A licensed contractor can be disciplined by the Registrar for many kinds of violations.
One of the most frequently litigated violations relates to the contractor’s quality of work.
Violating the Registrar’s Rules is a Statutory Violation
The Registrar has a statute that lists the various acts that may not be committed by a licensed contractor. One of those provisions is a “catch all” provision that forbids the contractor from violating any of the Registrar’s rules. Here is that provision:
A. The holder of a license or any person named on a license pursuant to this chapter may not commit any of the following acts or omissions:
…
3. Violation of any rule adopted by the registrar.
The license contractor violates the disciplinary statute if it violates one of the Registrar’s rules.
The Registrar’s Rule about Workmanship Standards
One of the rules adopted by the Registrar is R4-9-108, which is titled Workmanship Standards.
That workmanship rule has three sections: A, B, and C.
A licensed contractor must perform good-quality work.
The first section of the workmanship rule states simply that a licensed contractor must perform good-quality work. Here is the text of the rule:
A. A contractor shall perform all work in a professional and workmanlike manner.
Building codes and professional industry standards define the Registrar’s workmanship standard.
The second section of the workmanship rule states that performing good-quality work is defined with reference to (1) building codes and (2) professional industry standards. Here is the the text of that rule:
B. A contractor shall perform all work in accordance with any applicable building codes and professional industry standards. For work to be performed in accordance with professional industry standards, a contractor shall use such skills, prudence, and diligence in performing and completing tasks undertaken that the completed work meets the standards of a similarly licensed contractor possessing ordinary skill and capacity.
When there is no applicable building code, professional industry standards apply.
The final section of the workmanship rule states that if there is no applicable building code, then the quality of work is determined from professional industry standards. Here is the text of the rule:
C. All work performed by a contractor in a county, city, or town that has not adopted building codes or where any adopted building codes do not contain specific provisions applicable to that aspect of construction work shall be performed in accordance with professional industry standards.
Where You Can Find the Registrar’s Rules
The workmanship rule is published in the Arizona Administrative Code. The official text of the Administrative Code can always be found at the website of the Arizona Secretary of State.
But the Registrar makes the section of the Arizona Administrative Code containing its own rules available on its own Statutes, Rules and Policies page. This link should take you directly to the PDF of those rules.
