Moving to Arizona as a general contractor: every state's rule
Arizona has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
Arizona general contractor · “B-1 General Commercial Contractor; B-2 General Small Commercial; KB-1 or KB-2 dual”
Statewide license
Issued by Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC)
Arizona's unlimited general building license is the B-1 General Commercial Contractor classification, issued statewide by the Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC). It allows the licensee to construct, alter and repair any structure built for the support, shelter and enclosure of persons, animals or movable property, including the management and direct or indirect supervision of the work; electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, boiler, swimming pool, spa and water well work must be subcontracted to an appropriately licensed contractor. B-2 General Small Commercial Contractor is the same commercial scope capped at projects of $2,000,000 or less including labor and materials. Neither commercial classification covers residential work: the Registrar separates its markets by prefix, with B-1 and B-2 commercial general building, plain B residential general building, C- and R- commercial and residential specialty trades, CR- specialty dual, and K codes general dual. To hold both sides on one license you take a dual classification: KB-1 Dual Building Contractor covers the B-1 and B scopes together, and KB-2 Dual Residential and Small Commercial covers the B-2 and B scopes together. The license is held by a business, not by a person: it may be issued to a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company or corporation, and the Registrar states that "the license belongs to the business and not to the qualifying party." The reader of this page is the qualifying party, the regularly employed person who supplies the four years of experience and passes the exams on the business's behalf.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Arkansas | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| California | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Colorado | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Connecticut | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Delaware | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| District of Columbia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Florida | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Georgia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Hawaii | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Idaho | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Iowa | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Kentucky | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Louisiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Maine | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Maryland | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Massachusetts | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Michigan | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Minnesota | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Mississippi | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Montana | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nebraska | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nevada | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| New Hampshire | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| New Jersey | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| New Mexico | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| North Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| North Dakota | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Oklahoma | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Oregon | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Tennessee | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Texas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Utah | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Vermont | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Washington | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Wisconsin | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
Getting licensed in Arizona from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Arizona issues a general contractor license to a first-time applicant.
B-1 General Commercial Contractor qualifying party, by examination
Arizona does not require a residential license first: a qualifying party with four years of hands-on or managerial commercial building experience, at least two within the last ten years, applies for the B-1 General Commercial Contractor classification directly. The license is issued to the business (a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC or corporation) and you, as its qualifying party, pass the exams on its behalf. You must score at least 70 percent on the Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE), taken online through Gmetrix, and on a trade exam: either the combined B-1 / B-2 / KB-1 / KB-2 commercial exam through PSI or the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. The business then applies with the score reports, a license bond sized to its expected volume, background checks and photo ID for everyone named, and the fees; everyone named must be at least 18.
The Arizona commercial trade exam has 100 questions in 240 minutes, covering sitework, concrete, masonry, metals, carpentry, thermal and moisture protection, doors and windows, finishes, safety and the general building code. You may bring the 2018 International Building Code, the 2018 International Residential Code and OSHA's 29 CFR Part 1926 into the exam; they may be highlighted, annotated and permanently tabbed beforehand. After a failure you wait 30 days, 30 days again after a second failure, and 90 days after any later failure. The same exam and experience qualify you for B-2 General Small Commercial (projects of $2,000,000 or less) and for the KB-1 and KB-2 dual classifications, which add residential building; a dual license costs a $200 application fee, $480 license fee and a $370 Residential Recovery Fund assessment. If you take the NASCLA exam, NASCLA also charges for the transcript the Registrar needs to see your result; the Registrar's pages quote different amounts for that charge, so confirm it with NASCLA. The Registrar waives the trade exam, and the experience documentation, for someone who has been the qualifying party on an Arizona license in the same classification within the past five years. The Registrar publishes no processing time; ask at [email protected] or 877-692-9762.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Exam given by
- PSI (trade exam); Gmetrix (Statutes and Rules Exam)
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
Who can apply
- You must document at least 4 years of qualifying work experience.The experience must be hands-on and/or managerial. The Registrar must accept military service or training, transcripts from accredited training programs, and completion certificates from an apprenticeship approved by the US Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency as evidence, and counts experience whether or not you were licensed, working for a licensed contractor, or a minor at the time.
- Be at least 18 years old.Applies to every person named on the license application, not only the qualifying party.
- No person named on the application may have contracted without a license, committed an act that would be grounds for suspension or revocation, or been named on a license that was suspended or revoked in Arizona or another state. A license denied, refused or revoked within the year before you apply, or a conviction for contracting without a license within the past year, bars the application.The Registrar may find the circumstances behind a denial, refusal or revocation excusable if they did not result in an unremedied hardship, danger or loss to the public. Felony, prior-license and unlicensed-activity disclosure forms go in with the application where they apply.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Accredited technical training plus two years of experience
Technical training at an accredited college or university, or in a manufacturer's accredited training program, may be credited toward the four years, but never for more than two of them. The rest must be practical or management experience, with at least two years within the last ten.
- Technical training at an accredited college or university or in a manufacturer's accredited training program, credited for up to two of the four required years
- You must document at least 2 years of qualifying work experience.
- Be at least 18 years old.Applies to every person named on the license application, not only the qualifying party.
- No person named on the application may have contracted without a license, committed an act that would be grounds for suspension or revocation, or been named on a license that was suspended or revoked in Arizona or another state. A license denied, refused or revoked within the year before you apply, or a conviction for contracting without a license within the past year, bars the application.The Registrar may find the circumstances behind a denial, refusal or revocation excusable if they did not result in an unremedied hardship, danger or loss to the public. Felony, prior-license and unlicensed-activity disclosure forms go in with the application where they apply.
Experience waived on the strength of a trade exam or a national certification
The Registrar may waive the four-year experience requirement in whole or in part, classification by classification, if you passed an appropriate trade examination not more than two years before applying or hold a nationally recognized certification that is valid when you apply. The waiver is discretionary and the Registrar publishes no list of accepted certifications, so ask the Licensing Department before relying on it. The exams, age and record requirements are unchanged.
- An appropriate trade examination passed within the two years before the application, or a valid, nationally recognized certification, accepted by the Registrar in place of all or part of the commercial experience requirement.
- Be at least 18 years old.Applies to every person named on the license application, not only the qualifying party.
- No person named on the application may have contracted without a license, committed an act that would be grounds for suspension or revocation, or been named on a license that was suspended or revoked in Arizona or another state. A license denied, refused or revoked within the year before you apply, or a conviction for contracting without a license within the past year, bars the application.The Registrar may find the circumstances behind a denial, refusal or revocation excusable if they did not result in an unremedied hardship, danger or loss to the public. Felony, prior-license and unlicensed-activity disclosure forms go in with the application where they apply.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE): an open-book, computer-based training course and exam taken online only through Gmetrix, covering the building, safety, health and lien laws of the state, the administrative principles of the contracting business and the Registrar's rules. A grade of at least 70 percent is required..
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($61). Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam fee, paid directly to Gmetrix.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Combined B-1 / B-2 / KB-1 / KB-2 commercial trade exam (PSI): 100 questions, 240 minutes, 70 percent to pass, with the 2018 IBC, 2018 IRC and OSHA 29 CFR 1926 allowed in the room. The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors is accepted instead..
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($66). PSI fee for the Arizona commercial trade exam, per attempt, valid for one year.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($106) (if applicable). NASCLA Commercial General Building exam fee, paid to PSI, if you take it instead of the Arizona trade exam; NASCLA's separate transcript charge is extra.
- 6Application fee. Pay the application fee ($200). Application fee for a General Commercial classification (A, B-1, B-2). The initial application fee is waived for a first-time sole proprietor applicant who is the spouse of an active-duty service member, a veteran honorably discharged not more than two years before applying, or a person whose family income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines..
- 7License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($580). License fee for the two-year General Commercial license. No Residential Recovery Fund assessment applies to a commercial-only license..
- 8Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($5,000). License bond on the Registrar's form, by the business's expected annual volume of commercial work in Arizona: $5,000 for $150,000 or less, $15,000 up to $500,000, $25,000 up to $1 million, $50,000 up to $5 million, $75,000 up to $10 million and $100,000 above that. A surety bond, cash, or a certificate of deposit from a bank operating in Arizona is accepted..
- 9Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Attestation on the application that the business complies with Arizona's workers' compensation laws. A business required to carry workers' compensation must give its policy number or proof of self-insurance..
- 10Background check. Complete a background check. A background check for every person named on the application, ordered through the Registrar's vendor (AccusourceHR). A check expires 90 days after it is completed, and anyone who has lived abroad needs an international and domestic check. The Registrar may also require fingerprints for a state and federal criminal records check..
- 11Business license. Obtain a business license (if applicable). An LLC or corporation must be registered with, and in good standing with, the Arizona Corporation Commission before the application is filed; a partnership registers with the Arizona Secretary of State. A sole proprietorship needs no entity filing..
- 12Other. A legible copy of a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, for every person named on the application. The application is filed through the ROC Online Customer Portal or by mail or in person at 1700 W. Washington Street, Suite 105, Phoenix, with the original exam score reports; exams must have been passed not more than two years before you apply..
Published fees on this path total $907, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years and a $580 renewal fee.
Renew through the ROC Online Customer Portal, by mail or in person; the bond must be active and cover the business's volume, and an LLC or corporation must be in good standing with the Arizona Corporation Commission. A $50 fee applies to a late renewal. A license suspended for failure to renew can be reinstated within one year; after that a new application is required. The Registrar may allow annual renewal on a written hardship petition. The Registrar's renewal checklist lists no continuing-education requirement.
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $61
- Trade exam
- Exam fee · $66
- Exam fee · $106 · if applicable
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $5,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license · if applicable
Sources for this section
- Arizona Administrative Code Title 4, Chapter 9 - Registrar of Contractors (R4-9-106 Examinations; R4-9-119 Minimum Trade Experience) · A.A.C. R4-9-106(C)-(F); R4-9-119 · Arizona Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- A.R.S. 32-1122 - Qualifications for license (qualifying party experience, examination, bond, workers' compensation attestation) · A.R.S. 32-1122(B)-(F) · Arizona State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- A.R.S. 32-1123.01 - Staggered periods of licensure; biennial renewal · A.R.S. 32-1123.01 · Arizona State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- A.R.S. 32-1125 - Renewal of license; qualifying party · A.R.S. 32-1125(A)-(B) · Arizona State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI Services - Arizona Registrar of Contractors Residential and Commercial Contractor License Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the Arizona Registrar of Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI Services - Arizona ROC content outline: B-1 General Commercial, B-2 General Small Commercial, KB-1 Dual Building and KB-2 Dual Residential and Small Commercial · PSI Services LLC for the Arizona Registrar of Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Arizona Registrar of Contractors - Applying for a License (qualifying party, examinations, NASCLA, out-of-state applicants, trade-exam waiver) · A.A.C. R4-9-106(E); A.R.S. 32-1122(E) · Arizona Registrar of Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Arizona Registrar of Contractors - Bond Information (license bond amounts by classification and contemplated gross volume) · Arizona Registrar of Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Arizona Registrar of Contractors - License Classification Requirements (minimum years of experience and exams by classification) · A.R.S. 32-1122(E) · Arizona Registrar of Contractors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Arizona Registrar of Contractors - License and Renewal Fees (general commercial, general residential and general dual) · A.R.S. 32-1152 · Arizona Registrar of Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Arizona Registrar of Contractors - Renew a License Checklist · Arizona Registrar of Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026