(a) Tax rate. The tax rate shall be at an amount equal to two and six-tenths (2.6) percent of the gross income from the business upon every construction contractor engaging or continuing in the business activity of construction contracting within the city.
(1) However, gross income from construction contracting shall not include charges related to groundwater measuring devices required by A.R.S. Section 45-604.
(2) (Reserved).
(3) Gross income from construction contracting shall not include gross income from the sale of manufactured buildings taxable under section 19-427.
(4) For taxable periods beginning from and after July 1, 2008, the portion of gross proceeds of sales or gross income attributable to the actual direct costs of providing architectural or engineering services that are incorporated in a contract is not subject to tax under this section. For the purposes of this subsection, "direct costs" means the portion of the actual costs that are directly expended in providing architectural or engineering services.
(5) Handyman exclusion. This classification does not include gross income from any work or operation performed by a person that is not required to be licensed by the registrar of contractors pursuant to A.R.S. Section 32-1121.
(b) Deductions and exemptions.
(1) Gross income derived from acting as a "subcontractor" shall be exempt from the tax imposed by this section.
(2) All construction contracting gross income subject to the tax and not deductible herein shall be allowed a deduction of thirty-five (35) percent.
(3) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income attributable to the purchase of machinery, equipment or other tangible personal property that is exempt from or deductible from privilege or use tax under:
a. Section 19-465, subsections (7) and (16);
b. Section 19-660, subsections (7) and (16);*
shall be exempt or deductible, respectively, from the tax imposed by this section.
(4) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income that is derived from a contract entered into for the installation, assembly, repair or maintenance of income-producing capital equipment, as defined in section 19-110, that is deducted from the retail classification pursuant to section 19-465(7) that does not become a permanent attachment to a building, highway, road, railroad, excavation or manufactured building or other structure, project, development or improvement shall be exempt from the tax imposed by this section. If the ownership of the realty is separate from the ownership of the income-producing capital equipment, the determination as to permanent attachment shall be made as if the ownership was the same. The deduction provided in this paragraph does not include gross proceeds of sales or gross income from that portion of any contracting activity which consists of the development of, or modification to, real property in order to facilitate the installation, assembly, repair, maintenance or removal of the income-producing capital equipment. For purposes of this paragraph, "permanent attachment" means at least one (1) of the following:
a. To be incorporated into real property.
b. To become so affixed to real property that it becomes part of the real property.
c. To be so attached to real property that removal would cause substantial damage to the real property from which it is removed.
(5) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income received from a contract for the construction of an environmentally controlled facility for the raising of poultry for the production of eggs and the sorting, or cooling and packaging of eggs shall be exempt from the tax imposed under this section.
(6) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income that is derived from the installation, assembly, repair or maintenance of cleanrooms that are deducted from the tax base of the retail classification pursuant to section 19-465, subsection (7) shall be exempt from the tax imposed under this section.
(7) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income that is derived from a contract entered into with a person who is engaged in the commercial production of livestock, livestock products or agricultural, horticultural, viticultural or floricultural crops or products in this state for the construction, alteration, repair, improvement, movement, wrecking or demolition or addition to or subtraction from any building, highway, road, excavation, manufactured building or other structure, project, development or improvement used directly and primarily to prevent, monitor, control or reduce air, water or land pollution shall be exempt from the tax imposed under this section.
(8) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income received from a post construction contract to perform post-construction treatment of real property for termite and general pest control, including wood destroying organisms, shall be exempt from tax imposed under this section.
(9) Through December 31, 2009, the gross proceeds of sales or gross income received from a contract for constructing any lake facility development in a commercial enhancement reuse district that is designated pursuant to A.R.S. Section 9-499.08 if the contractor maintains the following records in a form satisfactory to the Arizona Department of Revenue and to the city:
(A) The certificate of qualification of the lake facility development issued by the city pursuant to A.R.S. Section 9-499.08, Subsection d.
(B) All state and local transaction privilege tax returns for the period of time during which the contractor received gross proceeds of sales or gross income from a contract to construct a lake facility development in a designated commercial enhancement reuse district, showing the amount exempted from state and local taxation.
(C) Any other information considered to be necessary.
(10) Any amount attributable to development fees that are incurred in relation to the construction, development or improvement of real property and paid by the taxpayer as defined in the model city tax code or by a contractor providing services to the taxpayer. For the purposes of this paragraph:
(A) The attributable amount shall not exceed the value of the development fees actually imposed.
(B) The attributable amount is equal to the total amount of development fees paid by the taxpayer or by a contractor providing services to the taxpayer and the total development fees credited in exchange for the construction of, contribution to or dedication of real property for providing public infrastructure, public safety or other public services necessary to the development. The real property must be the subject of the development fees.
(C) “Development fees” means fees imposed to offset capital costs of providing public infrastructure, public safety or other public services to a development and authorized pursuant to A.R.S. section 9-463.05, A.R.S. section 11-1102 or A.R.S. title 48 regardless of the jurisdiction to which the fees are paid.
(11) For taxable periods beginning from and after July 1, 2008, and ending before January 1, 2017, the gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from a contract to provide and install a solar energy device. The contractor shall register with the Arizona Department of Revenue as a solar energy contractor. By registering, the contractor acknowledges that it will make its books and records relating to sales of solar energy devices available to the Department of Revenue and the city, as applicable, for examination.
(12) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from a contract with the owner of real property or improvements to real property for the maintenance, repair, replacement, or alteration of existing property is not subject to tax under this section if the contract does not include modification activities, except as specified in this paragraph. The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from a de minimis amount of modification activity does not subject the contract or any part of the contract to tax under this section. for the purposes of this paragraph:
a. Any term not defined in this paragraph that is defined in A.R.S. Section 42-5075 has the same meaning prescribed in A.R.S. Section 42-5075.
b. Tangible personal property that is incorporated or fabricated into a project described in this subsection may be subject to the amount prescribed in section 19-415.1.
c. Each contract is independent of any other contract, except that any change order that directly relates to the scope of work of the original contract shall be treated the same as the original contract under this Article, regardless of the amount of modification activities included in the change order. If a change order does not directly relate to the scope of work of the original contract, the change order shall be treated as a new contract, with the tax treatment of any subsequent change order to follow the tax treatment of the contract to which the scope of work of the subsequent change order directly relates.
d. This paragraph does not apply to a contract that primarily involves surface or subsurface improvements to land and that is subject to A.R.S. Title 28, Chapter 19, 20 or 22 or A.R.S. Title 34, Chapter 2 or 6 even if the contract also includes vertical improvements. If a city or town imposes a tax on contracts that are subject to procurement processes under those provisions, the city or town shall include in the request for proposals a notice to bidders when those projects are subject to the tax. This subdivision does not apply to contracts with:
1. Community facilities districts, fire districts, county television improvement districts, community park maintenance districts, cotton pest control districts, hospital districts, pest abatement districts, health service districts, agricultural improvement districts, county free library districts, county jail districts, county stadium districts, special health care districts, public health services districts, theme park districts, regional attraction districts or revitalization districts.
2. Any special taxing district not specified in item 1 of this subdivision if the district does not substantially engage in the modification, maintenance, repair, replacement, or alteration of surface or subsurface improvements to land.
(13) The gross proceeds of sales or gross income derived from a contract entered into for the construction of a mixed waste processing facility that is located on a municipal solid waste landfill and that is constructed for the purpose of recycling solid waste or producing renewable energy from landfill waste. For the purposes of this paragraph:
a. "Mixed waste processing facility" means a solid waste facility that is owned, operated, or used for the treatment, processing or disposal of solid waste, recyclable solid waste, conditionally exempt small quantity generator waste or household hazardous waste. For the purposes of this subdivision, "conditionally exempt small quantity generator waste", "household hazardous waste" and "solid waste facility" have the same meanings prescribed in A.R.S. Section 49-701, except that solid waste facility does include a site that stores, treats, or processes paper, glass, wood, cardboard, household textiles, scrap metal, plastic, vegetative waste, aluminum, steel or other recyclable material.
b. "Municipal solid waste landfill" has the same meaning prescribed in A.R.S. Section 49-701.
c. "Recycling" means collecting, separating, cleansing, treating, and reconstituting recyclable solid waste that would otherwise become solid waste, but does not include incineration or other similar processes.
d. "Renewable energy" has the same meaning prescribed in A.R.S. Section 41-1511.
(c) Subcontractor means a construction contractor performing work for either:
(1) A construction contractor who has provided the subcontractor with a written declaration that he is liable for the tax for the project and has provided the subcontractor his city privilege license number.
(2) An owner-builder who has provided the subcontractor with a written declaration that:
a. The owner-builder is improving the property for sale; and
b. The owner-builder is liable for the tax for such construction contracting activity; and
c. The owner-builder has provided the contractor his city privilege license number.
(3) A person selling new manufactured buildings who has provided the subcontractor with a written declaration that he is liable for the tax for the site preparation and set-up; and provided the subcontractor his city privilege license number.
"Subcontractor" also includes a construction contractor performing work for another subcontractor as defined above.
(d) Notwithstanding the tax rate identified elsewhere in this section, an additional tax in an amount equal to one-tenth of one (0.1) percent of the gross income from any business activity taxable under this section is imposed pursuant to Chapter IV, Section 5 of the Charter of the City of Tucson.
(Ord. No. 6674, § 3, 3-23-87; Ord. No. 7446, § 2.4, 7-2-90; Ord. No. 8440, § 9, 1-23-95; Ord. No. 9322, § 2, 11-22-99; Ord. No. 9652, § 1, 1-14-02; Ord. No. 10040, § 2, 9-20-04; Ord. No. 10361, § 4, 12-19-06; Ord. No. 10524, § 2, 5-13-08, eff. 7-1-08; Ord. No. 10754, § 1, 1-20-10, eff. 9-1-06; Ord. No. 10911, § 2, 8-9-11, eff. 7-29-10; Ord. No. 11479, § 1, 8-8-17; Ord. No. 11485, eff. 8-8-17; Ord. No. 11518, eff. 1-23-18; Ord. No. 11936, § 4, 7-12-22)
Editor’s note – Section 4 of Ord. No. 11936, adopted July 12, 2022, provides for an effective date of Jan. 1, 2015.