Arizona contractor license lookup: how to check an HVAC contractor (ROC)

Arizona contractors are licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, usually shortened to ROC. The ROC runs a public contractor search on its official website. The lookup takes a few minutes and costs nothing.

1. Ask the company for its ROC license number. A legitimate contractor gives it without fuss, and it usually appears on the quote, the contract and the truck.
2. Open the contractor search on the ROC's official state website. Reach it by typing the agency name into your browser and choosing the state government site. Avoid third-party lookup sites that sit between you and the record.
3. Search by license number. If you only have a company name, search the name and then match the address and owner to the business you are dealing with.
4. Open the record and read all of it before you compare it with the quote in your hand.

• Name match. The business name on the record should be the same business named on your quote and contract. A different name means you need an explanation in writing.
• Status. You want a license that is current and active. Walk away from a suspended, expired or revoked license, even if the contractor says a renewal is in progress.
• Classification. Contractor licenses are issued for specific kinds of work. The record should show a classification that covers residential air conditioning and heating. If you cannot tell, ask the ROC.
• Complaints and discipline. Read whatever history the record shows. One old resolved complaint on a busy company means less than a recent pattern.
• Bond. If the record lists bond details, note them. A bond is limited protection and it does not replace checking the contractor's insurance.

A clean license record shows that the company is allowed to do the work. It says nothing about whether the price is fair or whether the installer assigned to your house is careful. You still need written quotes for the same scope from more than one company.

Ask each bidder for a certificate of liability insurance and, if the company has employees, proof of workers' compensation coverage. Ask who pulls the permit. For how this site connects readers with contractors, see how contractor matching works.

• No license number on the quote, or a number that belongs to a different business.
• Pressure to sign today, or a demand for most of the money in cash before equipment arrives.
• An offer to skip the permit to save money. The risk from uninspected work stays with you and the house.
• A quote with one total and no model numbers, tonnage or efficiency rating.

Keep a screenshot or printout of the license record with your contract. If the job goes wrong, the ROC is where complaints about licensed contractors go, and the record you saved shows what you relied on.