How to choose a pool resurfacing contractor in Arizona.

1. Check the license, and the class

Look the company up on the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) contractor search, and confirm its license class covers the work. A B-5 (residential pools and spas) or KA-5 license covers pool work, and R-36 plastering covers pool interiors but not tile. An R-6 pool service license does not allow a complete replacement of a plaster or pebble interior, so a service company can't do a full replaster on that license alone.

The ROC also suggests calling the phone number on the license record to confirm the person you are dealing with really represents that company, since ads aren't verified and a number in an ad can be answered anywhere.

What a replaster week looks like

2. Get at least three written estimates

The ROC's own advice is to get written estimates from at least three contractors and check their references. For a resurface, ask each one to itemize the same lines so you can compare like for like: the prep (full chip-out or bond coat), the finish brand, line and color, waterline tile and coping if any, draining and refilling, startup chemistry and brushing, and the warranty from both the finish maker and the installer.

Quotes for the same pool can differ a lot because of prep. If one is far lower, ask what it leaves out.

Sanity check quotes with the cost calculator

3. Know what the contract must say

Arizona law (A.R.S. 32-1158) says a contract over $1,000 between a contractor and a property owner must be in writing and include the items below. Compare the contract to the estimate before you sign, so the price and scope match. Any change later should be a written change order signed by both of you.

1. The contractor. Name, business address and ROC license number.
2. You and the job site. Your name and mailing address, and the job address.
3. Dates. The date you both sign and the estimated completion date.
4. The work. A description of the work to be done.
5. The price. The total you will pay, including taxes.
6. Deposits and draws. Any advance deposit, and each progress payment with the stage of work when it's due.
7. Your complaint rights. A notice in at least 10-point bold type of your right to file a written complaint with the ROC, with its phone number and website.

4. Pay safely

The ROC says never to pay in cash, to make checks out to the company named in your signed contract, and not to let payments get ahead of the work. Special-order materials can be an exception, so a deposit for them is normal, but tie the rest of the payments to stages you can see.

5. Know your protections

If a licensed contractor does substandard work or breaks code, you can file a complaint with the ROC within two years of the date the last work was done. Arizona's Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund can also pay a homeowner up to $30,000 to have work corrected or finished, under certain conditions. Neither helps you if the contractor wasn't licensed, because the ROC has no recourse against unlicensed contractors.

Arizona's handyman exemption only covers small jobs under $1,000, labor and materials together, that need no permit. A pool resurface is well past that, so it calls for a licensed contractor.

6. Tell them about your HOA and permits

The ROC puts it on the owner to tell the contractor about any HOA rules (CC&Rs) before signing, and says permits are the owner's responsibility, so agree in writing who pulls any permit that's needed. Gated communities may also need crew passes or set work hours.