Name, address, phone and license number if applicable.
The contractor information belongs in the written agreement, not just on an invoice or business card.
Construction Companion USA · New York
New York Construction Contract Templates
Built around the way construction work actually goes wrong — then strengthened with attorney knowledge and shaped around New York State law. These are trade-specific agreements for contractors who want practical paperwork, not a generic national form with “New York” typed across the top.
$500+
The New York home-improvement contract line
New York General Business Law Article 36-A
Above $500, the Agreement Is Not Just Good Practice. The Law Starts Telling You What Belongs in It.
New York defines a home-improvement contract as an agreement between a home-improvement contractor and an owner where the aggregate contract price exceeds $500. Section 771 then requires the contract — and amendments — to be in writing and signed by the parties.
Start, substantial completion and contingencies.
The contract must address approximate or estimated dates and contingencies that could materially change completion.
Describe the work and what is being supplied.
New York calls for a description of the work and identifying material information such as make, model or other identifying details where applicable.
Progress payments need structure.
If progress payments are used, the schedule must show the amount and the stage of work or materials supplied before payment becomes due.
The owner must be told about potential mechanic's liens.
The statute requires a clear notice explaining that unpaid contractors, subcontractors or material suppliers may have lien rights.
The three-business-day right belongs in the paperwork.
The written contract must tell the owner about the statutory cancellation right, subject to the specific emergency waiver provisions.
New York Contract Library
Construction Contract Templates Built for New York Contractors.
Choose your trade below. Every product shown here is pulled from our live contract library and opens with the New York edition already selected. When a new contract is added to the library, it appears here automatically.
Residential Contractor Agreements
Contractor-to-homeowner templates
New York · Residential
$39.99
Bathroom Remodel Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
HEAT PUMP INSTALLATION CONTRACT TEMPLATE
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$32.99
HVAC Installation & Replacement Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Kitchen Remodel Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Landscaping Contractor Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Painting Contractor Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Residential Electrical Contractor Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Residential Plumbing Contract Template | Plumbing Contractor Agreement
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Residential Roof Installation & Replacement Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Residential Solar Installation Contract Template
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Residential
$49.99
Window & Door Installation Contract Template | Contractor Agreement
Trade-specific contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selectedCommercial Construction Contracts
Business and commercial projects
New York · Commercial
$74.99
Commercial Electrical Contract Template
Commercial contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Commercial
$74.99
Commercial HVAC Installation Contract Template | HVAC Contractor Agreement
Commercial contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Commercial
$74.99
Commercial HVAC Preventive Maintenance & Service Agreement
Commercial contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Commercial
$49.99
Commercial Painting Contract Template
Commercial contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Commercial
$74.99
Commercial Plumbing Contract Template | Plumbing Contractor Agreement
Commercial contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Commercial
$74.99
Commercial Roofing Contract Template
Commercial contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selected
New York · Commercial
$74.99
COMMERCIAL SOLAR INSTALLATION CONTRACT TEMPLATE
Commercial contract template for New York projects, with the correct state edition selected.
✓ New York selectedHow This New York Edition Is Built
Contractor Knowledge. Attorney Knowledge. New York State Law.
This is the same process behind our wider contract library, applied to the realities of working in New York. Contractor experience identifies the disputes. Legal professionals turn those problems into clearer written terms. Then the New York layer changes the parts of the agreement that the jurisdiction requires.
We start with where the job actually goes wrong.
Scope drift, change orders, access, customer-supplied items, delays, payment timing, approvals, exclusions and trade-specific responsibilities are identified from real construction experience — not invented after the legal drafting is finished.
Practical problems are turned into professional terms.
Attorney expertise strengthens the structure, wording and legal mechanics so the contractor's real-world knowledge becomes usable, professional paperwork rather than a list of jobsite complaints.
The jurisdiction changes the agreement.
The New York edition accounts for state-specific written-contract content, cancellation notices, payment handling, lien notices and trade-specific requirements such as the separate roofing rules.
Real contractor problems
→Professional legal drafting
→New York-specific contract structure
Payments Before Completion
New York Treats Advance Money as More Than Just “The Deposit.”
For covered home-improvement contracts, payments received before substantial completion can trigger escrow or alternative security requirements. Progress payments must also have a reasonable relationship to the work, materials or expenses at that stage.
Payments received before substantial completion generally go into escrow.
New York Lien Law §71-a(4) requires covered payments to be deposited within five business days, unless the contractor uses an allowed bond, indemnity arrangement or irrevocable letter of credit instead.
The schedule needs to match the job.
Where progress payments are used, New York requires the contract to identify the amount and the stage of completion or materials supplied before each payment becomes due.
Not every payment is treated the same way.
The statute separately addresses specified hourly or time-basis work and supplied materials, so the payment model matters when the agreement is structured.
New York Roofing Law
ROOFING IS DIFFERENT HERE.
New York General Business Law §771-b creates additional responsibilities for roofing contractors — including roofing, gutter, downspout and siding services. That is exactly why a roofing contract should know roofing law, not simply be a renamed general construction agreement.
Written contract before the roofing workThe roofing contractor must enter into a written contract that also complies with the general New York home-improvement contract provisions.
Insurance information belongs in the contractThe statute requires the insurer, required coverage type and policy limits to be included.
No required owner depositNew York's roofing rule says the contractor cannot require the owner to provide a deposit for the work and materials.
Materials can be invoiced on deliveryThe materials portion can be invoiced when materials are delivered, with the material cost disclosed in writing beforehand.
Insurance claim cancellation rightsWhere a roofing contract is to be paid under a property and casualty policy, the owner can gain a cancellation right after written notice that some or all of the claim is not covered.
No deductible rebate inducementsThe roofing statute restricts promises to pay or rebate an insurance deductible as an inducement to the sale.
State Law. Local license.
New York Does Not Treat Contractor Licensing as One Statewide Box to Tick.
The New York Attorney General specifically directs consumers to local licensing or registration requirements in several major jurisdictions. So the contract may be governed by New York State law while the contractor's licensing obligation changes depending on where the project is located.
New York CityHome-improvement contractors require a DCWP license for covered work.
Suffolk CountyLocal home-improvement contractor licensing requirements apply.
Nassau CountyCounty-level contractor licensing requirements apply.
Westchester CountyLocal consumer-protection licensing requirements apply.
Putnam CountyLocal licensing or registration requirements apply.
Rockland CountyLocal home-improvement contractor requirements apply.
City of BuffaloThe Attorney General also identifies Buffalo as a locality with contractor licensing requirements.
Elsewhere in New YorkContractors should still verify municipal permits, trade licenses and local business requirements before work begins.
New York Mechanic's Lien Timing
One State. Two Important Lien Clocks.
New York Lien Law §10 distinguishes single-family dwelling work from many other improvements when setting the filing period for a notice of lien.
Single-family dwelling work
A notice of lien may generally be filed during the work or within four months after completion of the contract, final performance or final furnishing of materials for an improvement related to a single-family dwelling, subject to the statute's definitions and exceptions.
Many other improvements
For many other projects, the general filing period is during the work or within eight months after completion of the contract, final performance or final furnishing of materials. Retainage has a separate statutory timing rule.
New York Contractor Agreements
Built for Contractors Across New York State.
Choose the contract for your trade in the live library above. The New York edition is selected automatically.
New York City · Buffalo · Rochester · Yonkers · Syracuse · Albany · New Rochelle · Mount Vernon · Schenectady · Utica · White Plains · Long Island · Westchester · New York contractors statewide
New York Construction Contract FAQs
New York Contract Questions Contractors Should Know.
When does New York require a written home-improvement contract?
New York's Article 36-A defines a home-improvement contract as an agreement between a home-improvement contractor and owner where the aggregate contract price exceeds $500. Section 771 requires covered contracts and amendments to be in writing and signed.
Does a New York home-improvement contract need a cancellation notice?
Yes. Section 771 requires notice that the owner may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, subject to the statute's bona fide emergency waiver provisions.
What happens to customer payments received before completion?
For covered home-improvement contracts, New York's Lien Law generally requires payments received before substantial completion to be placed in escrow within five business days unless permitted alternative security is provided. Progress payments must also be structured in relation to the work, materials or expenses.
Does New York have special rules for roofing contractors?
Yes. General Business Law §771-b creates additional requirements for roofing, gutter, downspout and siding contractors, including contract, insurance, payment and insurance-claim rules.
Is there one statewide home-improvement contractor license in New York?
New York State law governs covered home-improvement contracts, but licensing can be local. The New York Attorney General identifies New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties, and the City of Buffalo among jurisdictions with licensing or registration requirements.
Will new contracts automatically appear on this New York page?
Yes. This page uses Construction Companion's live State Contract Library. A qualifying Digital Contract Template with a New York variant will appear automatically without manually editing this page.
Construction Companion provides contract templates and business documents. This page is educational information, not legal advice for a specific project or dispute. Contractors remain responsible for licensing, permits, notices, payment handling, lien procedure and project-specific compliance.