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General contractor · State license

How to get a general contractor license in Arizona

State law and licensing-board sources · Last reviewed October 10, 2026

Arizona's Registrar of Contractors (ROC) licenses general contractors. It issues separate residential, commercial and dual (both) licenses. The license belongs to the business, which needs a qualifying party: a person with at least 4 years of hands-on or managerial experience who passes the state's Statutes and Rules Exam and a trade exam. You'll also post a license bond, and residential contractors pay into the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund. [1][2][3][4]

New to the trade?

Starting from zero in Arizona

You don't need a license to start in construction in Arizona: if you work for wages for a licensed contractor, the licensing law doesn't apply to you. Get hired as a laborer, carpenter's helper or apprentice, or apply to a registered apprenticeship. The general contractor license comes later and needs a qualifying party with four years of experience. [3][5][14]

  • High school diploma or GED

    Not a state rule for workers: wage employees are exempt from the contractor licensing law. Programs set their own rules. The Arizona Apprenticeship Office (part of the Department of Economic Security, DES) says no experience is needed and most registered apprenticeship programs require a high school diploma or GED (General Educational Development test). The Arizona Building and Construction Trades Council's apprenticeship inquiry form asks whether you have a diploma or GED or will finish one within six months. [5][14][15]

  • Minimum age

    DES says registered apprentices must be at least 16, but each industry sets its own minimum, usually 18. The Trades Council's inquiry form asks if you're 17 or older. Everyone named on a ROC contractor license application must be 18 or older. [2][14][15]

  • Register before you start work

    No state registration for workers. Apprenticeship programs themselves must be registered with the Arizona Apprenticeship Office. When you finish a U.S. Department of Labor- or DES-approved construction apprenticeship, you or your program sponsor may file your completion certificate with the ROC, which keeps it for ten years. [14][16]

  • Helper jobs

    Yes. A person who does contracting work "as an employee with wages as the person's sole compensation" doesn't need a ROC license. Your employer needs the license. [5]

  • Driver's license

    The Trades Council's apprenticeship inquiry form asks whether you have a valid driver's license. [15]

  • Finding a program

    DES's list of registered apprenticeship programs includes carpenter and construction craft laborer programs run by contractor associations, colleges and employers. DES says to contact the program directly and ask if and when it is taking applications. [14][17]

  • Pay while you learn

    DES says registered apprentices are full-time employees of the sponsoring employer, and pay typically starts at 40-50% of a skilled worker's wage and rises as you progress. [14]

  • Credit for school

    For the contractor license, technical training at an accredited college or university, or in a manufacturer's accredited training program, can count for up to two of the four years of experience. [18]

  • Still in high school?

    DES allows registered apprentices from age 16, and part-time work in a School-to-Registered Apprenticeship program. The Arizona Department of Education's career and technical education (CTE) programs include Carpentry, Construction Technologies, Cabinetmaking and Heavy Equipment Operations Ask your high school or district which ones it offers. The ROC co-hosts a yearly apprenticeship fair at Chase Field for high school and college students and veterans, and points to Arizona Construction Career Days, a hands-on event for high school students. Dual enrollment lets you take college classes that count for high school and college credit. [10][14][19][20]

Where to apply in ArizonaHow to get an apprenticeshipHelper jobs

Licensing office Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) · (602) 542-1525 [2]

Arizona contractor license at a glance

Who needs a license
Any business that contracts to build, alter, repair or demolish a structure, generally when labor and materials exceed $1,000 or a permit is required [1]
General contractor classes
B (residential), B-3 (residential remodeling and repair), B-1 (commercial), B-2 (small commercial up to $2,000,000 per project), KB-1 and KB-2 Dual [1]
Experience
4 years of hands-on and/or managerial experience for the qualifying party B, B-1, B-2, B-3, KB-1, KB-2 [3]
Exams
Statutes and Rules Exam ($61, online through Gmetrix) plus a trade exam ($66, PSI) 70% to pass [2][6]
License fees (new, 2 years)
$780 commercial (B-1, B-2) $870 residential (B, B-3); $1,050 dual (KB-1, KB-2), recovery fund assessment included [6]
License bond
$9,000 or $15,000 for residential general contractors $5,000 to $100,000 for commercial, based on yearly volume [4]
Recovery fund
Residential and dual licensees pay a Recovery Fund assessment or post a $200,000 bond [4][6]
Renewal
Every 2 years: $580 commercial, $590 residential, $750 dual [6]
Reciprocity
No direct reciprocity. ROC can waive the trade exam and experience for a comparable license held elsewhere in the last 5 years, and Arizona's universal recognition law covers new residents licensed elsewhere for at least 1 year. The Statutes and Rules Exam still applies. [2][8][9]
Minimum age
18 for everyone named on the application [2]
On this page
  1. At a glance
  2. Starting from zero
  3. The license pathway
  4. Who needs a contractor license in Arizona
  5. The general contractor classifications
  6. Experience and the qualifying party
  7. The exams
  8. Fees, bonds and the recovery fund
  9. Renewal
  10. If you're licensed in another state
  11. Fee waivers and getting started
  12. Steps to get licensed
  13. Where to get the hours
  14. Licensed in another state?
  15. Questions people ask

The license pathway in Arizona

  1. 1

    B-3 General Remodeling and Repair Contractor

    • 4 years of experience
    • Yes: Statutes and Rules Exam plus a trade exam (combined B / B-3 / CR-61 exam), PSI (a testing company)
    • $870 for a new 2-year license (includes $370 recovery fund assessment), plus exam fees
    • Every 2 years; $590

    Remodel and repair existing homes. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, boiler, pool, spa and water well work must be subcontracted to licensed contractors. [1][2][3][6]

  2. 2

    B General Residential Contractor

    • 4 years of experience
    • Yes: Statutes and Rules Exam plus a trade exam (combined B / B-3 / CR-61 exam), PSI
    • $870 for a new 2-year license (includes $370 recovery fund assessment), plus exam fees
    • Every 2 years; $590

    Build and repair all or any part of a residential structure. Electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, boiler, pool, spa and water well work must be subcontracted to licensed contractors. [1][2][3][6]

  3. 3

    B-2 General Small Commercial Contractor

    • 4 years of experience
    • Yes: Statutes and Rules Exam plus a trade exam (combined B-1 / B-2 / KB-1 / KB-2 exam), PSI; NASCLA (National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies) exam accepted instead of the trade exam
    • $780 for a new 2-year license, plus exam fees
    • Every 2 years; $580

    Commercial construction on new structures or additions, for projects of $2,000,000 or less including labor and materials. [1][2][3][6]

  4. 4

    B-1 General Commercial Contractor

    • 4 years of experience
    • Yes: Statutes and Rules Exam plus a trade exam (combined B-1 / B-2 / KB-1 / KB-2 exam), PSI; NASCLA exam accepted instead of the trade exam
    • $780 for a new 2-year license, plus exam fees
    • Every 2 years; $580

    Build, alter and repair any structure and manage the work, with no project-size limit. Electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, boiler, pool, spa and water well work must be subcontracted. [1][2][3][6]

  5. 5

    KB-1 / KB-2 Dual license

    • 4 years of experience
    • Yes: Statutes and Rules Exam plus the combined commercial trade exam or the NASCLA exam
    • $1,050 for a new 2-year license (includes $370 recovery fund assessment), plus exam fees
    • Every 2 years; $750

    KB-1 combines B-1 commercial and B residential work. KB-2 combines B-2 small commercial and B residential work. [1][2][3][6]

Who needs a contractor license in Arizona

In Arizona, any business that contracts or offers to contract to build, alter, repair, add to, improve, move, wreck or demolish a building or other structure must be licensed. That includes subcontractors and consultants who say they can supervise or manage a project for the owner. You must be licensed before you submit a bid.

There's a small-job ("handyman") exemption. ROC's rule of thumb: "if labor and materials exceed $1,000 OR a permit is required," you need a license. The exact terms are in A.R.S. § 32-1121. The statute covers only work of a "casual or minor nature" where the whole project, labor and materials included, totals less than $1,000. The exemption doesn't apply if the job needs a building permit, if a bigger job is split into smaller contracts, or if your advertising doesn't say "not a licensed contractor." It never covers work that connects to natural gas or propane, or fire-safety work such as hardwired smoke alarms and sprinklers. [1][5]

The general contractor classifications

ROC issues separate licenses for residential and commercial work, plus dual licenses that cover both. For general contracting, the main choices are:

Every general class must subcontract specialty systems, such as electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, boilers, pools, spas and water wells, to a properly licensed contractor. [1]

Experience and the qualifying party

Arizona licenses the business (a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC or corporation), not the person. The license belongs to the business. Each license needs a qualifying party: a person regularly employed by the business who has "the necessary experience, knowledge and skills" to supervise or perform the work.

For all the general classes above (B, B-3, B-1, B-2, KB-1 and KB-2), ROC's requirements chart lists at least 4 years of experience, and it "must be hands-on and/or managerial." Everyone named on the application must be at least 18. A qualifying party can serve one additional business only if the two share at least 25% ownership. [1][2][3]

The exams

The qualifying party must pass two exams with at least 70%:

ROC has combined some exams. B, B-3 and CR-61 now share one exam, and B-1, B-2, KB-1 and KB-2 share another.

For the commercial and dual classes, you can take the NASCLA (National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies) Commercial General Building exam instead of ROC's trade exam. ROC's application page and fee page describe the NASCLA add-on fee differently, so confirm the cost with ROC. [2][6]

Fees, bonds and the recovery fund

Fees for a new 2-year license, before exam fees:

Every license also needs a license bond, a guarantee that pays customers if the contractor breaks the rules. Residential general contractors post $9,000 if their yearly volume is under $750,000, or $15,000 otherwise. Commercial general contractors post $5,000 (for $150,000 or less a year) up to $100,000 (for over $10 million). Dual licenses add the two amounts together.

Residential and dual licensees also pay into the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund, or post a separate $200,000 bond. The fund protects homeowners who hire licensed residential contractors. To claim through ROC's administrative process, the contractor's license must have been suspended or revoked because of your complaint, and your claim against the contractor's bond must be finished first. [4][6][7]

Renewal

ROC licenses run 2 years. Renewal costs $580 for commercial general licenses, $590 for residential ($320 license fee + $270 recovery fund assessment), and $750 for dual. Your bond must stay in force the whole time. If the surety cancels it, you must replace it, or your license is suspended. [4][6]

If you're licensed in another state

Arizona "does not have direct reciprocity with any state." Instead, ROC may waive the trade exam and the experience requirement if your qualifying party held a comparable license in another state within the past 5 years and got that license by passing a trade exam. Submit the Out-of-State Waiver Request Form with your application. The state that licensed you fills in and stamps a verification section.

Arizona's universal license recognition law, A.R.S. § 32-4302, also applies; ROC's waiver form cites it. Under that law, if you establish residence in Arizona, you can get a license in the same discipline and practice level when all of these are true: you've been licensed in another state for at least one year, your licenses are in good standing, you passed any exam that state required, and you have no discipline or pending complaints. You also pay the fees.

Either way, you still take the Statutes and Rules Exam. ROC's application page says it can't be waived because it covers Arizona law, unless your qualifying party was the qualifying party on an Arizona contractor's license within the past 5 years. [2][8][9]

Fee waivers and getting started

ROC waives the initial license fee for first-time sole proprietor applicants who are:

Residential and dual applicants still pay the recovery fund assessment.

ROC doesn't run an apprenticeship program, but it points to the Arizona Apprenticeship Program at the Department of Economic Security. ROC also offers a free online Applicant Education Seminar, in English and Spanish, that walks through the application. [2][6][10][11]

Steps to get licensed in Arizona

  1. Pick your classification

    Choose residential (B or B-3), commercial (B-1, or B-2 for projects up to $2,000,000), or dual (KB-1 or KB-2) based on the work you plan to do. [1]

  2. Name a qualifying party with 4 years of experience

    The business needs a qualifying party: an owner, partner, officer or regular employee with at least 4 years of hands-on or managerial experience in the classification. [2][3]

  3. Pass the exams

    The qualifying party takes the online Statutes and Rules Exam through Gmetrix and the trade exam through PSI, scoring at least 70% on each. [2][6]

  4. Set up the business, bond and background checks

    Register an LLC (limited liability company) or corporation with the Arizona Corporation Commission, get a license bond, and complete a background check for everyone named on the application. [2][4]

  5. Apply and pay fees

    Submit the application through ROC's online portal, by mail or in person, with fees, ID copies and exam results. Residential and dual applicants also pay the recovery fund assessment. [2][6]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train general contractors in or for Arizona, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

Licensed in another state?

  • All ROC license classifications (universal recognition law)

    Arizona has no state-to-state agreements, but its universal license recognition law covers ROC licenses for people who establish residence in Arizona and have held a license in the same discipline in another state for at least one year, in good standing. You still take the Statutes and Rules Exam. [2][8][9]

Also listed by: California, Nevada, Utah (their own boards list Arizona as a partner; check both sides before you move).

Open the reciprocity map · How reciprocity works

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AZ Listed here (agreement or endorsement) Lists AZ

Questions people ask

How many years of experience do I need for an Arizona general contractor license?

At least 4 years of hands-on and/or managerial experience for the qualifying party, for the B, B-3, B-1, B-2, KB-1 and KB-2 classes. [3]

What's the difference between B-1 and B-2?

Both are commercial general licenses. B-2 is limited to projects of $2,000,000 or less, including labor and materials. B-1 has no project limit. [1]

How much does an Arizona contractor license cost?

For a new 2-year license: $780 commercial, $870 residential, or $1,050 dual. Add $61 for the Statutes and Rules Exam, $66 for the PSI trade exam, and the cost of your bond. [4][6]

Can I do small jobs without a license in Arizona?

Only minor work. A.R.S. § 32-1121 exempts a project whose total price, labor and materials included, is less than $1,000, if it doesn't need a building permit and isn't part of a bigger job split up to stay under the limit. Your ads must say "not a licensed contractor," and gas and fire-safety work is never exempt. [1][5]

Does Arizona have reciprocity with other states?

No direct reciprocity. ROC can waive the trade exam and experience requirement if your qualifying party held a comparable, exam-based license in another state within the past 5 years. Arizona's universal recognition law (A.R.S. § 32-4302) also helps if you move to Arizona and have held a license in good standing elsewhere for at least a year. You still take the Statutes and Rules Exam. [2][8][9]

Sources (20)
  1. License Classifications, Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  2. Applying for a License, Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  3. License Classification Requirements (6.8.20), Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  4. Bond Information, Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  5. A.R.S. § 32-1121, Persons not required to be licensed, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  6. License and Renewal Fees, Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  7. Recovery Fund, Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  8. Out-of-State Waiver Request Form RC-L-200G (Rev 02/23), Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  9. A.R.S. § 32-4302, Out-of-state applicants; residents; licensure, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  10. Apprenticeship Programs for Construction, Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  11. Apprenticeship Program, Arizona Department of Economic Security. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  12. Apprenticeship Finder, U.S. Department of Labor (Apprenticeship.gov). Accessed October 10, 2026.
  13. CITF Training (Carpenters International Training Fund), United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Accessed October 10, 2026.
  14. Apprenticeship - Job Seekers, Arizona Department of Economic Security. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  15. Apprenticeship Program Inquiry Form, Arizona Building and Construction Trades Council. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  16. A.R.S. 32-1129: Apprenticeship programs; certificate of completion; filing with registrar, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  17. Arizona Registered Apprenticeship Programs (updated October 1, 2026), Arizona Department of Economic Security. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  18. A.R.S. 32-1122: Qualifications for license, Arizona State Legislature. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  19. Construction Science Technologies, Arizona Department of Education, Career and Technical Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  20. Dual Enrollment, Arizona Department of Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.