Construction & Remodeling Experts in Arizona

Each city enforces the codes it adopts within its limits, and county boards of supervisors in counties with zoning can adopt building codes for unincorporated areas. State law lets a city adopt codes by reference, so the code edition and permit rules depend on the property. Phoenix, for example, has enforced its 2024 code since August 1, 2025, while Scottsdale's city page lists 2021 editions. The permit office for your address is confirmed during planning.

Use the Registrar of Contractors Contractor Search to confirm the license is active and that its class matches the work. The Arizona Attorney General warns that anyone can pretend to be a contractor and says to double check, get written estimates and avoid upfront or cash-only payments. State law also requires specific information in every residential construction contract over $1,000. Licensed residential contractors post a bond, and the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund can help eligible owner-occupants damaged by a licensed contractor's violations.

Only a very small one. The exemption covers casual or minor work with a total contract price under $1,000 that is not part of a larger operation, and it does not apply when a local building permit is required. Unlicensed people who advertise must disclose that they are not licensed contractors. Anything that needs a permit, or that is split into pieces to stay under the limit, is outside the exemption.

Arizona's monsoon season runs from June 15 to September 30, with wind gusts that almost always exceed 40 mph, dust storms and flash flooding, and it overlaps the hottest months of the year. The state's heat safety task force stresses water, shade, rest and acclimatization for workers, so summer roofing and exterior work is planned around early hours and heat breaks. Build storm days into the schedule and close up open roofs and excavations before weather arrives.

Association rules are separate from the city permit. Chandler's permit manual, for example, says plans should be approved by the association before the permit application and that the city does not enforce HOA rules. State law says a planned community association may not unreasonably withhold approval of a construction project's architectural designs and plans, and may not prohibit a solar energy device, though it can set reasonable placement rules. Share your governing documents early.

Call Arizona 811 before any excavation; utility owners must mark their lines within 48 hours, and digging before they are marked can bring fines. In Maricopa County, activity that disturbs 0.1 acre or more needs a dust control permit. Ask about soils too: expansive clay swells and shrinks with moisture, and caliche, a layer cemented by calcium carbonate, can be several feet thick and slow excavation.