a license number or the exact business name from the quote or ad.

The ROC's own page is the source for what a record shows, so read the record there.

"Licensed and insured" is a claim, not proof. Search the contractor yourself every time, even when a neighbor or an ad sent you.

The same goes for a complaint history: the ROC is where you look for it.

Save a dated screenshot of the record with your contract and payment records. Then call the phone number listed on the official record, not only the one the salesperson gave you, to confirm that the person at your door works for that company.

Pro tip

Keep a dated screenshot of the ROC record with your contract and payment records, and call the number on the official record to confirm who you are dealing with.

Copper State Home Pros

Ask for a current certificate of insurance too. Treat a refusal as a reason to pause.

For a specific trade, these directories carry their own verification pages: verifying an electrician and verifying an HVAC contractor.

Compare the quote and the ad with what you found

Line up the paperwork. Verifying that a license exists is not the same as verifying that it fits. Put the quote, the ad and the ROC record side by side and check each of these:

  • The business name on the quote matches the business name on the record.
  • The license number on the quote matches the number you searched.
  • The class on the quote appears in the class table above and fits the trade.
  • The work the quote describes falls within what that class's code text covers.[1]

A mismatch on any line is a reason to stop and ask questions. A roofing quote under an electrical class, or a business name that differs from the record, should not go unexplained.

If the work spans trades, such as a remodel with new wiring and plumbing, expect more than one licensed party or a general class that fits the job. Confirm that with the ROC.

Licensing questions have stakes.

Read the legal risks of hiring an unlicensed contractor before you agree to anything with a company you cannot match to a record.

Read the handyman wording in an ad

Some ads say "not a licensed contractor." Arizona law lets a person do casual or minor work without a license under the handyman exemption in ARS § 32-1121.[5] A person relying on that exemption who is not licensed must disclose "not a licensed contractor" on any public form of advertisement.[6]

That phrase tells you the advertiser is not on the ROC's licensed list for that work. Searching for them will not turn up a license, and you should not expect it to.

The statute limits the exemption to casual or minor work on a project with an aggregate contract price below $1,000, including labor and materials. It also excludes work that requires a local building permit.[5]

Decide

Does the handyman exemption fit?

Is the job casual or minor, under $1,000, and without a permit?

  • If Yes

    then: The exemption may apply, and the ad must say "not a licensed contractor"

  • If No

    then: Hire a licensed contractor and check the class and record at the ROC

Check with your city's permit desk and see the handyman exemption and its limits.

Sources

  1. Cornell Legal Information Institute. "Arizona Administrative Code R4-9-103 (contractor classifications)." https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/arizona/Ariz-Admin-Code-SS-R4-9-103. Accessed October 21, 2026.
  2. Cornell Legal Information Institute. "Arizona Administrative Code R4-9-102 (contractor classifications)." https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/arizona/Ariz-Admin-Code-SS-R4-9-102. Accessed October 21, 2026.
  3. Cornell Legal Information Institute. "Arizona Administrative Code R4-9-104 (contractor classifications)." https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/arizona/Ariz-Admin-Code-SS-R4-9-104. Accessed October 21, 2026.
  4. Arizona Registrar of Contractors. "Arizona ROC contractor search." https://azroc.my.site.com/AZRoc/s/contractor-search. Accessed October 21, 2026.
  5. Arizona Legislature. "ARS § 32-1121: Persons Not Required to Be Licensed; Penalties; Applicability." https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=http://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01121.htm. Accessed October 21, 2026.
  6. Arizona Legislature. "HB2727 Summary." https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/56leg/1R/summary/H.HB2727_020923_RA.DOCX.htm. Accessed October 21, 2026.