Legal Issues

Important Responsibilities of the Parties

• Keep your address current
  
  All notices throughout the hearing process will be mailed to the Respondent (contractor) at the latest address of record on file with the agency.
  
  A.R.S. §32-1155 provides that service of the Citation and Complaint is complete when it is mailed by certified mail to the Respondent at the Respondent's latest address of record with the Registrar's office.
  
  This means that if you move and do not notify the agency of your new address you may not receive the Citation and Complaint. But your license may still be suspended or revoked without you having a chance to defend yourself because the agency properly served you by mailing to your latest address of record.
  
  All notices will be mailed to the Complainant at the address listed on the original complaint form.
  
  If your address should change you must notify the Legal Department in writing immediately.
  
  Neither party should rely on the Post Office to properly forward mail. Failure by the Post Office to properly forward mail or your failure to respond to a notice in a timely manner because the mail had to be forwarded to a new address is not a valid excuse for failing to respond to a notice or to respond in time or failure to appear at a hearing.
  
  
• Put the parties' names and the case number on all correspondence
  
  
  • We receive hundreds of pieces of correspondence each week.
  • We must have this information to properly match your correspondence to your file.



• Immediately pick up all certified mail
  
  
  • The Citation and Complaint will be mailed to the Respondent by certified mail as required by law.
  • Failure to file a written answer to the Citation and Complaint within the required time will not be excused because you did not pick up your mail in time.



• Read all correspondence carefully
  
  
  • When you receive correspondence from the Registrar, read it carefully.
  • Do not assume that you know what it is and just set it aside.
  • Once you have read the correspondence, if you do not understand it or you have questions, call the Legal Department and ask us to assist you.



• Respondent (contractor) must file a written answer to the Citation and Complaint
  
  
  • A separate written answer must be filed after you receive a Citation and Complaint.
  • None of the meetings or telephone calls you have had with the Inspector and none of the letters you have written to the Inspector before you receive the Citation and Complaint count as an answer.

• You must file a separate written answer to the Citation and Complaint with the Legal Department, within ten (10) days after the date it is mailed to you.
• If you mail your answer, we must receive it within fifteen (15) days after we mail it to you.
• Failure to file a timely written answer constitutes a default and your license may be suspended or revoked without a hearing.