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Arizona |
Basically, you need a license to bid on any job over $750 in Arizona.
To find out who is a licensed contractor in
Arizona, click http://www.rc.state.az.us/clsc/AZROCLicenseQuery
or call (602) 542 1525.
Arizona issues separate licenses for commercial and residential work for each particular trade or construction field. Licenses are good for two years. To apply for either license, contact:
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Arizona Registrar of Contractors 800 West Washington 6th Floor Phoenix, AZ 85007-2940 (602) 542-1525 http://www.rc.state.az.us/ |
You'll have to pass an exam before you can apply for a license in Arizona. To apply for the exam, contact:
Phoenix Center
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Experior 8900 N. 22nd Avenue, Suite 205 US West/DEX Communications Center Phoenix, AZ 85021 (602) 944-7411 http://www.experioronline.com |
Tempe Area Center
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Experior 4920 S. Wendler Drive Suite 110 Tempe, AZ 85282 (602) 426-1284 http://www.experioronline.com |
You must pass a business management exam within six months from when you apply for it. After that you'll have one year to apply for your license. The exam is two and one-half hours. Exam details are as follows:
| Subject | Percent of Exam |
| Business management | 8 |
| Licensing laws and rules | 8 |
| Estimating & bidding | 12 |
| Contracts & agreements | 12 |
| Project management | 12 |
| Insurance & bonding | 8 |
| Safety, record keeping & reporting | 6 |
| Labor laws & employment regulations | 7 |
| Financial management | 11 |
| Tax laws | 6 |
| Liens | 5 |
| Environmental laws & regulations | 5 |
Then there's a three-hour exam (except for the Electrical and Electrical and transmission lines exams which are four hours long) on a trade you pick.
Here's a summary of the commercial construction trades you can be licensed in, years of experience you need, and whether you have to pass a trade exam for the license:
| Trade | Years experience required | Trade Exam required? | |
| Engineering contracting (commercial) | |||
| A | General engineering | 4 | yes |
| A-03 | Blasting | 4 | yes |
| A-04 | Drilling | 4 | yes |
| A-05 | Excavating, grading & oil surfacing | 4 | no |
| A-07 | Piers & foundations | 4 | yes |
| A-09 | Swimming pools | 4 | yes |
| A-11 | Steel & aluminum erection | 4 | yes |
| A-12 | Sewers, drains & pipe laying | 4 | yes |
| A-14 | Asphalt paving | 4 | no |
| A-15 | Seal coating | 2 | no |
| A-16 | Waterworks | 4 | yes |
| A-17 | Electrical & transmission lines | 4 | yes |
| A-19 | *Swimming pools, including solar | 4 | yes |
| A-21 | Landscaping & irrigation systems | 4 | yes |
| AE | as restricted by Registrar | ||
| General commercial contracting | |||
| B-01 | General commercial | 4 | yes |
| B-02 | General small commercial | 4 | yes |
| BE | as restricted by Registrar | ||
| Residential contracting | |||
| B | General residential | 4 | yes |
| B-03 | General remodeling and repair | 4 | yes |
| B-04 | General residential engineering | 4 | yes |
| B-04R | Corrosion control | 1 | no |
| B-04R | Sport court accessories | 1 | no |
| B-04R | Soil stabilization | 1 | no |
| B-05 | General swimming pool contractor | 4 | yes |
| B-05R | Swimming pool covers | 1 | no |
| B-05R | Fiberglassing of swimming pools | 1 | no |
| B-05R | Reservoir linings and covers | 1 | no |
| B-05R | Factory fabricated pools & accessories | 2 | yes |
| B-06 | General swimming pool contractor, including solar* | 4 | yes |
| B-10 | Premanufactured spas and hot tubs | 2 | no |
| Specialty residential contracting | |||
| C-01 | Acoustical systems | 1 | no |
| C-02 | Excavating, grading and oil surfacing | 3 | no |
| C-03 | Awnings & canopies | 1 | no |
| C-04 | Boilers, including solar | 4 | yes |
| C-04R | Boilers | 4 | yes |
| C-06 | Swimming pool service & repair | 1 | no |
| C-07 | Carpentry | 4 | yes |
| C-07R | Doors, gates windows & accessories | 1 | no |
| C-07R | Removable formwork & shoring | 1 | no |
| C-07R | Nailing & stapling | 1 | no |
| C-08 | Floor covering | 2 | yes |
| C-08R | Wood flooring | 1 | no |
| C-08R | Carpet | 1 | no |
| C-08R | Composition flooring | 1 | no |
| C-08R | Non-conventional floor covering | 1 | no |
| C-08R | Ceramic and clay floor covering | 1 | no |
| C-09 | Concrete | 4 | yes |
| C-09R | Gunite & shotcrete | 3 | no |
| C-09R | Lightweight concrete | 1 | no |
| C-09R | Fence footings | 1 | no |
| C-09R | Pre-cast concrete | 1 | no |
| C-09R | Sawing, coring, epoxy panels & bonding | 1 | no |
| C-10 | Drywall | 2 | no |
| C-11 | Electrical | 4 | yes |
| C-12 | Low voltage communication systems | 1 | yes |
| C-13 | Asphalt paving | 4 | no |
| C-13R | Asphalt coating & parking appurtenances | 2 | no |
| C-14 | Fencing | 3 | no |
| C-14R | Fencing other than masonry | 1 | no |
| C-15 | Blasting | 4 | yes |
| C-16 | Fire protection systems | 4 | yes |
| C-16R | CO2, dry and wet chemical systems | 1 | no |
| C-17 | Structural steel & aluminum | 4 | yes |
| C-17R | Steel floor, sub floor & form systems | 1 | no |
| C-17R | Welding | 1 | no |
| C-17R | Ornamental metals | 1 | no |
| C-17R | Tanks | 1 | no |
| C-17R | Recreational equipment | 1 | no |
| C-17R | Rebar, post tensioning and wire mesh | 2 | no |
| C-18 | Elevators | 4 | no |
| C-21 | Landscaping & irrigation systems | 2 | no |
| C-21R | Landscaping | 2 | no |
| C-21R | Irrigation systems | 2 | yes |
| C-22 | House moving | 4 | no |
| C-22R | Wrecking | 3 | no |
| C-29 | Machinery | ask registrar | ask registrar |
| C-30 | Finish carpentry | 2 | no |
| C-30R | Kitchen and bathroom components | 1 | no |
| C-30R | Doors, windows, gates, tub & shower enclosures | 1 | no |
| C-30R | Cultured marble | 1 | no |
| C-30R | Weatherstripping | 1 | no |
| C-31 | Masonry | 4 | yes |
| C-31R | Flagstone | 1 | no |
| C-31R | Stone masonry | 1 | no |
| C-34 | Painting & wall covering | 2 | yes |
| C-34R | Surface preparation & waterproofing | 1 | no |
| C-34R | Wallpaper | 1 | no |
| C-36 | Plastering | 3 | no |
| C-36R | Swimming pool plastering | 2 | no |
| C-36R | Lathing | 2 | no |
| C-37 | Plumbing, including solar | 4 | yes |
| C-37R | Plumbing | 4 | yes |
| C-37R | Built-in central vacuum systems | 1 | no |
| C-37R | Kitchen & bathroom fixture refinishing | 1 | no |
| C-37R | Swimming pool plumbing & equipment | 1 | no |
| C-37R | Gas piping | 2 | yes |
| C-37R | Sewers, drains & pipe laying | 4 | yes |
| C-37R | Water conditioning equipment | 2 | yes |
| C-37R | Solar plumbing, liquid systems | 6 months | yes |
| C-38 | Signs | 1 | no |
| C-39 | Air conditioning & refrigeration, including solar | 4 | yes |
| C-39R | Air conditioning and refrigeration | 4 | yes |
| C-39R | Gas refrigeration | 2 | no |
| C-39R | Temperature control systems | 1 | no |
| C-39R | Warm air heating, evaporative cooling & heating | 2 | yes |
| C-39R | Evaporative cooling and ventilators | 1 | no |
| C-39R | Pre-coolers | 1 | no |
| C-40 | Insulation | 2 | no |
| C-40R | Foam insulation | 1 | no |
| C-41 | Sewage treatment and systems | 3 | yes |
| C-41R | Precast waste treatment systems | 2 | yes |
| C-42 | Roofing | 4 | yes |
| C-42R | Foam & panel roofing | 2 | no |
| C-42R | Liquid applied roofing | 1 | no |
| C-42R | Roofing shingles & shakes | 2 | no |
| C-45 | Sheet metal | 2 | no |
| C-45R | Premanufactured fireplaces | 1 | no |
| C-48 | Ceramic, plastic, & metal tile | 3 | yes |
| C-48R | Swimming pool tile | 2 | no |
| C-53 | Drilling | 2 | yes |
| C-61 | Limited remodeling & repair | 4 | yes |
| C-62 | Minor home improvement | -- | no |
| C-63 | Appliances | 2 | no |
| C-65 | Glazing | 3 | no |
| C-65R | Skylights | 1 | no |
| C-65R | Storm windows & doors | 1 | no |
| C-65R | Mirrors | 1 | no |
| C-65R | Window treatment | 1 | no |
| C-68 | Mobile home remodeling & repair | 4 | yes |
*3-1/2 years practical experience plus 1/2 year solar experience
Commercial and residential
exam fees: All exam questions are
multiple choice. The cost for the exam is $72 for the business law part or one trade exam.
If you apply for the business law and one trade exam, the cost is $125.
Experior has study guides for each exam. When they get your application for the exam, they'll mail you guides for the exams you're taking.
After you pass the exam, you can complete your license application. You'll need a financial statement, proof of Workers' Compensation Insurance if you have employees, and a bond. The amount of the bond depends on the type of license you're getting and the gross amount of business you expect to do in Arizona. For commercial contractor licenses, bonds can be from $2,500 to $90,000 for each license. For residential contractor licenses, they're from $1,000 to $15,000 each. Residential contractors also need to pay into the Arizona Recovery Fund. The amount of the payment may vary from year to year depending on how much the Fund has accumulated over the year.
License fees are:
$890 for each commercial construction general or
engineering classification
$645 for each commercial specialty construction trade
$445 for each residential construction general or engineering classification
$320 for most residential specialty construction trades
$1,105 for each dual general classification
$815 for each specialty duel classification
*Note: All residential and dual licenses require participation in the recovery fund. You can either participate by paying $300 for the first year and $80 for the second or post a consumer bond for $100,000.
Arizona has reciprocity agreements with California, Nevada, and Utah which will let you skip any trade exam you already have a license for. To qualify for this you must:
Your experience and licensing in another state may help you qualify for a license but you still must be issued a license by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
| Recommended Reading for the Business
Management Exam Arizona Guide for Contractors - Statutes and Rules, Arizona Registrar of Contractors, 800 Washington, Sixth Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85007 State of Arizona OSHA Safety and Health Standards for the Construction Industry, Arizona Industrial Commission, Division of Occupational Safety and Health, P.O. Box 19070, Phoenix, AZ 85005 Arizona Construction Management Guide, Builder's Publishing Company, 1033 East Jefferson Street, Suite 500, Phoenix, AZ 85034, http://www.buildersbookdepot.com |
Department of Transportation (DOT)
To bid on highway projects in Arizona, you need a commercial construction license and prequalification with the Arizona Department of Transportation. Their address is:
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Arizona Department of Transportation Highways Division Contracts and Specifications Services 1651 West Jackson Street, Room 121-F Phoenix, AZ 85007-3217 (602) 255-7221 http://www.dot.state.az.us |
The application for prequalification is available for download at http://www.dot.state.az.us/ABOUT/cns/prequal.htm.
The application will ask you:
You must file the application at least 15 days before the opening bid date for any project you're bidding on. Prequalification is good for 15 months from the date of the financial statement you send with your application.
The Department of Transportation will look at your application and classify your company as:
| Classification | Basis | Cost limit of job you can prequalify for |
| Inexperienced | no experience as a prime highway contractor | $300,000 |
| New | new business with experience in highway construction with other prime contracting businesses | five times the net worth of your company |
| Unknown | experience
as a prime contractor but not in highway construction as a prime contractor with DOT |
the larger of five times the net worth of your company or the cost of the largest highway project you've completed as a prime contractor for any other public agency |
| Known | experience
as at least one highway construction project as a prime contractor for the DOT |
ten times the net worth of your company or unlimited if ten times the net worth of your company is more than $30,000,000 |
Out-of-State Corporations
If your corporation isn't chartered in Arizona, you'll also need a letter from the Arizona Corporation Commission authorizing you to do business in Arizona. Their address is:
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Arizona Corporation Commission 1300 West Washington Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602) 542-3026 http://www.cc.state.az.us |
Filing
fee: The filing fee is $175.
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