AZ General Contractor cheat sheet

A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10 is the main Arizona statute governing contractor licensing and regulation; the Registrar of Contractors administers it.

Arizona generally requires a contractor license for construction work totaling $1,000 or more in labor and materials.

ROC license classifications include A (general engineering), B (general building), and C (specialty trade) licenses.

Each contractor license must have a qualifying party who meets experience requirements and passes the required trade and business exams.

The Registrar may investigate complaints, issue citations, impose civil penalties, and suspend or revoke a contractor license.

The Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund may pay certain homeowner claims against licensed residential contractors, subject to statutory caps and eligibility rules.

Arizona contractors must include their ROC license number in advertising and in written contracts as required by statute.

Unlicensed contracting can result in civil penalties, stop-work orders, criminal prosecution, and loss of legal remedies to collect payment.

A valid contract requires offer, acceptance, consideration, capacity, and a lawful purpose; construction contracts also require clear scope, price, and time terms.

The Statute of Frauds requires certain contracts, including those not performable within one year and certain real property agreements, to be written and signed.

Arizona's Prompt Payment Act sets statutory deadlines for progress payments and limits when an owner or contractor may withhold payment.

A 20-day preliminary notice is generally required from certain lien claimants not in direct contract with the owner to preserve full mechanics' lien rights.

Arizona mechanics' lien claimants generally must record a lien within 120 days after last furnishing labor, materials, or services to the project.

Change orders should be written and signed by authorized parties before extra work proceeds; oral changes create scope and payment disputes.

Arizona's anti-indemnity statute limits construction contract clauses that indemnify a party for its own negligence.

Substantial completion is the stage when work is sufficiently complete for intended use and triggers warranty, payment, and lien deadlines.

Concrete volume in cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27.

Order quantity = net quantity × (1 + waste factor); waste accounts for cutting, breakage, and installation loss.

Board feet = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (ft) ÷ 12.

Markup is profit divided by cost; margin is profit divided by selling price. Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin %).

Direct costs include labor, materials, and equipment; overhead includes indirect job and company costs not chargeable to a single work item.

Critical path is the longest dependent sequence in a project network; critical activities have zero total float and set project duration.

Total float = late start − early start = late finish − early finish for an activity.

Labor cost = quantity × productivity rate (hours per unit) × loaded labor rate.

Concrete cast against and permanently in contact with earth generally requires at least 3 inches of cover over reinforcement.

A vapor retarder under a slab reduces moisture migration; joints should be lapped and sealed and the membrane protected during concrete placement.

Building codes limit notching and boring of wood studs; bearing walls generally allow less notching than nonbearing walls.

Roof underlayment is installed beneath the roof covering per code and manufacturer instructions, with flashing at valleys and penetrations.

A water heater temperature-pressure relief valve discharge pipe must terminate within 6 inches above the floor or at an approved drain and must not be capped.

GFCI protection is required for receptacles in bathrooms, kitchens, outdoors, garages, and other wet or damp locations per code.

Standard masonry mortar joints are typically about 3/8 inch thick and should be uniform and tooled.

Control joints in concrete slabs are used to predetermine crack locations and should be placed at planned intervals.

OSHA construction fall protection is generally required when workers are exposed to falls of 6 feet or more, or into hazardous equipment or openings.

Scaffold platforms generally require guardrails and fall protection when the work platform is 10 feet or more above a lower level.

Ladder setup uses the 4-to-1 rule: for every 4 feet of height, the base is 1 foot from the wall; ladders must extend above the landing.

Excavations 5 feet or deeper generally require a protective system unless made entirely in stable rock; spoil piles are kept at least 2 feet from the edge.

The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) enforces workplace safety standards under a state plan approved by federal OSHA.

A competent person must inspect excavations daily and after rain or other hazard-changing events before workers enter.

Heat illness prevention includes water, rest, shade, acclimatization, and training, especially during Arizona's high-temperature months.