CT home improvement contract template: what Connecticut requires you to include, and how much deposit you can take

Published November 3, 2026 · Statutes and 2026 public acts checked November 3, 2026

• Free. The download links come by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling, quotes, invoicing, card payments). The section before the FAQ says where it fits and where it doesn't.
• Not legal advice. Have a Connecticut attorney read the template before you use it.

Connecticut requires a written contract for every home improvement job over $200, and a contract missing any of nine items can't be enforced against the homeowner. The nine include your HIC registration number, a starting date and a completion date, a three-business-day cancellation notice, and a list of your other contracting businesses from the last five years. There is no legal cap on the deposit. The state's consumer agency tells homeowners to expect no more than one-third up front, and if you haven't done a substantial part of the work 30 days after your start date, you owe a refund within 10 days of a written request.¹¹⁵

Get the template three ways: make your own copy in Google Docs, download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links.

Two things changed recently, and older templates have neither. On July 1, 2025, Saturdays stopped counting as business days for the cancellation period. On October 1, 2026, the bold line above the homeowner's signature changed from "you, the buyer" to "you, the consumer."⁷⁸ The state's own sample contract still says "buyer," and several of its consumer pages still say Saturday counts.^15161718 The template uses the current wording.

Does the Connecticut Home Improvement Act apply to you?

The Home Improvement Act (Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 400) covers work on a "private residence": a single-family home, a building of up to six units, a condo unit or common element, and rental property of the same size whether or not the owner lives there. The job has to be priced over $200. The definition names roofs, siding, insulation, flooring, doors and windows, driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, sunrooms, patios, landscaping, fences, waterproofing, water, fire or storm restoration, and mold remediation, on top of the general repair, remodeling and additions.²

It doesn't cover building a new home (that's a separate registration with its own contract rules), commercial buildings, homes of seven units or more, selling materials you don't install, tree or shrub cutting, or stump grinding. Someone whose home improvement contracts total $1,000 or less in any 12 months isn't a "contractor" under the act.² If you sub for a general contractor, your paper with the GC sits outside the act; the GC's contract with the homeowner is the one that has to comply.¹

Here's how that lands for each kind of licence on our Connecticut list:

A word on the licensed trades, because the exemption is narrower than it sounds. Section 20-428 exempts "any person holding a current professional or occupational license ... provided such person engages only in that work for which such person is licensed." The Appellate Court let a plumber's patch-up of the area around his plumbing work ride on the exemption,³ but a plumber who also retiles the bathroom is doing home improvement. And §20-338d, added in 2021, says a written contract for licensed work on a private residence isn't valid or enforceable against the owner unless it is signed by both sides, holds the entire agreement, the date, your name, address and licence number, "the name and license number of any licensees performing the work," a chapter 740 cancellation notice, and a starting and completion date.¹⁰ That's nearly the same list. The template covers both.

What a CT home improvement contract must include (§20-429)

Section 20-429 opens with the rule that matters most: "No home improvement contract shall be valid or enforceable against an owner unless it" meets nine conditions.¹ In the statute's words, with where each one sits in the template:

1. "Is in writing." Paper or electronic.
2. "Is signed by the owner and the contractor." Every owner who is a party signs. The template's signature page has two owner lines and a contractor line.
3. "Contains the entire agreement between the owner and the contractor." Scope, materials, price, payment schedule, permits, cleanup. Sample: "This contract, with Appendix A ... is the entire agreement between you and us. Nothing said or written before it is part of it unless it is written here." (Section 15.1)
4. "Contains the date of the transaction." The date the owner signs. It goes on page 1 and on both cancellation notices. A contract and cancellation form without it violated the act in one Appellate Court case.¹
5. "Contains the name and address of the contractor and the contractor's registration number." Your HIC registration number from the Department of Consumer Protection.
6. "Contains a notice of the owner's cancellation rights in accordance with the provisions of chapter 740." The bold statement above the signature and the two-copy Notice of Cancellation, covered below.
7. "Contains a starting date and completion date." Real dates, not "spring." Section 4 of the template explains how delays move the completion date in writing.
8. "Is entered into by a registered salesman or registered contractor." If a salesperson signs, they need their own salesperson registration, and the number goes on the contract.
9. A five-year business history. The contract must disclose each corporation, LLC, partnership, sole proprietorship or other entity "which is or has been a home improvement contractor ... or a new home construction contractor ... in which the owner or owners of the home improvement contractor are or have been a shareholder, member, partner, or owner during the previous five years." Section 14 of the template is a table for it. DCP's own sample contract leaves this item out.¹⁸

The same section adds three rules. "Each change in the terms and conditions of a contract shall be in writing and shall be signed by the owner and contractor," so change orders get signed before the changed work starts (template Section 6). You must hand the owner "without charge, a completed copy" when it's signed. And if you finance the job yourself, the contract needs Truth-in-Lending disclosures, an early-payoff right with a partial refund of unearned finance charges, and a rate no higher than the state limit.¹ One more from §20-427: "No contractor shall commence work unless each applicable building or construction permit has been obtained."⁴

DCP's consumer page tells homeowners what the "entire agreement" should spell out: "the quality or brand of materials to be used, who is responsible for cleaning the worksite once work is complete, who will acquire any needed building permits from the town, and a schedule of payments."¹⁷ Homeowners who read that page will look for those four things. Sections 1, 2, 3 and 7 of the template have them.

Connecticut contractor deposit law: no cap, but a refund rule with teeth

"Are you allowed legally to charge that much deposit?" is a question a general contractor got on Reddit. In Connecticut the legal answer is yes. I read the Home Improvement Act, the Home Solicitation Sales Act, the new home construction chapter, DCP's home improvement regulations (they cover only the registration application and address changes) and the 2026 public acts, and none of them caps a home improvement deposit or says how it must be held.¹⁷¹¹¹⁹ There's no trust or escrow account requirement. A bond that has to "account for all funds deposited" exists only when DCP orders one as a condition of registration.⁴

What exists instead is guidance and one hard rule.

The guidance comes from DCP, and it's what your customers read: "An up-front payment is reasonable to allow the contractor to acquire needed materials. However, it generally should not represent more than one-third of the entire project. If a contractor asks for all or most of the money as a down payment, it may signal financial trouble." The same page recommends "a 3- or 4-part payment schedule that corresponds to the progress of the work."¹⁵ Some websites call one-third a legal cap. It isn't. It's the number a careful homeowner will hold you to, though, so the template's deposit line defaults to one-third or less.

The hard rule is §20-427(b)(8). You may not "fail to refund the amount paid for a home improvement within ten days of a written request mailed or delivered to the contractor's last-known address, if no substantial portion of the contracted work has been performed at the time of the request and more than thirty days has elapsed since the starting date specified in the written contract." No start date in the contract? Then the 30 days run from the contract date. Breaking this rule is a class B misdemeanor on a job of $10,000 or less and a class A misdemeanor above $10,000.⁴ That's the rule that turns a stalled job into a criminal case.

Two more deposit rules come from the cancellation law. If the owner cancels within three business days, you refund every payment within 10 business days. And "if the seller has performed any services ... prior to its cancellation, the seller is entitled to no compensation."⁷ So don't start work or order special-order materials until the deadline passes. Connecticut has no special-order exception, because there's no cap to be an exception to. Custom windows ordered on day one of a contract the owner cancels on day three are yours to keep.

Taking the deposit by card? Don't add a card fee. Connecticut's surcharge law bars "any fee or charge that increases the total amount of the transaction if that fee or charge is imposed as a result of the method of payment used."²⁰

How I'd set the schedule on a $24,000 bathroom remodel: $8,000 at signing (one-third, which buys the vanity, tile and fixtures once the cancellation deadline passes), $8,000 when the rough plumbing and electrical inspections pass, $5,000 when tile is done, and $3,000 at completion and final inspection. Tie each payment to something the owner can see. Inspections are good milestones because a town official signs off on them.

New home construction contractors have a stiffer version of the refund rule: refund a deposit within 10 days of a written request when the customer has kept the contract, no substantial portion of the work is done, 30 days have passed since the start date, and you haven't given a reasonable explanation. Breaking it carries treble damages and a class A misdemeanor.¹¹

The 3-day right to cancel: Connecticut's notice and the FTC's

Connecticut: every home improvement contract, wherever it's signed

The federal cooling-off rule covers sales made at the customer's home. Connecticut's law covers every home improvement contract: each one "shall be considered a home solicitation sale ... regardless of the location of the transaction or of the signing of the contract."¹ A kitchen contract signed in your showroom still needs the notice.

The owner can cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing. Since July 1, 2025, a business day is "any calendar day except Saturday, Sunday or any legal holiday" in Connecticut.⁷ Say the owner signs on Thursday, December 3, 2026. Friday is day one, Monday day two, Tuesday day three: the deadline is midnight on Tuesday, December 8. Under the old rule it was Monday.

What the paperwork has to carry, from §42-135a as amended in 2025 and 2026:⁷⁸

• Right next to the owner's signature, in bold type of at least 12 points: "YOU, THE CONSUMER, MAY CANCEL THIS TRANSACTION AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT OF THE THIRD BUSINESS DAY AFTER THE DATE OF THIS TRANSACTION. SEE THE ATTACHED NOTICE OF CANCELLATION FORM FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THIS RIGHT."
• A Notice of Cancellation "in duplicate," attached to the contract and "easily detachable," in 12-point bold, in the wording the statute prescribes. You fill in both copies before handing them over: your name, your address, your business email, the date of the transaction and the deadline date. The template's Appendix A has the full text.
• You tell the owner, out loud, about the right to cancel when they sign.
• If you email the contract, this line goes right next to the body of the email: "PLEASE REVIEW IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS AGREEMENT IN THE "NOTICE OF CANCELLATION" BEING PROVIDED TO YOU."
• No clause that waives the right to cancel.
• If they cancel, you refund all payments within 10 business days.

The one way around the three days is an emergency. The cancellation law doesn't apply when the owner called you, the work is needed "to meet a bona fide immediate personal emergency," and the owner gives you "a separate dated and signed personal statement in the consumer's handwriting describing the situation requiring immediate remedy and expressly acknowledging and waiving the right to cancel."⁷⁸ Handwriting means theirs, not a form you printed. Licensed trades have a matching rule in §20-338d(c), with the statement given before the contract is signed.¹⁰ Template Appendix D is a blank page for it.

The FTC Cooling-Off Rule

The federal rule (16 CFR Part 429) covers a sale made at the buyer's home for $25 or more, or at a temporary location like a home show for $130 or more. It excludes the same buyer-initiated emergency with a handwritten waiver, repairs to the buyer's personal property that the buyer asked you to come and do, and deals done entirely by phone or mail. It requires its own statement near the signature and its own two-copy Notice of Cancellation in 10-point bold type, and an oral notice.¹⁴ The FTC counts Saturday as a business day, so Connecticut's deadline is never earlier than the FTC's. When you sign at the customer's home, attach the FTC notice too (template Appendix B) and write the Connecticut deadline on both forms. The Connecticut statement above the signature matches the FTC's except for one word ("consumer" for "buyer") and is in larger type, so the template uses one statement for both.

Getting the notice wrong means the agreement isn't effective against the consumer. Since October 1, 2026, each violation of the cancellation law also carries a civil penalty of up to $500 (it used to be a misdemeanor) and counts as an unfair trade practice.⁸

Other notices and paperwork

Insurance-claim jobs

Roofers and restoration contractors working on an insurance claim have a separate statute, §38a-313a. Before work starts, the insured gets a written notice of the scope and the estimated total price. Any document that lets the insurer pay you directly must disclose, "in not less than twelve-point type immediately above the signature line, that the insured has the right to be named as a joint payee." If the job is under the cancellation law and is an emergency, the contract has to tell the owner how the handwritten waiver works. No power of attorney and no waiver of the owner's rights against you. Miss any of it and the contract "shall be void."¹² Template Appendix C covers it.

Home Improvement Guaranty Fund

Nothing requires you to mention the fund in the contract; I checked §20-429, §20-432 and the regulations. You pay $100 a year into it with your registration. It can pay a homeowner up to $25,000 per claim when a registered contractor doesn't pay a court judgment, binding arbitration decision or restitution order, and DCP can then revoke your registration until you pay it back.⁶

Mechanic's liens

Connecticut doesn't require a lien notice in a prime contractor's contract. The deadline that matters is after the job: a lien isn't valid unless you lodge the certificate with the town clerk "within ninety days after he has ceased" work and serve the owner within 30 days after that.¹³

If a customer hasn't paid, the Connecticut mechanics lien guide has the steps, every deadline and a demand letter.

Insurance, ads and warranties

Registration requires general liability insurance of at least $20,000, and your registration number has to appear in every advertisement.⁴⁵ Neither needs a contract notice, but the template has an insurance clause because homeowners ask. If you offer a guarantee, Connecticut's unfair-practices regulations want it to say what is covered, for how long, what the owner has to do to claim, what you'll do, and who gives it.¹⁹ Template Section 10 has all five.

What happens if you get the contract wrong

The biggest risk is not getting paid. A contract that misses a §20-429 item can't be enforced against the owner, and the Connecticut Supreme Court held in Barrett Builders v. Miller (1990) that the contractor can't recover the value of the work through implied contract or unjust enrichment either. The one way back is bad faith by the homeowner, and it's narrow: the Supreme Court later said it doesn't apply when your noncompliance led to "a genuine, good faith dispute about the scope of work or contract price."¹²¹

There's one safety net. If your contract was in writing, signed by both of you, had the cancellation notice and the starting and completion dates, and you were registered, a court may still award "the reasonable value of services which were requested by the owner" when it would be inequitable to deny it (§20-429(f)).¹ Those five are the ones never to miss. Courts have forgiven small slips, like a contract upheld without both copies of the notice attached, and not forgiven others, like a missing transaction date.¹

Then the penalties stack:

• Any violation of the Home Improvement Act "shall be deemed an unfair or deceptive trade practice" under CUTPA.⁴ The homeowner can sue for actual damages, and the court may add punitive damages and attorney's fees; the Attorney General can seek up to $5,000 per wilful violation.⁹
• DCP can fine you up to $1,500 per violation.⁴
• Since June 2024, DCP can suspend or revoke your registration "for engaging in or practicing home improvement work without a contract containing the provisions required under section 20-429."⁵
• Cancellation-notice violations: the agreement isn't effective against the consumer, plus up to $500 per violation.⁸
• The deposit refund rule is criminal, as above. So is working without a current registration: a class B misdemeanor.⁴

The free CT home improvement contract template

"I got Chat GPT to write me up a contract template," one carpenter wrote. Another contractor put the problem plainly: "just googling a contract and hoping for the best won't get one that's written specifically for the state he works in" (r/Contractor). A generic template fails in Connecticut on the five-year disclosure and the cancellation wording alone. This one is written to the statutes as of November 3, 2026:

• Page 1: date of transaction, your name, address, business email and HIC number, salesperson and trade-licence rows, the owners, the job address, starting and completion dates, price, and the cancellation deadline.
• Sections 1 to 8: scope and materials, permits, the price and a four-line payment schedule with the deposit at one-third or less, the 30-day refund promise, delays, hidden conditions and allowances, signed change orders, site and cleanup, insurance.
• Sections 9 to 15: the right to cancel in plain words, a warranty with the five disclosures, contractor financing, insurance-claim work, dispute steps, the five-year business history table, and the whole-agreement clause.
• Signature page with the 12-point bold cancellation statement right above the owner's signature.
• Appendix A: Connecticut's Notice of Cancellation, two copies, in the wording in force since October 1, 2026. Appendix B: the FTC notice, two copies, for sales at the home. Appendix C: the §38a-313a insurance-claim addendum with the joint-payee disclosure. Appendix D: a blank page for the owner's handwritten emergency statement. Appendix E: a checklist for you, which you delete before sending.

Download it: Google Docs copy, Word (.docx), or PDF. Then pay a Connecticut attorney for an hour to read your filled-in version once.

Where Deepsel fits

Honestly, a small part of this. Deepsel is free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors. You build a quote with options, and a shop-wide terms text gets copied onto every quote, so your Connecticut clauses (the five-year disclosure, the refund promise, the warranty) can live there once instead of being retyped. The customer approves the quote online and signs it on screen. You can set an optional deposit, as a percent or a fixed amount, that the customer pays by card when they approve, and it's credited on the final invoice. On Pro, this Connecticut contract is built in. Attach it to the estimate, and the customer reads it on the quote page, cancellation notice and email line included, and signs it when they approve; your saved signature goes on when you send, and you both get the signed copy to print or save as PDF. Template, not legal advice. Have it reviewed for your business. What it doesn't do: Deepsel doesn't know Connecticut law. The terms text alone won't add the cancellation notice or the email line, and Deepsel won't count the three business days or stop you from setting a deposit above one-third or starting work before the deadline. That part stays on you and on the template. The Free plan covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team, with scheduling and dispatch, quotes, invoicing, card payments, and customer and equipment records; Pro is $29 a month for unlimited estimates and invoices. Prices are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a home renovation contract in Connecticut?

The nine items in Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-429: it must be in writing, signed by the owner and the contractor, contain the entire agreement, the date of the transaction, your name, address and HIC registration number, a notice of the owner's cancellation rights, a starting date and a completion date, be entered into by a registered contractor or salesperson, and disclose the other contracting businesses your owners held in the last five years. The Department of Consumer Protection also tells homeowners to look for the brand or quality of materials, who cleans up, who pulls the permits, and a payment schedule. Every change after signing has to be in writing and signed by both of you.

Is there a deposit limit for contractors in Connecticut?

No. Neither the Home Improvement Act nor its regulations cap the deposit on a home improvement job, and there is no special-order exception because there is no cap to except from. The Department of Consumer Protection advises homeowners that an up-front payment "generally should not represent more than one-third of the entire project." The rule that does bind you is the refund rule: if you haven't performed a substantial portion of the work more than 30 days after the starting date in the contract, you must refund within 10 days of a written request, and failing to is a misdemeanor.

Do electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors need a written contract in CT?

Licensed electrical, plumbing, heating, piping and cooling contractors working only within their license are outside the Home Improvement Act (§20-428). But §20-338d, added in 2021, says a written contract for work on a private residence isn't enforceable against the owner unless it is signed by both sides and contains the entire agreement, the date, your name, address and license number, the name and license number of each licensee doing the work, the chapter 740 cancellation notice, and start and completion dates. Work outside your license, such as tile or carpentry, needs a home improvement registration and the full §20-429 contract.

What can a home improvement contractor do in CT, and does a handyman need a registration?

A home improvement registration covers residential repair, remodeling and additions, plus roofs, siding, windows, flooring, driveways, pools, porches, patios, fences, landscaping, waterproofing and storm restoration, on homes of up to six units. It doesn't cover licensed electrical, plumbing or HVAC work, which needs a trade license. A handyman needs the registration unless the total of all their home improvement contracts stays at $1,000 or less in any 12 months, the floor in §20-419.

Does Saturday count toward the 3-day right to cancel in Connecticut?

Not anymore. Since July 1, 2025, a business day under the Home Solicitation Sales Act is any day except Saturday, Sunday or a Connecticut legal holiday. Some Department of Consumer Protection pages still say Saturday counts; the statute is what applies. The federal FTC rule does count Saturday, so the Connecticut deadline is the later one, and it's the one to write on the form.

Do I need a written contract for a small job in Connecticut?

Any home improvement job priced over $200 is covered by the Home Improvement Act, so yes, it needs the full written contract with the cancellation notice. Jobs of $200 or less fall outside the act's definition of home improvement, though a written quote the customer signs is still the cheapest protection you can buy.

Is there a CT home improvement contract template in Word or PDF?

This one comes in all three formats, free: a Google Docs copy, a Word .docx and a PDF. It has the nine §20-429 items on page 1 and in Section 14, the cancellation notices in the current statutory wording (Connecticut's and the FTC's), an insurance-claim addendum, an emergency waiver page and a contractor checklist.

Sources

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-429, "Required contract provisions ... Contract considered home solicitation sale ... Recovery of payment for work performed," with the official annotations (215 C. 350 on quasi-contract recovery; 325 C. 14 on the bad-faith exception; 72 CA 53 on the missing transaction date; 247 C. 218 on the missing duplicate notices) and the chapter note citing 13 CA 194 and 249 C. 155 on subcontractors. cga.ct.gov, General Statutes revised to January 1, 2025; unchanged in the 2026 Supplement and by the 2026 public acts. Read November 3, 2026.
2. Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-419, definitions of "contractor" ($1,000 floor), "home improvement" (over $200, listed work, exclusions), "owner," "private residence" and "residential rental property." cga.ct.gov; re-enacted with the same thresholds by Public Act 26-100 §34, effective October 1, 2026, cga.ct.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
3. Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-428, exemptions, and annotation 115 CA 457 ("Licensed professional exemption applies to plumber's activities to restore site to its original condition which were ancillary to plumbing work for which he was licensed"). cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
4. Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-427, advertising, prohibited acts (b)(5) and (b)(8), criminal penalties (c), civil penalty up to $1,500 (d), permits (i); §20-426a, bond "to account for all funds deposited"; §20-421(a)(3), $20,000 liability insurance. cga.ct.gov and 2026 Supplement cga.ct.gov (P.A. 25-113 advertising change only). Read November 3, 2026.
5. Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-426(a)(4), discipline "for engaging in or practicing home improvement work without a contract containing the provisions required under section 20-429," added by P.A. 24-142 effective June 6, 2024; §20-421(a)(3). cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
6. Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-432, Home Improvement Guaranty Fund: $100 annual fee (b), $25,000 maximum per claim (l), revocation until repaid (p). cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
7. Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 740, Home Solicitation Sales Act: §42-134a (definitions, emergency exclusion, business day as amended by P.A. 25-111 effective July 1, 2025), §42-135a, §42-137, §42-139(c). 2026 Supplement and revised to 2025, cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
8. Public Act 26-16 (Substitute Senate Bill 233), §§1, 3, 5 to 7 and 9, effective October 1, 2026: "YOU, THE CONSUMER, MAY CANCEL..." statement, the Notice of Cancellation text, the email statement in §42-135a(10), and the civil penalty "of not more than five hundred dollars per violation" in §42-141. cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
9. Conn. Gen. Stat. §42-110g (actual damages, punitive damages, attorney's fees) and §42-110o(b) (up to $5,000 per wilful violation), Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
10. Conn. Gen. Stat. §20-338d, "Requirements for contract to perform work on private residence," and §20-341(f) (violations are unfair trade practices), chapter 393. cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026. Pointed to by Romano Parker & Associates, "Electricians, Plumbers, HVAC Technicians, It is time to update your contracts!" romanoparker.com.
11. Conn. Gen. Stat. chapter 399a, New Home Construction Contractors: §20-417a (definitions), §20-417b(f) (opting in to home improvement), §20-417d (registration notice, contact clause, deposit refund), §20-417e (class A misdemeanor, treble damages), §20-417k (contract requirements). cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
12. Conn. Gen. Stat. §38a-313a, notice and contract requirements for repair, remediation or mitigation under a property insurance policy. cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
13. Conn. Gen. Stat. §49-34, certificate of mechanic's lien. cga.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
14. 16 CFR Part 429, Rule Concerning Cooling-Off Period for Sales Made at Homes or at Certain Other Locations, §§429.0 to 429.2. ecfr.gov, read November 3, 2026.
15. Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, "Contracting and Working With a Home Improvement Contractor": "We strongly suggest a 3- or 4-part payment schedule"; an up-front payment "generally should not represent more than one-third of the entire project." portal.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
16. Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, "Can I cancel a home improvement contract?" (still lists Saturday as a business day). portal.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
17. Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, "What to include in a home improvement contract," dated April 28, 2026 (lists what the entire agreement should include; still says "Saturday is a legal business day"). portal.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
18. Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, "Sample Home Improvement Contract Agreement" (PDF; uses the 2025 notice text and "YOU, THE BUYER"; no five-year disclosure). portal.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
19. Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies §§20-430-1 to 20-430-3 (the only Home Improvement Act regulations: registration applications and change of address), eregulations.ct.gov; and §42-110b-2, required disclosures for any guarantee, eregulations.ct.gov. Both read November 3, 2026. The 2026 session check: OLR "2026 Acts Affecting Business and Jobs" and "Housing and Real Estate" list only PA 26-16 and PA 26-100 for these chapters, cga.ct.gov; HB 5263, which would have changed home improvement contract terms, passed the House and was not taken up by the Senate, cga.ct.gov.
20. Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, "What is the Connecticut Surcharge law" (Conn. Gen. Stat. §42-133ff as amended by P.A. 24-142 §28). portal.ct.gov, read November 3, 2026.
21. Construction Law & Litigation (Gerber Ciano Kelly Brady), "An Explanation of The Home Improvement Act's Licensed Contractor Exception," quoting Barrett Builders v. Miller, 215 Conn. 316 (1990). ctconstructionlaw.com, read November 3, 2026. Secondary source, used for the case name only.