Arizona · electrician licensing · verified July 2026
Arizona electrician license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Arizona regulates electrical work at the state level through contractor licensing only: the Arizona Registrar of Contractors issues R-11 (residential), C-11 (commercial) and CR-11 (dual) electrical contractor licenses, and there is no state journeyman, master, or individual electrician certificate. The qualifying party for a license must have a minimum of four years of practical or management trade experience (at least two within the last ten years) and pass the AZ Statutes and Rules Exam plus an electrical trade exam (or the NASCLA electrical exam). Licenses run two years; no continuing education requirement is listed by the ROC.
Do you need a license to work as an electrician in Arizona?
Arizona licenses electricians statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
Arizona has no state journeyman/master electrician certificate; individual electricians work as employees of ROC-licensed electrical contractors. The ROC lists no formal state-to-state reciprocity agreements for electrical licenses; instead, under R4-9-106(E) the trade exam may be waived if the qualifying party is or was a qualifying party on a same-or-comparable classification license in Arizona or another state within the preceding five years, and the NASCLA electrical exam is accepted. All exams require at least 70% to pass. Residential and dual licensees pay Residential Recovery Fund assessments; contractors must also post a surety or cash bond (amount varies).
What licenses does Arizona issue?
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-11 Electrical (Specialty Residential contractor) | not published | not published | Yes |
| C-11 Electrical (Specialty Commercial contractor) | not published | not published | Yes |
| CR-11 Electrical (Specialty Dual contractor) | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) (azleg.gov). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Arizona require?
Arizona Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE), open-book, online; cannot be waived. Administered by Gmetrix. Exam fee $61.
Electrical trade exam (C-11/R-11/CR-11); minimum passing score 70%. Administered by PSI Services. Exam fee $66.
NASCLA Electrical Examination Program (accepted in lieu of the AZ ROC trade exam for CR-11, C-11 and R-11). Administered by PSI Exams Online / NASCLA. Exam fee $116.
How much does an Arizona electrician license cost?
Arizona sets its fees per license class rather than as one figure for the trade, so no single total would be true of every applicant. The published items are below exactly as the board sets them.
- Application feeset per license class
- Exam fee$127
- Initial license feeset per license class
- Renewal fee (recurring)set per license class
Source: fee schedule (roc.az.gov). Verified July 2026.
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 2 years
Continuing education: No continuing-education requirement is listed on the Registrar of Contractors' licensing and renewal pages.
How does the apprenticeship route work?
Arizona does not license individual electricians, so completing an apprenticeship is not a licensure prerequisite to work in the trade. For contractor licensure, apprenticeship/technical training may be credited for up to two years of the qualifying party's required four years of practical trade experience (A.R.S. 32-1122(E)); the ROC also maintains an apprenticeship certificate registry.
Which states does Arizona have license reciprocity with?
Arizona's own board publishes no reciprocity agreements and takes out-of-state licensees through an endorsement or equivalency review instead. 1 other state names Arizona in their agreements, so the route in the other direction may exist: Nevada. Each of those boards decides its own case.
How does Arizona compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | not published | Statewide |
| California | not published | Statewide |
| Nevada | not published | Statewide |
| New Mexico | 8,000 | Statewide |
| Utah | 8,000 | Statewide |
| Colorado | 8,000 | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- Arizona ROC, Applying for a License (experience, exams, waiver, qualifying party)
- Arizona ROC, License and Renewal Fees
- Arizona ROC, License Classifications
- A.R.S. 32-1122 (qualifying party experience and examination requirements)
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to electricians overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) before making decisions. Not legal advice.