ARIZONA · electrician
Electrical Contractor (C-11 commercial / R-11 residential / CR-11 both)
Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) →SCOPE
Arizona licenses electrical work at the contractor level through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC). The commercial electrical classification is C-11, the residential electrical classification is R-11, and the dual classification covering both commercial and residential project types is CR-11. Classification framework per ARS 32-1102 (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01102.htm), which divides licenses into general and specialty, each further split into commercial, residential, and dual-licensed categories.
No State Journey License
Arizona does not issue a state-level journeyman or master electrician license. ARS Title 32 Chapter 10 licenses the contracting entity (and its qualifying party), not the individual electrician performing the work. An electrician who works as an employee of a licensed electrical contractor does not need an individual state credential. Some Arizona municipalities (for example, Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa) run their own electrician registration or permitting programs at the city level; applicants should verify with the city where the work will be performed. Source: AZ ROC (https://roc.az.gov/).
Qualifying Party
Every AZ ROC license must designate a qualifying party who is responsible for the technical operations of the contracting business. The qualifying party may be the sole proprietor, a partner, a corporate officer, or a bona fide employee. Per ARS 32-1122 (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01122.htm), the qualifying party must pass the trade exam and the business-management exam on behalf of the license. A licensee may request an exemption from maintaining a qualifying party after five years of continuous active licensure with no ownership transfer of 50% or more and no unresolved ARS 32-1154 violations, per ARS 32-1125 (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01125.htm).
Experience
The qualifying party must document a minimum of four years of practical or management trade experience in the relevant classification, at least two of which must have been within the last ten years. Technical training may substitute for up to two of the four years. Source: ARS 32-1122 (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01122.htm).
Exam
AZ ROC contracts with PSI Services to administer the trade examination (classification-specific: C-11, R-11, or CR-11) and the Arizona Statutes and Rules (SRE) business-management examination. Both must be passed within two years before the license application, per ARS 32-1122. Candidates should review the current PSI Arizona Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin for exam scope, scheduling, and fees.
FEES
Application, examination, and license-issuance fees are set by AZ ROC under ARS 32-1122.01 and are published on the ROC website (https://roc.az.gov/). Fee amounts vary by classification type (commercial, residential, dual) and are not reproduced here; verify current amounts on the ROC fee schedule before applying.
BOND
Per ARS 32-1152 (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01152.htm), a license bond or cash deposit is required and is tiered by estimated annual construction volume. Specialty residential contractors (R-11) fall within a $1,000–$7,500 range. Specialty commercial contractors (C-11) fall within a $2,500–$50,000 range. Dual-licensed (CR-11) contractors follow the applicable specialty schedule and must additionally either post a separate $200,000 bond or participate in the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund under ARS 32-1131 et seq. Bond tiers step up with volume; confirm the tier that applies to the applicant's projected volume before posting.
Background Check
ARS 32-1122 authorizes the Registrar to require fingerprint submission and to obtain state and federal criminal-history records checks through the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the FBI. The Registrar exercises this authority for qualifying-party applicants.
Renewal and CE
AZ ROC licenses operate on a two-year renewal cycle per ARS 32-1125 (https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01125.htm). A license is suspended by operation of law the business day after its renewal date if not renewed; a $50 reactivation fee applies for licenses suspended one year or less. Arizona does not impose a statewide continuing-education hour requirement for contractor-license renewal; renewal is conditioned on a valid bond, current fees, and good standing rather than on CE credits. Verify any classification-specific requirements on the ROC website before each renewal.
Reciprocity
Arizona does not publish broad journeyman-to-journeyman reciprocity because it does not license individual journeyman electricians. Out-of-state contractor applicants go through the standard AZ ROC qualifying-party process, including the Arizona SRE business-management exam. Any trade-exam waiver or endorsement is handled case by case by the Registrar and should be verified directly with AZ ROC before relying on prior-state credentials.