How to check a contractor license in Arizona

Search the contractor's name or license number in the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) contractor search. The ROC licenses general and specialty contractors, including electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning work, so one search covers them. Check that the license is active and that its classification, residential, commercial or dual, matches the job you're hiring for.

How do I check if a contractor is licensed in Arizona?

Use the contractor search on the Registrar of Contractors' website. The ROC's home page puts it plainly: "Anyone can pretend to be a contractor. Check the license."

Get the ROC license number or the exact business name from the bid or contract.
Open the ROC contractor search and search by name or number. The page needs JavaScript, so open it in a regular web browser if a link preview comes up blank.
Confirm the license is active and that the business name matches your contract.
Check whether the classification is residential, commercial or dual. Arizona law treats commercial work as work other than residential, so a job on a home needs a residential or dual license.
Check that the classification covers the trade. A general residential license and a specialty license for one trade are different classifications.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. If the search won't load, start from the ROC's main site at roc.az.gov, which links to the same search and has a section called "Before Hiring a Contractor." For other states, see how to check a contractor license, state by state.

Can a handyman work without a license in Arizona?

Yes, but only on small jobs. Under A.R.S. 32-1121, a person without a license can do casual or minor work on one project when the total price, across one or more contracts, is less than $1,000.

The exemption has conditions. It doesn't apply if the job needs a local building permit, or if the work is part of a larger project or split into smaller contracts to get under the limit. An unlicensed handyman who advertises must include the words "not a licensed contractor" in the ad. If a handyman's quote is $1,000 or more, or the ad is missing that line, ask for an ROC license number before any work starts.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Arizona?

The ROC does, through its contractor classifications. Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning contractors hold specialty licenses from the same agency, so you check them in the same contractor search rather than with a separate board.

A.R.S. 32-1102 sorts specialty licenses the same way as general ones. Specialty residential covers trade work within residential property lines, specialty commercial covers trade work other than residential, and specialty dual covers both. On a home, the electrician's or plumber's license should be residential or dual. Ask the contractor which classification covers the work, then confirm it on the record.

What does an Arizona license lookup not tell you?

It doesn't tell you whether the work will be any good. An active license means the contractor met the ROC's requirements, and nothing more.

It says nothing about quality. Only past customers can tell you whether a contractor is slow, hard to reach or careless.
It may not show current insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance before a large job starts.
Complaints only appear if someone filed them. A clean record can mean unhappy customers never contacted the ROC.
A handyman under $1,000 has no record. The exemption means there's nothing to look up, so get a written price and scope instead.
It doesn't confirm who's at the door. Make sure the person on site works for the business on the license.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico are on their own pages.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.

Sources

Agents can keep these contractors in Proferral

Proferral is a free app real estate agents use to keep a go-to list of the providers they trust and to remember every referral they send. Its license checks cover Oregon and Washington only, so for Arizona you still run the lookup above by hand. Here's how Proferral's license checks work.

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