D. Ernest Johnson

Although the State of Arizona allows its residents to hire unlicensed contractors, it strongly encourages them to hire licensed contractors for remodeling or construction work.

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors maintains high standards for licensing. Applicants are required to pass a written board exam and prove at least four years of prior, relevant work experience (this varies a bit based on specialty).

Licensed contractors in Arizona with employees are required to carry workers' compensation insurance.

Residential contractors are required to provide a consumer protection bond. This may be in the form of a Surety Bond; cash deposit in the amount of $200,000; or payment into the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund. Under certain conditions, consumers may be eligible to apply to the residential contractors' recovery fund and receive up to thirty thousand dollars to have the work corrected or completed.

Starting in '02, the ROC began performing a criminal background check on license applicants by checking their fingerprints against the FBI criminal database.

The BuildZoom score is based on a number of factors including the contractor's license status, insurance status, verified work history, standing with local consumer interest groups, verified reviews from other BuildZoom users and self-reported feedback from the contractor.

When it comes to major construction work or even minor alterations to your home, hiring the wrong contractor could result in incomplete or defective work. You may even find yourself dealing with huge liability claims. BuildZoom does the homework for you and helps you hire the right contractor.

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors recommends getting at least three written bids before hiring a contractor. Do not automatically accept the lowest bid - an abnormally low bid may indicate the contractor made a mistake and is not including the same work quoted by their competitors. We've made the bid collection process extremely simple (and free). Just click here to get started.