Guides for hiring a licensed contractor
How to check a license, read a disciplinary record, compare permit history to review sites, and use a city's own permit rules before you hire. These pages stay true after tonight's data refresh. Rankings that change when the pipeline runs live on the city and trade pages.
How to verify an Arizona ROC contractor license (and what the ROC record does not tell you)
A ten-minute check of an Arizona contractor on the official ROC Contractor Search, what each field actually means, and why a license is not a workmanship grade.
Updated August 18, 2026
What an Arizona ROC disciplinary action actually means
How to read an Arizona Registrar of Contractors disciplinary record, what the flag does and does not mean, and why most disciplined licenses never appear on an active hiring list.
Updated August 18, 2026
What a building permit proves about a contractor, and what it does not
A building permit is a city record that a filing was accepted for a named kind of work. It is not a license, not a review, and not proof the job was done well. How to read it in Arizona.
Updated August 18, 2026
Arizona ROC license classes explained: which class covers your job
Arizona contractor license codes encode both the trade and the scope. How to read R-, C-, and CR- prefixes, which common classes cover which jobs, and why a general license is not a specialty.
Updated August 29, 2026
What to ask a contractor before you sign, and how to check them tonight
Seven public-record checks you can finish the same evening you get a quote, using the free Arizona ROC lookup and, in covered cities, permit history. No paid lead required.
Updated August 18, 2026
Why a contractor with no permits in your city is not necessarily a red flag
An empty permit history can mean the work never needed a permit, the city does not name contractors, the firm is new, or the permit sits under a general contractor. How to read a blank record in Arizona.
Updated August 29, 2026
Permit history versus Angi versus Google reviews when you hire in Arizona
Start from the job, not the marketplace. What an Arizona ROC license, a city permit file, Google reviews, and Angi each prove, and the order to use them before you sign.
Updated August 18, 2026
Why we do not rank contractors by reviews
Reviews are useful after you know the firm is licensed and has done the work. They are a partial, optional sample and cannot be the scoreboard for an Arizona hire.
Updated August 18, 2026
Paid license-lookup sites versus the free ROC search versus us
The Arizona ROC Contractor Search is free and authoritative. Paid lookup farms resell the same public file. What you get from each, and when So So Deep adds something the ROC page does not.
Updated August 29, 2026
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Scottsdale
Scottsdale's own rule, retrieved 2026-08-18. Re-roofing with the same material does not need a permit. Structural repair or a change of material does. Confirm on the city's page before you start.
Updated August 18, 2026
Do I need a permit for a pool in Scottsdale
Scottsdale requires a building permit for a new swimming pool or spa. Demolishing a residential pool does not. Retrieved from the city's Permit Services page on 2026-08-18.
Updated August 18, 2026
Scottsdale permit fees and timelines, and how to read them
Scottsdale publishes a fee calculator and plan-review windows, not a single statewide price. How to read those pages, retrieved 2026-08-18, without treating a blog number as the fee.
Updated August 18, 2026
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Mesa
Mesa's own rule, retrieved 2026-08-18. Same-material or better re-roof does not need a construction permit. Historic homes still need Planning approval. Confirm on the city's FAQ before you start.
Updated August 18, 2026
Do I need a permit for a pool in Mesa
Mesa's own rule, retrieved 2026-08-18. Constructing or filling in an in-ground swimming pool needs a construction permit. Confirm on the city's Residential Construction page before you start.
Updated August 18, 2026
Mesa permit fees and review timelines
What Mesa itself publishes about residential permit review time and fees, retrieved 2026-08-18. Ten working days for comments or approval. Fees follow estimated construction cost. We do not invent a dollar amount.
Updated August 18, 2026
Do I need a building permit in Tempe
Tempe does not publish a public yes/no list for roofs or pools. The city tells you to email the Permit Center. Retrieved 2026-08-18. We will not invent the rule.
Updated August 18, 2026
Do I need a permit for a fence in Mesa
Mesa's own rule, retrieved 2026-08-18. Fences under 6 feet do not need a construction permit. Height, location, and material rules still apply. Confirm on the city's FAQ before you start.
Updated August 18, 2026
Do I need a permit to replace an air conditioner in Mesa
Mesa's own rule, retrieved 2026-08-18. Same or lower electrical load, no permit. Changed electrical connections need a construction permit. Confirm on the city's FAQ before you start.
Updated August 18, 2026
How to hire a licensed roofer in Arizona
The ROC class that covers roofing, how to verify it, and where we publish permit-backed shortlists. No ranking table here - those lists regenerate on the city pages.
Updated August 29, 2026