A.R.S. 32-1170: What Counts as a Solar Contractor in Arizona

Arizona treats solar work as its own licensed specialty, and A.R.S. 32-1170 is the section that defines the terms. It tells you who counts as a solar contractor and what equipment counts as a solar device. That matters because the definition decides who is allowed to install, alter, or repair the solar systems on your roof, your pool, and your water heater. This page breaks down both definitions in plain language and shows why they control who can legally do the work.

What this statute says

A.R.S. 32-1170 supplies two definitions used across the solar provisions of the contractor law. First, the person:

"Solar contractor" means a contractor, as defined in section 32-1101, who installs, alters or repairs solar devices.

So a solar contractor is not a new kind of company; it is a licensed contractor (under the broad 32-1101 meaning) whose work is solar devices. Second, the equipment. A solar device is gear that uses and applies solar energy as part of one of these systems:

• Boilers, steamfitting, and process piping.
• Plumbing systems.
• Air conditioning, comfort heating, and cooling systems.
• Hot water systems for homes and swimming pools.
• Solar daylighting that meets the standards in A.R.S. 44-1761.

The common thread is that the device puts the sun to work in a building system. Rooftop solar water heating, a solar pool heater, and solar-assisted HVAC all fall inside the definition.

Why the definition controls the work

A definition section looks dry, but it is load-bearing. By naming what a solar device is and who a solar contractor is, A.R.S. 32-1170 sets the line that the next sections enforce. Installing solar equipment is licensed contracting, so the installer needs the right license classification and, for many solar systems, a solar qualification. For example, if you add a solar water heating system to a new build in Fountain Hills, the company tying it into your plumbing and hot water system is doing solar device work and must be a properly licensed contractor, not a handyman. The same is true for a solar pool heater on a Scottsdale backyard pool.

This protects you in a concrete way. If something fails (a leaking solar collector, a botched roof penetration, an HVAC tie-in that voids your equipment warranty), the work was licensed contracting, which means the Registrar of Contractors complaint and discipline tools are available. Hire someone outside the definition and you lose that backstop.

How this connects to other rules

These definitions feed the rest of the solar licensing scheme. A.R.S. 32-1170.01 prohibits installing a solar device without the required qualification, and A.R.S. 32-1170.02 governs the solar qualification exam. The "contractor" half of the definition points back to A.R.S. 32-1101, the master definition of contractor, and to the license classifications under A.R.S. 32-1102. Because solar work is licensed, you verify the installer with the Registrar of Contractors just like any other contractor, as shown in how to verify an Arizona contractor license with the ROC . For whether solar pencils out on a new home, see is solar worth it on a new construction home in Arizona and should I prewire a new home for solar and automation .

Full text and source

Read the current section, including the exact list of covered systems, on the legislature's site: View A.R.S. 32-1170 on azleg.gov .

How the definitions apply to a specific solar job depends on the facts, so confirm details with the ROC or a qualified professional before relying on it.