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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
municipalities; counties; occupation; licensure; prohibition
Purpose
Preempts a municipality or county in the issuance of contractor licenses. Outlines instances when a municipality or county may require a person to obtain a journeyman license.
Background
The Registrar of Contractors (ROC) is a regulatory agency that licenses, regulates and conducts examinations of residential and commercial contractors for each particular trade or field of a construction science profession in order to protect the health and safety of the public. Any business which contracts or offers to contract to build, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish any building, highway, road, railroad, excavation or other structure, development or improvement or to do any part of the work must be a licensed contractor. The applicant for a contractor license must identify a qualifying party for the license. The qualifying party is a person who is regularly employed by the licensee and is actively engaged in the classification of work for which the person qualifies on behalf of the licensee and must meet or exceed the specific license classification requirements.
The duties of the ROC include: 1) maintaining a complete indexed record of all applications and licenses; 2) making rules deemed necessary to effectually carry out its regulatory requirements; 3) preparing and furnishing decals and business management books when deemed advisable; 4) administering oaths, certifying to official acts, issuing subpoenas for attendance of witnesses and producing books, papers and records for any investigation, proceeding or hearing; and 5) referring criminal violations of statute to the appropriate law enforcement agency or prosecuting authority (A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Declares that the licensure of a person as a contractor with the ROC in accordance with statute is of statewide concern and not subject to further regulation by a municipality or county.
2. Prohibits a municipality or county from requiring a person to obtain a journeyman license if the person is subject to contractor licensure requirements with the ROC.
3. Allows a municipality or county to require a person to be licensed and may issue a journeyman license for the following occupations:
a) plumbing;
b) pipe fitting;
c) mechanical trades;
d) HVAC installation; and
e) electrical or alarm system trades.
4. Defines licensure as any training, education, test, certification, registration or license that is required for a person to perform an occupation in addition to any associated licensing fee.
5. Defines occupation as a paid job, profession, work, line of work, trade, employment, position, post, career, field, vocation or craft.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 15, 2026
JT/NRG/ci