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Does a home improvement contract have to be in writing, and what must it say?

It depends on your state. FTC consumer advice says contract requirements vary by state, and even if your state doesn’t require a written agreement, ask for one. Minnesota, Illinois and New York statutes on written contracts for home work are quoted below in their own words, with the contents each one lists.

Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).
Source: Minnesota Statutes section 326B.809, Written contract required, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, read 22 October 2026.
Source: 815 ILCS 513/15, Written contract; contents, Illinois General Assembly, read 22 October 2026.
Source: New York General Business Law section 771, Contract provisions, NYSenate.gov, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

For homeowners.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Sources read: 22 October 2026 Updated 2026-10-22

InstaBids assistantAI · builds your written scope with you

What home job do you need done in your home? Describe it once to start your written scope.

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  1. Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
  2. Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
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  4. You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.

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Key facts

Is there one national rule for written home improvement contracts?

Not in the guidance quoted here: FTC consumer advice says contract requirements vary by state, and it says to ask for a written agreement even if your state doesn’t require one. The FTC's consumer advice article on home improvement, read 22 October 2026, says: "Read the contract carefully. Contract requirements vary by state. Even if your state doesn’t require a written agreement, ask for one."

Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

The same article then lists what to look for, opening with the words "Before you sign a contract, make sure it includes" and naming, among its items, "an estimated start and completion date" and "any promises made during conversations or calls related to issues such as the scope of work and the cost of labor and materials".

Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

Another item on that list, in its own words: "a written statement of your right to cancel the contract within three business days, if you signed it in your home or at a location other than the seller’s permanent place of business"

Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

In our reading, the state statutes below show how differently states handle this, which is why the place to start is your own state's law.

What does Minnesota require in a written contract?

Minnesota Statutes section 326B.809(a) says agreements including proposals, estimates, bids, quotations, contracts, purchase orders, and change orders between a licensee and a customer must be in writing, and it lists what they must contain. Subdivision (a), read 22 October 2026, with its three items: "(a) All agreements including proposals, estimates, bids, quotations, contracts, purchase orders, and change orders between a licensee and a customer for the performance of a licensee's services must be in writing and must contain the following:" "(1) a detailed summary of the services to be performed;" "(2) a description of the specific materials to be used or a list of standard features to be included; and" "(3) the total contract price or a description of the basis on which the price will be calculated."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 326B.809, Written contract required, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, read 22 October 2026.

Subdivision (b), on performance guidelines and signatures, in its own words: "(b) Before entering into an agreement, the licensee shall provide a prospective customer with written performance guidelines for the services to be performed. Performance guidelines also must be included or incorporated by reference in the agreement. All agreements shall be signed and dated by the licensee and customer."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 326B.809, Written contract required, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, read 22 October 2026.

Subdivision (c), on your copy: "(c) The licensee shall provide to the customer, at no charge, a signed and dated document at the time that the licensee and customer sign and date the document. Documents include agreements, performance guidelines, and mechanic's lien waivers."

Source: Minnesota Statutes section 326B.809, Written contract required, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, read 22 October 2026.

In our reading, the Minnesota list names bids and change orders as well as contracts, so subdivision (a) is not only about the final contract you sign.

What does Illinois require before home repair work starts?

Illinois section 815 ILCS 513/15 is quoted below in its own words. The section, read 22 October 2026, says: "Prior to initiating home repair or remodeling work for over $1,000, a person engaged in the business of home repair or remodeling shall furnish to the customer for signature a written contract or work order that states the total cost, including parts and materials listed with reasonable particularity and any charge for an estimate."

Source: 815 ILCS 513/15, Written contract; contents, Illinois General Assembly, read 22 October 2026.

The next sentence of the same section: "In addition, the contract shall state the business name and address of the person engaged in the business of home repair or remodeling."

Source: 815 ILCS 513/15, Written contract; contents, Illinois General Assembly, read 22 October 2026.

The section goes on with a rule for a business that receives its mail at a post office box or mail receiving service; its full text is at the Illinois General Assembly link in Sources.

What must a New York home improvement contract contain?

New York General Business Law section 771(1) says every home improvement contract subject to the provisions of its article, and all amendments thereto, shall be evidenced by a writing and shall be signed by all the parties to the contract, and it lists what the writing shall contain. Its opening words, read 22 October 2026: "1. Every home improvement contract subject to the provisions of this article, and all amendments thereto, shall be evidenced by a writing and shall be signed by all the parties to the contract. The writing shall contain the following:"

Source: New York General Business Law section 771, Contract provisions, NYSenate.gov, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

Item (b), on dates, in its own words: "(b) The approximate dates, or estimated dates, when the work will begin and be substantially completed, including a statement of any contingencies that would materially change the approximate or estimated completion date."

Source: New York General Business Law section 771, Contract provisions, NYSenate.gov, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

Item (c), on the work, the materials and the consideration: "(c) A description of the work to be performed, the materials to be provided to the owner, including make, model number or any other identifying information, and the agreed upon consideration for the work and materials."

Source: New York General Business Law section 771, Contract provisions, NYSenate.gov, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

Subdivision 2, on how the writing must read and when you get your copy: "2. The writing shall be legible, in plain English, and shall be in such form to describe clearly any other document which is to be incorporated into the contract. Before any work is done, the owner shall be furnished a copy of the written agreement, signed by the contractor."

Source: New York General Business Law section 771, Contract provisions, NYSenate.gov, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

The other lettered items of that opening list are left out here; the full list, and the article's own definitions of which contracts it covers, are at the NYSenate.gov link in Sources.

What should you check before signing a home improvement contract?

Get the whole agreement on paper before work or payment starts, read every line, and keep a signed copy, whatever your state requires. This is practical reasoning, not legal advice and not a finding from any agency.

  1. Ask for the agreement in writing before you pay anything or anyone starts work, and ask for any later change in writing too, signed by both of you.
  2. Check that the description of the work names the rooms, the tasks and the materials closely enough that a stranger could tell what was agreed.
  3. Check the price: one total, or a clear way the price will be worked out, and what happens if the job turns out bigger.
  4. Check the dates. The FTC list names "an estimated start and completion date".

    Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

  5. Write any promise made out loud into the contract before you sign. The FTC list names "any promises made during conversations or calls related to issues such as the scope of work and the cost of labor and materials".

    Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

  6. Fill in or strike out every blank line. The FTC article says: "And, make sure all blank spaces are filled in."

    Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

  7. Do not sign under pressure or in a hurry. The FTC article says: "Don’t sign a document you haven’t read, is in a language you don’t understand, or that has blank spaces."

    Source: FTC consumer advice on home improvement, read 22 October 2026 (our saved browser copy, as read on 2026-10-22).

  8. Keep your signed copy with every change order, receipt and photo of the work, in one place.
  9. Ask your state attorney general's consumer protection office what your own state's law requires a home improvement contract to say.

Who sees your contact details when you post on InstaBids?

Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, live-page excerpts, read 22 October 2026.

Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.

Homeowners anywhere in the US can post a job; once you send it, InstaBids finds contractors to bid on it.

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