If you’re looking into hiring a contractor or are considering becoming one yourself, you’re more than likely bound to find that the specific construction laws in your state are far different than those in a neighboring one.
To get a specific type of work done, you either need to hire or gain a specific license before starting. Similarly, licenses and contractors can be further categorized by the value of the work and what work permits are needed.
Ultimately, there are some Arizona contractors’ licenses that fall into a few main categories, each allowing different kinds of work to be done under specific restrictions. Each has a few other licenses as subcategories, but we’ve only included the main ones for information purposes.
It is important, however, to get these licenses – or to make sure the contractor you hire has the appropriate one – before doing any work. Doing work without the proper licensing can cost quite a lot of money in fines and can even lead to criminal charges and jail time.
If you want to learn more or hire a licensed plumbing contractor, look no further than our team at Diamondback Plumbing!
General Residential Licenses
One of the main types of plumbing licenses you might find in Arizona is the general residential license. As the name might suggest, this license allows construction and work to be done in residential areas. That being said, this type of Arizona plumbing license does have its limits.
Though the contractor can work on most residential buildings, like detached houses and townhouses, some licenses might restrict contractors to condos and apartment buildings with four units maximum.
A residential license can – and often do – allow the contractor to do work on a few of the plumbing lines and any connections it needs. This can extend further to include any meters, connections to the building’s utility service, and any mechanical or structural services the building might have.
Overall, a general residential license is one of the types of contractor license that allows quite a lot to be done on most residential buildings. It also allows the needed access to any connections the home or apartment complex might need for the job.
General Commercial Licenses
A general commercial license is another common type of Arizona contractors’ license that primarily covers much of the same limits as a residential license. The main difference between the two is that a general commercial license is needed for work to be done on larger and – as the name suggests – commercial buildings
This commercial license allows work to be done on a building for the use of “support, shelter, and enclosure” of people, their pets, and other animals. This also covers any “movable property” that the owner might have. Typically, general commercial licenses are used for condos and apartment buildings with more than four floors, hotels, malls, and other similar buildings.
General Dual License
Another one of the main Arizona contractors’ licenses that you may want to familiarize yourself with is the general dual license. Dual licenses typically cover all of the possible work that can be done, given that it doesn’t include anything outside of the contractor’s trade or profession.
In the case of a plumber or a plumbing company, a general dual license can allow very simple plumbing work to be done for both commercial and residential buildings and structures. However, like with the other licenses, any complex electrical or plumbing work needs to be subcontracted to another contractor with the appropriate – or specialized – license.
Specialty Commercial Licenses
While this type of license is quite similar to what a general license allows, the specialty license can allow contractors to do work besides simply building and modifying a commercial building, like electrical work and working with complex plumbing system connections.
Much like their general license alternatives, these specialty contractor licenses – and other similar ones – have different grade levels for specific types of work. Some of these subcategories can also specify that the contractor can build certain features of a building, like acoustic wall systems, awnings and even fencing for more private areas.
Specialty Residential Licenses
Like the commercial license mentioned earlier, specialty residential licenses are used to allow contractors to do more complicated work like drywalling and electrical work for smaller, residential buildings. More often than not, these licensed contractors are the ones who “flesh out” the inside of your home and connect any important systems to their appropriate outlets – if they aren’t the ones that built the home from the foundation up.
In addition to the HVAC, electrical, and drywall work that can be done with this license, contractors can also build and work with fire protection and irrigation systems.
Specialty Dual License
One of the last specialty contractor licenses, this dual license allows contractors to complete the entire range of specialized work that’s covered by both the residential and commercial licenses.
As a result, the dual license is likely to be the one type that many contractors look to get when entering the home renovation and construction industry.
A-12 Contractor License
The A-12 contractor license is incredibly useful for professional plumbers and builders.
The A-12 allows the contractor or company that holds it to complete work past the property line (if the client has a problem that goes past the property line). If your home needs a gas or water line repair that goes to the city’s sidewalk a company with an A-12 license is allowed to fix it.
However, very few plumbing companies have this type of license. However, only about 10% of plumbing companies in Arizona have this type of license.
Thankfully, our team at Diamondback plumbing does, so you’ll get work that guarantees that your problem is solved!
Takeaway
Contact our team members at Diamondback Plumbing to know a thing or two about plumbing licenses, especially the A-12. Our talented team members have earned their plumbing licenses thanks to their industry knowledge and hands-on experience. If you have any questions about our qualifications and certifications, don’t hesitate to contact one of our team members today.