municipalities; counties; occupation; licensure; prohibition

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific enforcement mechanisms, fiscal impacts, or implementation costs.

Statewide Contractor Licensing

This bill stops cities and counties from making their own rules about contractor licenses for most jobs except for specific trades like plumbing and electrical work.

What This Bill Does

• Makes it clear that the state is in charge of licensing contractors across Arizona.
• Stops cities and counties from requiring journeyman licenses if a person already has a state license.
• Allows cities and counties to require licenses for specific jobs such as plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical work, HVAC installation, and electrical or alarm system trades.

Who It Names or Affects

• Contractors who need licenses to work in Arizona
• Cities and counties that make rules about licensing

Terms To Know

licensure

Any training, education, test, certification, registration or license required for a job.

occupation

A paid job, profession, trade, employment, career, field, vocation or craft.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how it will be enforced.
• It is unclear what the impact on local economies might be.
• There are no details about any costs associated with implementing this law.

Official Summary Text

SB1670 - 572R - Senate Fact Sheet

Assigned to
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COMMITTEE

ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Seventh
Legislature, Second Regular Session

FACT SHEET FOR
S.B. 1670

municipalities;
counties; occupation; licensure; prohibition

Purpose

Preempts a
municipality or county in the issuance of contractor licenses. Outlines
instances when a municipality or county may require a person to obtain a
journeyman license.

Background

The Registrar of
Contractors (ROC) is a regulatory agency that licenses, regulates and conducts
examinations of residential and commercial contractors for each particular
trade or field of a construction science profession in order to protect the
health and safety of the public. Any business which contracts or offers to
contract to build, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck
or demolish any building, highway, road, railroad, excavation or other
structure, development or improvement or to do any part of the work must be a
licensed contractor. The applicant for a contractor license must identify a qualifying
party for the license. The qualifying party is a person who is regularly
employed by the licensee and is actively engaged in the classification of work
for which the person qualifies on behalf of the licensee and must meet or
exceed the specific license classification requirements.

The duties of
the ROC include: 1) maintaining a complete indexed record of all applications
and licenses; 2) making rules deemed necessary to effectually carry out its
regulatory requirements; 3) preparing and furnishing decals and business
management books when deemed advisable; 4) administering oaths, certifying to
official acts, issuing subpoenas for attendance of witnesses and producing
books, papers and records for any investigation, proceeding or hearing; and 5)
referring criminal violations of statute to the appropriate law enforcement
agency or prosecuting authority (
A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 10
).

There is no
anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.

Provisions

1.

Declares that the licensure of a person as a contractor with the ROC in
accordance with statute is of statewide concern and not subject to further
regulation by a municipality or county.

2.

Prohibits a municipality or county from requiring a person to obtain a
journeyman license if the person is subject to contractor licensure
requirements with the ROC.

3.

Allows
a municipality or county to require a person to be licensed and may issue a
journeyman license for the following occupations:

a)

plumbing;

b)

pipe fitting;

c)

mechanical trades;

d)

HVAC installation; and

e)

electrical
or alarm system trades.

4.

Defines
licensure
as any training, education, test,
certification, registration or license that is required for a person to perform
an occupation in addition to any associated licensing fee.

5.

Defines
occupation
as a paid job, profession, work, line of work,
trade, employment, position, post, career, field, vocation or craft.

6.

Becomes effective on the general effective date.

Prepared by Senate Research

February 15, 2026

JT/NRG/ci

Current Bill Text

SB1670 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

municipalities;
counties; occupation; licensure; prohibition

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1670

AN
ACT

amending title 9, chapter 4, article 8,
arizona revised statutes, by adding section 9-500.54; amending title 11,
chapter 2, article 4, arizona revised statutes, by adding section 11-269.31;
relating to licensure.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 9, chapter 4, article 8,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 9-500.54, to read:

START_STATUTE
9-500.54.

State preemption; occupation; licensure; prohibition; definitions

a. The licensure of persons subject
to title 32, chapter 10 is of statewide concern. The licensure of
persons subject to title 32, chapter 10 is not subject to further regulation by
a municipality except as provided in this section.

b. A municipality may not require a
person to obtain a journeyman license if the person is subject to licensure
pursuant to title 32, chapter 10.

C. A municipality may require a
person to be licensed and may issue a journeyman license for the following
occupations:

1. Plumbing.

2. Pipe fitting.

3. mechanical trades.

4. HVAC installation.

5. Electrical or alarm system trades.

D. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Licensure" means any
training, education, test, certification, registration or license that is
required for a person to perform an occupation in addition to any associated
licensing fee.

2. "Occupation" means a
paid job, profession, work, line of work, trade, employment, position, post,
career, field, vocation or craft.
END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Title 11, chapter 2, article 4, Arizona
Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 11-269.31, to read:

START_STATUTE
11-269.31.

State preemption; occupation; licensure; prohibition; definitions

a. The licensure of persons subject
to title 32, chapter 10 is of statewide concern. The licensure of
persons subject to title 32, chapter 10 is not subject to further regulation by
a county except as provided in this section.

b. A County may not require a person
to obtain a journeyman license if the person is subject to licensure pursuant
to title 32, chapter 10.

C. A county may require a person to
be licensed and may issue a journeyman license for the following occupations:

1. Plumbing.

2. Pipe fitting.

3. mechanical trades.

4. HVAC installation.

5. Electrical or alarm system trades.

D. For
the purposes of this section:

1. "Licensure"
means any training, education, test, certification, registration or license
that is required for a person to perform an occupation in addition to any
associated licensing fee.

2. "Occupation" means a
paid job, profession, work, line of work, trade, employment, position, post,
career, field, vocation or craft.
END_STATUTE