How to Choose a Concrete Contractor in Prescott (Without Getting Burned)

Concrete is one of the easier trades to get into and one of the harder trades to do well. In peak season around Prescott, everyone is a concrete contractor. Six months later, half of them are gone — along with any warranty on the driveway they poured.

The six questions to ask before signing

1. What's your Arizona ROC license number?

Look it up at roc.az.gov. Verify it's active and in good standing, in the right classification (C-32 or KA-06 for residential concrete). Anchor Collective LLC is ROC #366257.

2. Are you bonded and insured, and can you send me the certificate?

Any legitimate contractor can produce a COI (certificate of insurance) with your name added as certificate holder in under an hour. If it takes days or they change the subject, walk away.

3. How thick will the slab be, and what's the base?

Should be 4 inches minimum for a car driveway, 5-inch for RVs or trucks. Base should be 4–6 inches of compacted class II road base, not just 'dirt.' If they can't tell you these numbers, they don't know.

4. What's the concrete PSI and is it air-entrained?

For Prescott's elevation, 4,000–4,500 PSI with 5–7% air entrainment is the correct answer. 3,000 PSI without air entrainment is what shows up on the cheapest bids and what fails in 5–10 years.

5. Do you pull permits and follow HOA processes?

'The homeowner pulls the permit' is a red flag. Legitimate contractors pull their own permits and handle HOA submittals.

6. Can I see three recent local jobs?

Not photos — addresses. A real Prescott concrete contractor should have poured slabs within 30 miles of your house in the last 90 days that you can drive past.

Red flags to walk away from

• 'Cash only' pricing or refusal to write a written contract
• Bid that's 30% below the others with no explanation
• No physical address on the contract
• Pressure to sign 'today only'
• Requesting more than 30% deposit before work starts

A good concrete contractor is boring in all the right ways — insurance certificate on file, permit pulled, base thickness in writing, deposit reasonable, timeline realistic. If that's not the vibe, keep shopping.