Storm contractor rules in Arizona: the gardener exemption for tree maintenance, the US$1,000 casual work line and home solicitation sales
Arizona's contractor licensing statute exempts a person who works as a gardener doing "lawn, garden, shrub and tree maintenance", and exempts casual work under US$1,000 if advertising carries the words "not a licensed contractor". This page restates chapter 10 of title 32 and chapter 15 of title 44 as the Legislature publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. The sections read do not mention storms, and no official page on an Arizona price gouging rule was read for this page on October 9, 2026.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| 32-1101, contractor | A contractor, a synonym for builder, is anyone who for compensation undertakes, offers, bids or supervises others to construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish any building, highway, road, excavation or other structure, project, development or improvement, or any part of it. A residential contractor does this within residential property lines, including appurtenances |
| 32-1151, license required | It is unlawful to engage in the business of, bid as, or offer to act as a contractor without a contractor's licence in good standing, unless exempt. A permit from a governmental agency or the employment of a person on a project is accepted in court as prima facie evidence that a contract exists |
| 32-1121(A)(16), gardener | The chapter does not apply to "a person who functions as a gardener by performing lawn, garden, shrub and tree maintenance" |
| 32-1121(A)(14), casual work | The exemption covers a person other than a licensed contractor doing work on one project when the aggregate contract price, including labor and materials, is less than US$1,000 and the work is of a casual or minor nature. The exemption does not apply where a local building permit is required, where the work is part of a larger operation or split into contracts under US$1,000 to evade the chapter, or to a person whose advertising does not include the words "not a licensed contractor" |
| 32-1121(C) | A person who does not have the casual work exemption is subject to prosecution under section 44-1522, and the Attorney General may investigate |
| 32-1121(A)(5) and (A)(11) | Also exempt: owners who improve their own property and do the work themselves or with licensed contractors, and an employee whose sole compensation is wages |
| 44-5001, home solicitation sale | A sale in which the seller personally solicits without prior invitation, appointment or consent and the buyer's agreement is made at a home other than the seller's. A sale on a preexisting account, or after prior negotiations at a fixed business location, is not included |
| 44-5002, cancellation | The buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, by written notice to the address the seller specified, and a waiver of the right in the contract is void. The business day definition leaves out Sundays and nine named federal holidays |
Where tree work sits
The statute text speaks to tree maintenance as an exemption, not as a licence class. The gardener exemption lists lawn, garden, shrub and tree maintenance together. The contractor definition is built on construction work on structures and improvements. The sections read do not say whether removing a storm-damaged tree from a roof or a fence counts as maintenance, and that question is for the Registrar of Contractors. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work.
The unlicensed-status words and the cancellation right
The exemption for small jobs carries a condition on advertising: the words "not a licensed contractor" must be in it. The definition in section 44-5001 covers sales solicited "without prior invitation, appointment or consent". The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- Arizona Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1101, Definitions, read October 9, 2026
- Arizona Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1121, Persons not required to be licensed, read October 9, 2026
- Arizona Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1151, Engaging in contracting without license prohibited, read October 9, 2026
- Arizona Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes 44-5002, Cancellation period, method of cancellation, intent and waiver, read October 9, 2026
- Arizona Legislature, Arizona Revised Statutes 44-5001, Home solicitation sale definitions, read October 9, 2026