In Arizona a contractor needs a contractor license to bid on any job over $750. This includes any contractor who offers to contract to build, alter, add to, repair, demolish, improve, move, wreck or demolish any building. Generally, the license belongs to the business and not to the person doing the job. The trades include:

• Residential, commercial and industrial general building
• Engineering
• Remodeling
• Repair
• Plumbing
• Electrical
• Air conditioning

This also includes highways, roads, railroads, excavations or other structures, developments or improvements.    

A handyman does not need to be licensed.

Architects, Engineers, Land Surveyors, Landscape Architects

The Board of Technical registration oversees the licensing of architects, engineers, land surveyors and landscape architects in Arizona.

Contractors

General construction contractors can build a residential structure or outbuilding, except for the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, boilers, spas, swimming pools and clay and metal roofing. These must be subcontracted to an appropriately-licensed contractor in the specialty.

Arizona has reciprocity agreements with California, Nevada, and Utah. Contractors who hold a contract license from these states who already have their qualifications from those states can skip the qualifying exams. To qualify for this you must:

• Have been licensed in good standing for five years or more
• Have passed an equivalent trade exam (except for electrical and plumbing trade exams from Nevada)
• Provide a license verification from the contractor’s home state with your application
• Take and pass the Arizona business management exam

Consumers are advised to check for additional local municipal contractor license requirementsas contractor laws can differ from county to county. It is also advised to double check with the state’s requirements before hiring a contractor.