How to Verify a Contractor's License in Arizona

Licensing in Arizona

Arizona licenses contractors through the Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) under A.R.S. Title 32 Chapter 10, and the licence is SPLIT BY OCCUPANCY — separate commercial and residential licences per trade, plus dual licences. Checking that a licence exists is not enough in Arizona: confirm the commercial/residential designation matches your project. ROC's Contractor Search shows licence status, the classification held, and whether the contractor has unresolved complaints. Look for status ACTIVE; expired or revoked means they cannot legally contract.

The ROC publishes 144 classifications across 8 groups, and specialty work is licensed three ways rather than two: C- commercial (39), R- residential (37) and CR- dual (44). The dual category is the largest, so a contractor working both sides of the market holds one CR licence rather than two.

32 specialty trades exist in all three forms, so the same work is a different class depending on whether the job is commercial, residential or both — read the letter prefix, not just the number.

Matching numbers do not always mean matching scope: C-53 is Water Well Drilling while R-53 is Drilling, and R-4 and R-39 include solar where their commercial counterparts do not. Match on the class title, not the number.

Why It Matters

An unlicensed contractor can cost you more than the job. Inspectors can red-tag the work, insurers may decline a claim arising from it, and the recovery funds that exist in some states are open only to people who hired a licensed contractor. Checking the credential before work starts is the cheapest step in the whole project.