STATE LICENSE
RequiredArizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC)
The classification covers installation, alteration and repair of refrigeration and evaporative cooling systems, wet and dry heating systems, and ventilation including duct work, air filtering, water treatment devices, pneumatic or electrical controls and control piping. Wet systems are limited to 30 PSIG and 220°F for hot water and 15 PSIG for steam. CR-79 and R-39 add solar; CR-58 is the narrower Comfort Heating, Ventilating and Evaporative Cooling class; C-49 is commercial process refrigeration.
Two boundaries define the trade. Electrically, an air conditioning licensee may add a new circuit to an existing service panel or sub-panel if necessary, but may never install a new service panel or sub-panel. On the fuel side, A.R.S. § 32-1121(D)(2) removes every $1,000 exemption from work connecting to natural gas or propane, so a gas furnace hookup is licensed work at any price.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
A.R.S. § 32-1101.01 stops cities and counties from adding their own contractor license, so the local layer is permits, inspections and tax. Phoenix Planning and Development (SHAPE PHX), Tucson Planning and Development Services and Maricopa County Planning and Development, which serves the unincorporated county, each require the A.R.S. § 32-1169 signed statement of license number before a mechanical permit issues. Because most equipment changeouts are permitted work, the permit desk is what forces licensure on small residential jobs. Prime contracting is taxed on 65% of gross proceeds under A.R.S. § 42-5075, with maintenance, repair, replacement and alteration work handled differently under the Department of Revenue contracting guidelines.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Arizona county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of September 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Unlike most states, Arizona names evaporative cooling and ventilators directly in the classification text — and CR-58 exists as a dedicated comfort heating, ventilating and evaporative cooling license for firms that do not touch refrigeration.
The classification permits adding a new circuit to an existing service panel or sub-panel when necessary. Installing a new service panel or sub-panel is excluded and belongs to the electrical licensee.
A roofing licensee may lift HVAC equipment to install roofing material, but any modification to the equipment ducting must be subcontracted to a properly licensed contractor — which means you.
A practical sequence for a new HVAC contractor in Arizona. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Engaging in, bidding on or holding yourself out for air conditioning contracting without a current license in good standing.
Installing a new service panel, or performing plumbing or gas work beyond the classification scope, is contracting without the required license for that work.
If the residential recovery fund pays a claim arising from your license, the license is suspended until you repay the fund in full with interest at ten percent a year.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on September 2026.
Pending verification: Whether Arizona jurisdictions uniformly require a permit for a like-for-like residential condenser changeout — permit triggers are set locally and were not confirmed city by city
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.