Consumer guide
How to verify an Arizona contractor licence.
It takes under a minute and it is free. Do it for every contractor who bids your house, including us. Here is exactly how.
Short answer
Go to roc.az.gov, search the contractor by licence number or business name, and check three things: the licence exists and the name matches, the status is active, and the classification covers your work. Arizona requires a licence for any job of $1,000 or more including labour and materials.
The six steps
- Go to roc.az.gov and open the contractor search.
- Search by licence number if you have one, or by business name if you do not.
- Confirm the entity name matches the company that is bidding. A similar-sounding name is not a match — check it properly.
- Check the status is active. Expired, suspended and revoked all mean do not proceed.
- Check the classification covers your work. This is the step almost everybody skips.
- Look at complaint history if any is shown.
What the classifications mean
Gutters fall under Arizona’s sheet metal classifications:
| Classification | Scope | Can they do your job? |
|---|---|---|
| R-45 | Residential sheet metal | Homes only |
| C-45 | Commercial sheet metal | Commercial only |
| CR-45 | Commercial and residential sheet metal | Both |
A contractor holding R-45 cannot legally take commercial work. If you are having gutters or roof drainage done on a commercial building, the classification matters as much as the number.
When is a licence actually required?
Arizona requires a contractor licence for construction work totalling $1,000 or more, including both labour and materials. There is a limited handyman exemption below that threshold, but it does not apply if the work is part of a larger project.
For gutters that effectively means every real installation. A typical Phoenix-area seamless gutter job runs well past $1,000, so an unlicensed installer offering to do your whole house is not operating within the exemption.
What you give up by hiring unlicensed
- The Recovery Fund. Licensed residential contractors pay into the Residential Contractors’ Recovery Fund, which can compensate an owner-occupant harmed by a licensed contractor who fails to perform. Unlicensed work is not covered.
- Regulatory recourse. The ROC investigates complaints against licensed contractors and can order corrective action or suspend a licence. There is no equivalent process for someone who never had one.
- A meaningful warranty. A warranty is only as durable as the business behind it.
- Insurance certainty. Licensing does not guarantee insurance, but unlicensed operators are far less likely to carry it.
Other things worth checking while you are there
- Bond status — licensed contractors post a bond or cash deposit
- How long the licence has been held
- The qualifying party — the individual whose experience the licence rests on
- Whether the licence has ever lapsed
Ours, so you can practise on it
Seamless Gutters LLC. Arizona ROC licence #365076. Classification CR-45, commercial and residential sheet metal. Peoria, Arizona.
Look it up at roc.az.gov. Then look up everyone else bidding your job. A contractor who is bothered by you checking has told you something useful.
Questions
Where do I check an Arizona contractor licence?
What do R-45, C-45 and CR-45 mean?
What licence do I need for gutter work?
What if the contractor is not licensed?
Can I file a complaint about a licensed contractor?
What is the Residential Contractors’ Recovery Fund?
Checked us out?
Free estimate, written scope, warranty in writing before work starts.