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How to get a plumber license in Arizona

Hours, exam, fees, renewal and continuing education for Arizona plumbing licenses, pulled from official AZ sources and checked .

Quick answer
  • Licensing body: Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC)
  • State journeyman license: No (Arizona licenses contracting businesses, not individual journeyman plumbers. Some cities (for example Phoenix) license plumbing journeymen locally.)
  • Plumbing contractor (ROC R-37, C-37 or CR-37): The qualifying party (the owner, officer or employee who supervises the work) needs at least 4 years of hands-on or management experience in the trade for R-37, C-37 or CR-37, with at least 2 of those years in the last 10. Accredited college or manufacturer training can replace up to 2 years. The qualifying party must also pass the Statutes and Rules exam and the plumbing trade exam, and everyone on the application must be 18 or older.
  • Exam: see below, via PSI (trade exam) and Gmetrix (Statutes and Rules Exam)
  • Code edition: Not listed as a single statewide plumbing code edition on the ROC pages we checked. Cities and counties adopt plumbing codes for permits; ROC trade exams use the references in the PSI/ROC bulletin for the plumbing classification.

Requirements by license

Plumbing contractor (ROC R-37, C-37 or CR-37)

ExperienceThe qualifying party (the owner, officer or employee who supervises the work) needs at least 4 years of hands-on or management experience in the trade for R-37, C-37 or CR-37, with at least 2 of those years in the last 10. Accredited college or manufacturer training can replace up to 2 years. The qualifying party must also pass the Statutes and Rules exam and the plumbing trade exam, and everyone on the application must be 18 or older.Source: roc.az.gov · as of · A.R.S. 32-1122. Application steps: roc.az.gov
ExamPSI (trade exam) and Gmetrix (Statutes and Rules Exam). The qualifying party passes both with at least 70%: the online open-book AZ Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE) through Gmetrix ($61), and the plumbing trade exam through PSI ($66), online or at a test center.Source: roc.az.gov · as of · Exam fees: roc.az.gov
Fees
  • SRE (paid to Gmetrix): $61
  • Trade exam (paid to PSI): $66
  • R-37 new license: $80 application + $270 license + $370 recovery fund: $720
  • C-37 new license: $100 application + $480 license: $580
  • CR-37 new license: $100 application + $380 license + $370 recovery fund: $850
Source: roc.az.gov · as of · Bond required too. Fee schedule effective 7/1/2014. Specialty residential (R), specialty commercial (C), specialty dual (CR) rows.
RenewalEvery 2 years. ROC licenses are issued for two years. Specialty residential (R) renewal is $270 license + $270 recovery fund ($540). Specialty commercial (C) renewal is $480. Specialty dual (CR) renewal is $380 + $270 recovery fund ($650).Source: roc.az.gov · as of · R-37 uses the Specialty Residential renewal row; use C or CR totals if that is your class.
CE to renewNone required for ROC contractor license renewal on the fee and applying pages we checked. Keep your bond, insurance and business information current.Source: roc.az.gov · as of

License types in Arizona

  • No state journeyman plumber license
  • R-37 Plumbing (residential contractor)
  • C-37 Plumbing (commercial contractor)
  • CR-37 Plumbing (dual residential/commercial)
  • Local journeyman plumber licenses in some cities
Source: roc.az.gov · as of · Classification codes and experience: ROC License Classification Requirements PDF. Application steps: roc.az.gov

Local plumber licenses (by city)

Arizona does not license individual journeyman plumbers at the state level. Phoenix requires a licensed journeyman or apprentice for permitted plumbing work. Elsewhere, ask the city building department.

Phoenix

Office: City of Phoenix, Planning & Development Department
Licenses journeymen?Yes
ExperiencePhoenix issues Journeyman and Apprentice licenses for plumbing (and mechanical/gas). Journeyman license is valid for three years; apprentice for one year. Apprentice applicants need a notarized employer letter and photo ID; confirm current journeyman experience and exam rules on the city page before you apply.
ExamCity of Phoenix (see journeyman application). Confirm current exam requirements on the Phoenix journeyman/apprentice licensing page; apprentices do not take an exam when applying with required employment confirmation
FeesNot confirmed
RenewalJourneyman every 3 years; apprentice every 1 year. Renew on the cycle published by Phoenix Planning & Development; confirm fees on the city portal
CENot confirmed on the Phoenix journeyman page we checked.
NotesPermitted plumbing work in Phoenix must be performed by a licensed journeyman or apprentice.
Still openCurrent Phoenix journeyman plumber application fee and exam details
ContactCity of Phoenix, Planning & Development (source)
Source: phoenix.gov · as of

If your city is not listed, contact the local building or development services department.

Reciprocity (licensed in another state?)

Arizona has no direct reciprocity with any state for ROC contractor licenses. ROC may waive the trade exam and experience if the qualifying party held a comparable license, earned by trade exam, in another state within the past 5 years (send the Out of State Waiver Request with the application). The SRE cannot be waived unless ROC publishes an exception.Source: roc.az.gov · as of

What we couldn't confirm yet

We only publish what we can tie to an official source. These items aren't published anywhere we could verify, so ask the office listed:

FAQ

Does Arizona have a state journeyman plumber license?

No. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors licenses plumbing contracting businesses (R-37, C-37, CR-37). Some cities, including Phoenix, license plumbing journeymen locally.

What exams does an Arizona plumbing contractor qualifying party take?

The Statutes and Rules Exam (Gmetrix) and the plumbing trade exam (PSI), unless ROC grants a published waiver.

Already licensed? See Arizona plumber license renewal & CE requirements.

Other states

Compare every state side by side: license requirements by state · renewal & CE by state.