Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / General Contractors / Arizona

Carpenter in a hard hat nailing floor framing with a hammer

Home / General Contractors / Arizona

How to become a general contractor in Arizona

Most general contractors in Arizona start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

19registered apprenticeship programs$37.76median an hour in Arizona

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In AZ
19 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In AZ
14 schools with programs
Compare 14 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Arizona is $37.76 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Arizona
  3. Run your own shop

    Qualifying party needs 4 years practical or management trade experience, at least 2 within the last 10; up to 2 years can be technical-training credit (A.R.S. 32-1122(E)(1)).

    Issued by
    Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC)
    Arizona contractor license
Pay once you're working

$78,550

a year is the median for general contractors in Arizona ($37.76 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Phoenix–Mesa$38.38
  2. Flagstaff$36.34
  3. Prescott Valley–Prescott$34.90
  4. Tucson$34.37
  5. Sierra Vista–Douglas$33.04
Arizona median $37.76 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Arizona?

Yes. Arizona licenses general contractors through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC).1

Are general contractors in demand in Arizona?

Projections Central expects about 2,550 general contractor openings a year in Arizona through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

19 registered programs in Arizona. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Arizona

Sources

  1. Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) contractor licensing (roc.az.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Arizona, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)