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California

Home improvement contracts in California

California writes the residential contract for you, down to the required wording, the cap on what you can take up front, the three day right to cancel and a payment schedule tied to work actually performed. These guides cover what has to appear on the page, the limits on a deposit, and the recovery fund a homeowner can claim against.

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8 guides on this

How to run the businessCalifornia home improvement contractsThe BPC s.7159 contract shape: the $500 written threshold, a down payment capped at the lesser of $1,000 or 10 percent, a stage schedule where money never runs ahead of value in place, and how to count the three business day cancellation window.Before you qualifyB-2 Residential remodelingWhere B-2 stops and a full B starts under 16 CCR 832, why a bearing wall is the line, and the BPC s.7159 rules that cap your deposit at $1,000 on an $86,000 remodel. Plus the $450 application and the $25,000 bond.Before you qualifyC-35 Lathing and plasteringInside a fire hazard severity zone Chapter 7A specifies the wall you apply, with defensible space at 100 feet and an ember resistant zone in the first 5 feet. Covers the $1,000 down payment cap that starts a $46,000 re-stucco at 2.2 percent, fall protection above 7.5 feet and the $25,000 license bond.Before you qualifyC-39 RoofingSigning with the owner makes the clocks yours: a Notice of Completion recorded inside 15 days of your final cuts the lien window from 90 days to 60. Covers stage billing on a $38,000 reroof that starts on a $1,000 deposit, fall protection above 7.5 feet, and the Chapter 7A vents, eaves and valleys where the bid is won.Before you qualifyC-5 Framing and rough carpentryWhy a C-5 can prime single trade framing but needs a B the moment roofing and electrical sit in the same contract under BPC s.7057(a), plus the 90 to 30 day lien fork a recorded Notice of Completion opens under Civ. Code s.8414.Before you qualifyC-6 Cabinet and millworkHow CDTFA Regulation 1521 splits materials from fixtures and taxes a shop built cabinet on a cost price carrying deemed manufacturing profit, and how to build a delivery milestone payment schedule around the $1,000 deposit cap on a $60,000 kitchen.Before you qualifyC-13 Fencing contractor licenseThe $500 licensing threshold under BPC s.7048, a down payment capped at the lesser of $1,000 or 10 percent, three business days to cancel, prevailing wage on public work over $1,000, and a city business tax certificate in every town you work.Before you qualifyC-33 Painting and decoratingAnything built before 1978 is a lead job under Cal/OSHA limits far stricter than the federal ones, and Chapter 7A governs the exterior in a fire hazard severity zone. Covers the $1,000 down payment cap on a $28,000 repaint, fall protection at 7.5 feet and the three day cancellation right.

The rest of the California library

Getting and keeping a CSLB licensePreliminary notices and mechanics liens in CaliforniaRetention on California jobsPrevailing wage and public works in CaliforniaBuilding standards on a California siteCal/OSHA on a construction siteWorkers comp for California contractorsSales tax for California contractors
Every guideThe whole California libraryHow to run the business