What a Connecticut home improvement contract must contain

The terms that make a contract valid and enforceable against you, the rules on changes, cancellation, financing and refunds, from the Home Improvement Act.

Connecticut's Home Improvement Act sets minimum terms for contracts with homeowners. A contract that leaves them out is not valid or enforceable against the owner, so reading it carefully before you sign is the best protection. The list below summarizes section 20-429; read the statute for the exact words.

What every contract must have

A home improvement contract is valid and enforceable against an owner only if it:

• is in writing and signed by both the owner and the contractor;
• contains the entire agreement between them;
• shows the date of the transaction;
• gives the contractor's name and address and registration number;
• includes notice of the owner's cancellation rights under Chapter 740;
• states a starting date and a completion date;
• is entered into by a registered salesperson or registered contractor; and
• discloses each business entity, in the previous five years, in which the contractor's owners have been a shareholder, member, partner or owner and which was a home improvement or new home construction contractor.

Changes must be written

Each change to the terms and conditions of the contract must also be in writing and signed by the owner and contractor, unless the commissioner has waived that requirement by regulation. If a contractor asks you to approve extra work verbally, ask for a signed change order first.

Your copy and your cancellation rights

The contractor must give you a completed copy of the contract, free of charge, when it is signed. Every home improvement contract is treated as a home solicitation sale under Chapter 740, regardless of where it was signed, so the cancellation notice in the contract matters. Read it, and make a note of the deadline.

Financing

If the contractor finances the work, or the contract has a finance charge, it must carry the disclosures of the Truth-in-Lending Act as adopted in Connecticut law, must let you prepay in full and receive a partial refund of any unearned finance charge, and the finance charge may not exceed the rate the statute allows for loans.

Refunds

A contractor may not fail to refund the amount paid within ten days of a written request, if no substantial portion of the contracted work has been performed and more than thirty days have passed since the starting date (or since the date of the contract if there is no starting date) (section 20-427(b)(8)). The request must be mailed or delivered to the contractor's last-known address, so keep proof. Violations are criminal offenses, and the penalty depends on the price of the home improvement.

Prohibited sales practices

A contractor may not solicit work by telling you that work will begin unless you tell them not to by a date they choose (section 20-429a). Also, if a contract includes any term requiring the owner to give the contractor instructions by a date that periodic work is not to be performed, the contractor must remind the owner by mail with a postmark within a set window before that date, or the contract is not valid.

If the contractor did the work but the contract is defective

The statute does not leave a contractor with nothing: a contractor who has met the core requirements (written, signed, cancellation notice, dates and registration) may seek payment of the reasonable value of services you requested, if a court finds it would be inequitable to deny it. In other words, a missing term is a strong protection, not a guarantee that you can keep free work.

Before you sign

1. Check the registration number in this directory or on the state lookup.
2. Compare the contract against the list above.
3. Get at least two written quotes covering the same scope.
4. Ask about permits: building, electrical and plumbing permits are issued by your town.
5. Keep copies of everything.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Updated 2026-10-01.

General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Connecticut Home Improvement Contractor Check is not a recommendation or a guarantee of anyone's work. A license record shows registration status on the date shown, not workmanship, insurance coverage at the time of your job, or suitability for your project. Confirm license, insurance and permits directly before you hire. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.