Verify your Arizona contractor — before you sign.
Arizona keeps contractor license information in a public record. This page does not fetch, pull, certify, or monitor that record, and it does not make a legal determination. It links you to the official registrant search and organizes what to read there — entity name, classifications, qualifying party, contract terms, and coverage — so you can ask better questions before you sign.
Step 1 — Open the official Arizona registrant search
Search there by license number or business name — for example 340966 or Advant-Edge — then come back to the checklist below with what the official record shows and the date you checked.
Opens btr.az.gov/registrants in a new tab. Nothing you type on this page is sent anywhere, and this page shows no license, status, or complaint data of its own.
Step 2 — Compare what you were told with the official record
Type what the contractor gave you on the left and what the official record shows on the right. This is a wording comparison that normalizes punctuation and entity suffixes. It does not establish license status, scope, supervision, or compliance.
Legal entity name
Awaiting inputFill in both fields to compare the wording.
Qualifying-party claim vs. official record
Awaiting inputFill in both fields to compare the wording.
The qualifying party does not have to be an owner. A regularly employed qualifying party is normal, and a non-owner qualifying party is not by itself evidence of anything improper.
A dated worked example — our own license record
Here is what our record looked like when we checked it, so you can see how the same fields line up on any contractor. It is an example, not a benchmark, and not proof of what any other contractor's record should say.
- Licensed entity
- Advant-Edge Decorative Curbing & Landscaping, Inc.
- dba AE Outdoor Living
- Qualifying party
- David Lyle Bell
- Our owner also serves as the qualifying party. That is our structure, not an Arizona requirement.
| ROC # | Classification | Scope | Status | Verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 340966 | R-62 | Minor Home Improvements | Active when checked 2026-07-13 | Look up |
| 341002 | R-3 | Awnings, Canopies, Carports and Patio Covers | Active when checked 2026-07-13 | Look up |
| 347738 | KA-5 | Dual Swimming Pool Contractor | Active when checked 2026-07-13 | Look up |
| 211530 | CR-21 | Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems | Active when checked 2026-07-13 | Look up |
These statuses are what we recorded on the dates shown. They are not live data — check the official registrant search yourself for current information. As context, David Bell currently serves as President of the Southwest Hardscapes Association; that role does not set legal or industry standards for licensing.
The 8-point verification checklist
Work through each item. If you cannot check one off, ask the contractor about it before signing.
0 of 8 checks complete (0%)
Classification examples for outdoor-living work
These are examples to orient you, not a way to decide a mixed-scope project. The current ROC classification description and any project-specific ROC scope determination control.
| Classification | Name | Example scope |
|---|---|---|
| B-5 | General Swimming Pool Contractor (residential) | Example classification for new residential swimming-pool construction. |
| A-9 | Swimming Pools (commercial) | Example classification for new commercial swimming-pool construction. |
| KA-5 | Dual Swimming Pool Contractor | Example dual (residential + commercial) new swimming-pool construction classification. |
| R-6 / C-6 / CR-6 | Swimming Pool Service and Repair | Service and repair scopes with limits described by ROC. These are not new-pool construction classifications. |
| R-3 / C-3 / CR-3 | Awnings, Canopies, Carports and Patio Covers | Patio covers, carports, awnings and canopies. |
| CR-21 | Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems | Hardscaping and irrigation-system scopes as described by ROC. |
Read the current list at roc.az.gov/license-classifications. Arizona also has a limited casual or minor-work exemption in A.R.S. §32-1121 — it is fact-specific, generally requires an aggregate contract price under $1,000 with no permit required, does not allow splitting a larger operation, and carries other statutory conditions and exclusions. It is an exemption, not a license classification.
Things worth pausing over
None of these prove wrongdoing. Each one is a reason to ask the contractor for a written answer, and to confirm what you can against the official record.
- The business name on the proposal does not match a licensed entity you can find on the official registrant search — ask which exact legal entity holds the license.
- The contractor will not tell you the license number, the licensed entity name, or who the qualifying party is.
- The license record shows a status other than active, and the contractor cannot explain it.
- The classifications you can see do not appear to line up with the work being proposed — ask the contractor to explain in writing, and ask ROC about a project-specific scope determination.
- There is no written contract meeting the A.R.S. §32-1158 requirements, or, for an in-ground residential pool or spa, a payment schedule that does not reflect A.R.S. §32-1158.01.
- You are asked for a large up-front deposit that you cannot tie to the written contract terms.
- The contractor will not provide certificates for the coverage they say they carry so you can confirm it with the insurer.
- Public discipline or complaint information exists and the contractor is unwilling to discuss disposition or context.
Official sources and limits
Reviewed September 14, 2026. The official current record controls, classification scope can be project-specific, and this page is general information, not legal advice. This page does not fetch, pull, certify, or continuously monitor any ROC or registrant record, and it does not make a legal determination about any contractor.
- Official Arizona registrant search
- ROC license classifications
- ROC before-you-hire guidance
- A.R.S. §32-1121 — exemptions
- A.R.S. §32-1127 — qualifying party duties
- A.R.S. §32-1154 — grounds for suspension or revocation
- A.R.S. §32-1158 — written contract requirements
- A.R.S. §32-1158.01 — residential pool and spa contract payments
- A.R.S. §32-1162 — complaints
For in-ground residential pool or spa construction, A.R.S. §32-1158.01 sets contract payment provisions, including no more than 15% of the contract price at signing and limits tied to construction milestones, with an exception where the contractor furnishes a payment and performance bond. Our own payment schedule is written to that framework for those projects; it is not a universal ROC schedule for every kind of work.
Want a second set of eyes on a bid?
Send us the proposal and our team will walk through it with you — how the scope reads, what is missing, and what to confirm on the official record — even if you don't hire us. We don't make license or legal determinations.
Arizona license-verification questions
Does the qualifying party have to be the owner of the company?
No. In Arizona the contractor license belongs to the licensed business, not to the individual qualifying party, and a qualifying party may be a regularly employed person rather than an owner. A qualifying party who is not an owner is not by itself evidence of a violation. The qualifying party does carry supervision and responsibility duties under A.R.S. §32-1127, and allowing a license to be used to evade the chapter can be a violation under A.R.S. §32-1154(A)(9) — but that is a determination for the Registrar, not something you can conclude from an owner and qualifying party having different names.
Which ROC classifications relate to swimming pools?
Current examples for new swimming-pool construction include B-5 General Swimming Pool Contractor (residential), A-9 Swimming Pools (commercial), and KA-5 Dual Swimming Pool Contractor. R-6, C-6 and CR-6 are Swimming Pool Service and Repair classifications with limited scopes, so they are not new-pool construction classifications. R-3, C-3 and CR-3 cover awnings, canopies, carports and patio covers, and CR-21 is Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems. Always read the current classification description on the ROC site, and ask ROC for a project-specific scope determination when a job mixes scopes.
How do I check an Arizona contractor's license?
Use the official Arizona registrant search at btr.az.gov/registrants and search by license number or business name. This page does not fetch, pull, certify, or monitor that record — it organizes what to look at and links you to the official source. Read the status, licensed entity name, classifications, and qualifying party on the official record on the day you check, then bring what you found back to the checklist on this page.
Is a licensed contractor automatically insured?
No. A license is not proof of general-liability coverage. ROC's before-you-hire guidance explains that licensure requires a bond; general liability is not generally an ROC licensure requirement, and workers' compensation is governed separately. Ask for certificates for whatever coverage the contractor says they carry and confirm them directly with the issuing insurer or surety before you sign.
Is a contractor license bond sized to my project?
No. Arizona contractor license bond amounts are set by classification and anticipated annual volume, not by the price of one homeowner's contract. A bond amount on a license record does not tell you that your particular job is covered. If recovery matters to you, read the bond terms and the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund provisions, including A.R.S. §32-1132 and following, and ask questions before signing.