Arizona Landscape License Requirements

Explore the steps to obtain an Arizona Landscape License. Discover how Harbor Compliance can simplify your license management workload.

Arizona Landscape License—Licensure Process Explained

While a state license is not generally required to work as a landscaper in Arizona, the state issues a license to landscaping businesses whose work involves construction-related activities.

To operate legally, landscaping businesses in this category must obtain a contractor's license, whether they work on residential or commercial structures. A contractor's license ensures that landscapers can carry out projects that adhere to local safety and quality requirements stipulated by the law.

In this article, we'll walk you through the entire process of obtaining an Arizona landscape license, as well as the requirements you need to meet for renewal. Additionally, you'll learn about Harbor Compliance and the ways our Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions can simplify your firm's license management process.

Requirements for Obtaining a Landscape License in Arizona

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors typically issues the Arizona contracting landscape license. Section 32.1122 of the Arizona statute states the qualifications required to obtain a license and empowers the Registrar of Contracts to classify and qualify landscapers for this purpose. These businesses may include a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation. Handypersons are generally exempt from getting a license, but they will nonetheless require a contracting license for projects above $1,000 or a building permit.

Contracting businesses are classified into seven licenses, with landscaping coming under three of them. These licenses include:

1. R-21—Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems (Residential)
2. C-21—Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems (Commercial)
3. CR-21—Hardscaping and Irrigation Systems (Dual)

The process of obtaining a landscape license in Arizona entails the following:

1. Registering
2. Meeting the application requirements
3. Taking the necessary exams
4. Submitting a background check
5. Providing the government-issued ID
6. Obtaining a contractor bond
7. Paying license fees
8. Filling out the application form
9. Submitting additional documents

Registration

LLCs or corporations looking to obtain a license must be registered as a legal entity under the Arizona Corporation Commission. This typically involves:

• Choosing a business name and entity type
• Getting a name reservation by submitting formation documents with the Arizona Corporation Commission
• Filing for incorporation—for corporations, an Article of Incorporation is filed, while for LLCs, an Article of Organization is filed
• Submitting tax applications and registrations
• Obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

However, partnerships and sole proprietorships who want to obtain a license are only required to apply with names that appear on their IDs.

Businesses formed in other states that want to expand their operations into Arizona need to register with the Arizona Corporation Commission first. This involves submitting the Application for Authority to Transact Business in Arizona and paying a $175 fee.

Application Requirements

Depending on the license type, applicants for the Arizona landscape contractor license need to satisfy the experience and educational requirements to make them eligible for a license.

The R-21, C-21, and CR-21 licenses all require a minimum of four years of hands-on or managerial experience working in the field. This may include technical training in an accredited college, university, or manufacturer's training program, though it should not exceed two years of the four-year minimum requirement.

The requirement may be waived if the qualifying party meets all other requirements and currently holds or has previously held a license from a state with the same classification as Arizona.

Examination

To qualify for any of these three licenses, applicants must take the AZ Statutes and Rules (SRE) and Trade exams.

AZ Statute and Rules Examination

Applicants are tested on their knowledge of the statutes and rules that apply to a contractor's license. The examination includes knowledge of the state's building, safety, health, and lien laws, as well as administrative principles of the contracting business.

It is an online exam offered on the Gmetrix platform for $54.

Trade Exam

Section 32.1122 of the Arizona statute also states that "the applicant must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of construction plans and specifications applicable to the particular industry or craft and the standards of construction work and techniques and practices in the particular industry or craft and demonstrate a general understanding of other related construction trades."

Thus, unless granted a waiver, applicants must take a trade exam relevant to the license type they want to obtain. The trade-specific exam helps gauge an applicant's understanding of the skills needed to perform the work authorized by the license. The tests are available on the PSI platform for $56.

NASCLA Examination Program

Applicants who need to be licensed in multiple jurisdictions can take the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) Accredited Examination Program.

However, the examination requirement may be waived in case the record shows that the qualifying party is currently or has previously been qualified in a state with the same classifications as Arizona (within the preceding five years).

Background Check

Applicants for a contractor license are required to complete a criminal background check to certify that they haven't been issued civil litigation or convicted of contracting without a license. Once the check is completed, a receipt is issued for the purpose of this verification.

Government-Issued ID

This requirement is pursuant to Section 41.1080 of the Arizona statute, which notes that an individual shall not be issued a license if documentation of the person's citizenship or alien status is not provided.

Contractor Bond

Applicants are required to purchase a contractor bond to hold a valid license within the state. This ensures that contractors will comply with licensing rules and, in cases where they don't, serve as financial security for customers and protect them against possible losses.

When taking out a bond, three parties are involved:

1. The governing body—the state of Arizona in this case
2. The principal—the contractor
3. A third party—a surety, which issues the bond and guarantees payment in case of a breach

The price of a bond will vary depending on the type of work and the classification under which the license falls. Commercial and residential license bonds are calculated based on the contemplated gross income of the business, while for a dual license, an applicant will pay the combined value of both bonds.

According to Section 32.1152 of Arizona statute, a bond is to be "executed by the contractor as principal with a corporation duly authorized to transact surety business in the state."

Once this is done, evidence of such bond is to be filed with the Registrar, containing the following:

• An entity name that matches with the entity name listed on your application, including a DBA
• Classifications listed out
• Separated penal sums (in the case of dual licenses)
• Effective date within six months
• Notarized signature of an attorney-in-fact
• Official seal of surety company

License Fees

Paying the stipulated license fees is an important step in applying for the Arizona landscape contracting license. The fees apply differently depending on the license classification.

However, the fees may be waived for any of the individuals applying as a sole proprietor in Arizona for the first time:

• Applicants with family income that does not exceed two hundred percent of the federal poverty guidelines
• Spouses of active duty military service members
• Honorably discharged veterans who have been discharged not more than two years before application

However, applicants for a residential or dual license are still required to pay the Residential Recovery Fund Assessment even if they are granted a waiver under this requirement. Here's a breakdown of the required fees:

Application Form

You can complete this step by visiting the Registrar of Contractors Online Customer Service (ROC) Portal and completing the application form.

You can also download the application form, fill it out, and mail it to the commission.

Additional Documents

In addition to the processes we've outlined, here are some other documents and forms you may need to provide for your application:

• Tiered Entity—Filled out by entities owned or operated by other entities
• In-State Waiver—Used to request a waiver of certain licensing requirements
• Out-of-State Waiver—Used to request a waiver of licensing requirements where the applicant has held a license in a different state
• Unlicensed Disclosure—Submitted in case an individual named on a license application has been issued civil litigation or convicted of contracting without a license
• Felony Disclosure—Filed in case a person named on a license application has been convicted of a felony or has a pending felony charge

Contractors License Renewal in Arizona

To maintain a good standing, qualifying parties must apply for a license renewal every two years. Renewals may be submitted by mail or online. To renew a license:

• LLCs and corporations must verify their status on the Arizona Corporation Commission as active and in good standing.
• Businesses with employees must comply with the Workers' Compensation Policy Number and Issuing Company.

Here's how the license renewal works:

1. Confirm that their bond is active.
2. Complete an application on the ROC portal.
3. Pay the renewal fees:
• C-21—$480
• R-21—$270
• CR-21—$380

Applicants for the R-21 and C-21 licenses must pay an additional $270 for the Recovery Fund Assessment. A $50 fee is also applicable for late renewals.

Using Harbor Compliance To Manage Your Arizona Landscape Contractor License

Maintaining a license involves routine renewals and keeping up with operating requirements. State regulatory boards also regularly update their requirements and licensing laws, which makes it all the more important to stay on track.

Thankfully, dedicated license management providers like Harbor Compliance can alleviate this burden by simplifying your licensure process. By partnering with us, you can access a wide range of resources that can help you stay up to date on all matters of licensing and registrations. That way, you don't have to spend hours on end researching multiple state requirements—you can access all of this on a central database.

Harbor Compliance also helps you manage and track your licenses across various business entities. You can set tax filing deadlines and maintain a good license score without the hassle of tracking everything manually.

Our dedicated team can also provide expert knowledge—they understand your pain points and can instruct you on how to better navigate your licensure journey.

Advantages of Using Harbor Compliance for Your Licensing Needs

Here are some of the benefits you stand to gain when you entrust Harbor Compliance with your compliance tasks:

• Stress-free operations—License management can be quite complicated, but our services can help you save time managing your business licenses and renewals and instead focus on your business.
• Expert experience—Harbor Compliance brings you a trusted team of experts to help navigate the licensing terrain.
• Access to Compliance Core™—This proprietary algorithm compares your company licenses to a database of 22,000+ regulatory requirements across states. The result is that you can easily monitor changes as they occur and automatically respond to updated requirements.

The Process of Obtaining Harbor Compliance Services

When partnering with us, you can choose which of our service management options works best for you. They include:

1. Fully managed—This option lets you delegate most of your licensing tasks to our team, including filings, renewals, and license applications.
2. Self-managed—With this option, you can stay in control of your licensing affairs and instead rely on our management features to cut back on research time, monitor progress, and organize your tasks better.
3. Hybrid—This option lets you divide your licensing workload so that you can manage some with our software solutions and entrust the rest to our expert team.

Based on these options, you can order any of our service plans by doing the following:

1. Visit the Architecture & Engineering Compliance Solutions service page.
2. Open the Contact Us form.
3. Provide your information.
4. Click Let’s talk.

Additional Harbor Compliance Services

Leverage some of the other services we offer to help your company maintain good standing with the state, letting you focus on running your business:

Arizona Landscape Contractor License FAQs

Below, you'll find answers to some frequently asked questions concerning the Arizona landscape contractor license. You can also visit our Information Center to get more detailed information.

Leveraging Harbor Compliance Solutions To Manage Your Licenses

Obtaining a landscaper contractor license is just one step on the licensure journey. Maintaining a license means following a whole set of processes requiring multiple iterations and dedicated management. Partnering with Harbor Compliance can be a crucial link in your license management process and make all the difference for your business.

If you'd like to see our tools and functionalities in action, you can request a demo session and see how our licensing services can be beneficial. You can also use our free Harbor Compliance Score™ to assess your organization’s good standing in Arizona and beyond.

If you want to know about architecture license requirements and processes in other states throughout the U.S., check out the table below: