How to become a roofer in Arizona

The path in Arizona, step by step

Arizona licenses roofing work at the state level through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Form your business entity with the Arizona Corporation Commission, or apply as a sole proprietor using your exact legal name.
2. Pick your classification (R-42, C-42 or CR-42).
3. Pass the Statutes and Rules exam (SRE) and the PSI trade exam, unless you qualify for a waiver.
4. Submit background checks and government ID for all persons on the license.
5. Get the contractor bond for your classification and volume.
6. Apply through the ROC online portal and pay the fees.
7. Renew every two years.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: roofing license in Arizona.

Finding an apprenticeship in Arizona

Arizona runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Arizona State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. A few groups sponsor roofing apprenticeships. They combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction, usually with a set number of hours for each.

License levels and exams in Arizona

The license to aim for: R-42 Roofing (residential), C-42 Roofing (commercial) or CR-42 Roofing (dual).

Trade exam. Yes. A roofing trade exam through PSI, $66, unless waived.

Business exam. Yes. The online AZ Statutes and Rules Training Course and Exam (SRE) through Gmetrix, $61.

Keeping it. Every two years.

What the Arizona license costs

The fees the Arizona Registrar of Contractors lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What roofers earn in Arizona

The median roofer in Arizona earned $22.76 an hour in May 2025, 39th of 51 states, with 3,420 on payrolls. The national median was $26.65.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of roofers in Arizona earned under $19.16 an hour and a tenth under $17.27. At the top, a quarter earned over $28.43 and a tenth over $30.10.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: roofer salary in Arizona.

Jobs ahead in Arizona

Arizona's labor market office projects jobs for roofers growing from 4,200 in 2022 to 4,830 in 2032, a change of 15%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 410 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 15% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2% projected nationally, ranking 7th of the 48 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group roofers.

Starting your own roofer business in Arizona

To contract on your own in Arizona, the license is the R-42 Roofing (residential), C-42 Roofing (commercial) or CR-42 Roofing (dual).

Insurance. You must attest that you comply with workers' compensation insurance laws.

Bond. Residential specialty: $4,250 if yearly volume is under $375,000, or $7,500 at $375,000 or more. Commercial specialty: from $2,500 for $150,000 or less, rising with volume. Dual licenses combine both amounts.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Arizona median of $22.76 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $110.56 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a roofing business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.