Arizona Pool Contractor License Requirements (2026)

Arizona regulates swimming pool and spa construction through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC), which issues dedicated pool-building classifications rather than folding the work into a general contractor license. A firm that builds in-ground or above-ground pools and spas must hold the classification that matches its work: residential B-5 (no solar) or B-6 (including solar), commercial A-9 (no solar) or A-19 (including solar), or the dual KA-5/KA-6 for companies performing both residential and commercial pool construction. The license is granted to the business entity — sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, or corporation — and is qualified by a designated qualifying party who documents the required trade experience and passes the mandated examinations under A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10. Pool service, maintenance, and repair fall under a separate specialty (C-6/CR-6) and are not covered by these construction classifications.

Regulatory Oversight

Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC) administers and enforces this credential under the authority of A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10 (Contractors), esp. A.R.S. § 32-1122; classification scopes at A.A.C. R4-9-103/104; pool contract rules at A.R.S. § 32-1158.01. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors is the state agency that issues and regulates all contractor license classifications, including the residential (B-5/B-6), commercial (A-9/A-19), and dual (KA-5/KA-6) swimming pool construction classifications. It reviews applications, administers the qualifying-party requirements, enforces bonding and the Residential Recovery Fund, and investigates unlicensed or improper contracting.

Official portal: https://roc.az.gov
Address: 1700 W. Washington Street, Suite 105, Phoenix, AZ 85007-2812
Phone: 877-692-9762

Who May Apply

To qualify, an applicant must have reached age 18 and hold a valid Social Security Number. No state-residency requirement. The license is issued to the business entity, not to the qualifying party. All persons listed on the application must be at least 18 years old.

Good moral character

The applicant and qualifying party must not have engaged in unlicensed contracting or committed acts that would be grounds for suspension or revocation of a contractor license (A.R.S. § 32-1122). No separate codified 'good moral character' affidavit standard applies to this classification.

Background investigation

A criminal background check via fingerprints may be required under A.R.S. § 32-1122. The Registrar may deny a license for prior unlicensed contracting or for acts that would be grounds for suspension or revocation. The fingerprinting fee was not confirmed on an official ROC page; confirm the current amount before filing.

Disqualifying conditions

Prior contracting without a license
Any act that would be grounds for suspension or revocation of a contractor license
A license denied, refused, or revoked within the preceding one year (with limited exceptions)

Required Experience and Education

Eligibility requires 4 years of A minimum of four years' practical or management trade experience dealing specifically with swimming pool construction for the classification sought, at least two years of which must have been within the last ten years (A.R.S. § 32-1122)., documented and independently verifiable. Payroll, tax, project, and supervisor records are the usual proof the board will accept.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Qualifying party experience verification submitted with the license application
Application for New Qualifying Party (RC-L-201D)

Education substitution

Technical training at an accredited college or university, or an accredited manufacturer's program, may substitute for a portion of the required experience, but credited technical training may not exceed two of the four required years.

Examination Requirements

Rather than a written state examination, the cited materials route this credential through: PSI administers the classification-specific trade exam; Gmetrix administers the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE). Confirm details against the PSI Arizona Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/azcon.

Examination fee: Trade exam $66 (paid to PSI); SRE $61 (paid to Gmetrix)

Retake policy: Retake rules for the pool construction trade exam were not confirmed on an official page; confirm the current retake policy and any waiting period with PSI before scheduling. The trade exam may be waived under A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) if the qualifying party held the same or a comparable classification within the preceding five years, but the SRE can never be waived.

Insurance and Financial Requirements

Licensure is conditioned on filing a $9,000 contractor license surety bond with the AZ ROC.

General liability

Not required by the Registrar of Contractors as a licensing condition; no state general-liability mandate was found for these pool classifications.

Workers' compensation

Required under Arizona law if the business has employees; this is a general Arizona requirement, not a pool-specific ROC licensing condition.

Additional financial requirements

Not required for these pool classifications (unconfirmed as a general requirement).

Licensing Fees

Fee	Amount
Application (non-refundable)	$180
Examination	$66
Initial license	$870
Renewal (every 2 years)	$590

Keeping the License Current

Renewal of the Swimming Pool Contractor classifications: B-6 / B-5 (residential), A-19 / A-9 (commercial), KA-6 / KA-5 (dual) comes due every 2 years. As cited, the renewal fee stands at $590. Licenses are issued and renewed on a two-year cycle. Residential B-5/B-6 renewal is $590 ($320 license + $270 Recovery Fund); commercial A-9/A-19 is $580 (inferred to equal the initial commercial license fee); dual KA-5/KA-6 is $750 ($480 + $270 Recovery Fund). Confirm component splits on roc.az.gov/licensing-fees.

Continuing education: None required by the Registrar of Contractors for renewal.

Reciprocity and License Transfer

The NASCLA Accredited Examination is not accepted by Arizona for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

Arizona accepts the NASCLA Accredited Commercial General Building exam only in lieu of the ROC trade exam for the KB-1/B-1 and KB-2/B-2 building classifications (and a NASCLA electrical program for electrical classes) — NOT for swimming pool classifications. No formal state-to-state pool-license reciprocity was found. An out-of-state qualifying party may instead qualify for a trade-exam waiver under A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) if they held the same or a comparable classification within the preceding five years; the Arizona SRE can never be waived.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares Pool Contractor license requirements in every state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Application Process, Step by Step

Identify the correct pool classification. Determine whether the work is residential (B-5 no solar / B-6 including solar), commercial (A-9 / A-19 including solar), or both (dual KA-5/KA-6), and apply for the matching class through AZ ROC.
Designate a qualifying party. Select a qualifying party with at least four years of swimming pool trade experience — two of which fall within the last ten years — up to two of which may be met with accredited technical training.
Form and register the business entity. Establish the sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation that will hold the license, since the license is issued to the entity rather than to an individual.
Pass the required examinations. Have the qualifying party pass the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam through Gmetrix ($61) and the classification-specific pool construction trade exam through PSI ($66), unless a trade-exam waiver under A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) applies.
Obtain the contractor's license bond. Purchase a continuous contractor's license bond scaled to the classification and contemplated annual volume under A.R.S. § 32-1152 (residential B-5/B-6 begins at $9,000).
Submit the application, fees, and Recovery Fund assessment. File the license application with the classification fee and, for residential or dual classes, the Residential Recovery Fund assessment ($370 new) — or post the $200,000 surety/cash bond alternative.

Recommended References

What follows are the regulator-cited and commonly used preparation references for this trade. They appear here for convenience only; CLR takes no compensation for them.

PSI Arizona Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin — PSI Exams. Official PSI bulletin (test-takers.psiexams.com/azcon) with scheduling and reference material; use it to confirm the passing score and any published content details, which were not independently verified for the pool construction trade exam.
Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE) — Gmetrix (via AZ ROC). Required online business-and-law course and exam covering A.R.S. Title 32 and A.A.C. Title 4 contractor rules; $61.
A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10 and A.A.C. R4-9 — Arizona State Legislature / Secretary of State. Primary statutes and rules governing qualifications, bonding, classification scopes, and pool construction contracts.

Frequent Application Errors

Based on the board's own instructions and the sources cited here, the problems below are what most often stall a Arizona Pool Contractor application.

Applying under the wrong classification

Residential and commercial pool work require different classes (B-5/B-6 vs. A-9/A-19), and solar-heated pools require the solar-inclusive class; firms doing both need the dual KA-5/KA-6. Applying under the wrong code can require a new application and exam.

Confusing construction with service classes

The pool construction classes are separate from the C-6/CR-6 pool service-and-repair specialty. The commonly cited 30-question, 75-minute exam figure applies to the service exam, not to the construction trade exam, whose question count and time are not published.

Overlooking the Residential Recovery Fund assessment

Residential and dual applicants must pay the Recovery Fund assessment ($370 new / $270 renewal) even when a first-time sole-proprietor initial-license fee waiver under A.R.S. § 41-1080.01 applies, unless they post the $200,000 surety or cash bond alternative.

Relying on unconfirmed figures

The 70% passing score, exam retake rules, fingerprinting fee, and late-renewal penalty were not independently confirmed from openable official pages; verify each against the PSI bulletin and roc.az.gov before relying on it.

Document Checklist

The most critical documents or confirmations the applicant should have in hand before filing with AZ ROC:

☐ Confirm the correct pool classification (residential B-5/B-6, commercial A-9/A-19, or dual KA-5/KA-6) for the work performed.
☐ Designate a qualifying party with at least four years of pool construction experience, two within the last ten years.
☐ Form and register the business entity that will hold the license.
☐ Pass the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (Gmetrix, $61) and the pool construction trade exam (PSI, $66), or secure a trade-exam waiver.
☐ Obtain a continuous contractor's license bond scaled to classification and volume (residential begins at $9,000).
☐ Submit the license application with the classification fee and, for residential/dual classes, the $370 Residential Recovery Fund assessment or the $200,000 bond alternative.
☐ Verify unconfirmed items — fingerprinting fee, exam retake rules, and late-renewal penalty — on official ROC and PSI pages before filing.

Other Arizona Trade Licenses

Should the Pool Contractor path not apply, these other Arizona trade guides from CLR may help:

Questions Applicants Ask

Does Arizona have a dedicated swimming pool contractor license?

Yes. The Arizona Registrar of Contractors issues dedicated pool construction classifications: residential B-5 (no solar) and B-6 (including solar), commercial A-9 and A-19 (including solar), and dual KA-5/KA-6. A builder must hold the classification that matches the work, and pool service or repair falls under a separate C-6/CR-6 specialty that these construction classes do not cover.

How much experience is required to qualify?

The qualifying party must document at least four years of practical or management trade experience in swimming pool construction, with at least two of those years occurring within the last ten years, per A.R.S. § 32-1122. Accredited technical training may substitute for up to two of the four required years, but not more.

What exams must be passed and can they be waived?

The qualifying party must pass two exams: the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam through Gmetrix ($61) and the classification-specific pool construction trade exam through PSI ($66). A 70% passing score is commonly reported but should be confirmed against the PSI Arizona Candidate Information Bulletin. The trade exam may be waived under A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) for a qualifying party who held the same or comparable classification within the preceding five years; the SRE can never be waived.

Is a bond required, and how large is it?

Yes. A continuous contractor's license bond is required under A.R.S. § 32-1152, scaled by classification and contemplated annual gross volume. Residential B-5/B-6 bonds start at $9,000 (under $750,000 volume) and rise to $15,000 at $750,000 or more; commercial A-9/A-19 bonds range from $5,000 to $100,000 by volume, and dual KA-5/KA-6 bonds combine the residential and commercial amounts.

Does the NASCLA exam transfer into an Arizona pool license?

No. Arizona accepts the NASCLA Accredited Commercial General Building exam only for the KB-1/B-1 and KB-2/B-2 general building classifications, not for any swimming pool classification. An out-of-state qualifying party's alternative is a trade-exam waiver under A.A.C. R4-9-106(E) based on holding the same or comparable classification within the preceding five years.

Is continuing education required to renew?

No. The Registrar of Contractors does not require continuing education to renew a pool construction license. Licenses are issued and renewed on a two-year cycle; residential and dual renewals include the Residential Recovery Fund assessment ($270 at renewal). Any late-renewal or reinstatement penalty was not confirmed on an official page and should be verified before a lapse.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-07-10 · Next scheduled review 2026-10-08