Minnesota residential construction contract template: what you must include, and how much deposit you can take

Published November 3, 2026 · Minnesota Statutes (2026 edition) and the federal Cooling-Off Rule checked November 3, 2026

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

If you hold a Minnesota residential building contractor, remodeler or roofer license, every bid, estimate, contract and change order you give a homeowner must be in writing, with three set items and both signatures. The contract carries your license number, and the homeowner gets your written performance guidelines before they sign. Anyone working on a home, licensed trades included, also owes the owner a written statutory warranty, and a bold pre-lien notice in set words if any subcontractor or supplier is on the job. There's no cap on the deposit. What you collect is held in trust for the people who supply labor and materials to that job.

A contractor on Reddit summed up the problem with a generic form: "just googling a contract and hoping for the best won't get one that's written specifically for the state he works in."²⁴ Minnesota is a good example. Its lien notice has to appear word for word, and its warranty has to be spelled out with sixteen exclusions and a state dispute process. A form from another state has neither. I read the residential licensing law, the lien chapter, the warranty chapter, the home solicitation law, the insurance-claim rules and the federal cooling-off rule on November 3, 2026. Every rule below links to its source in the list at the bottom.

The template has all of it in the required wording. Get it three ways: make your own copy in Google Docs (opens in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links.

Does this apply to you?

Minnesota's contract rules sit in five places, and they don't all reach the same people. Your license type decides two of them. The job decides the rest.

By trade

General contractors and remodelers (most of the Minnesota contractors we email hold the residential building contractor license): every row of the table. You sign jobs at the kitchen table, you buy materials from a supply house, and you hold the license that 326B.809 is written for.

Roofers: the same, plus both insurance rules. A residential roofer is a "licensee" under the law,² so the written-agreement and license-number rules apply to every roof. Two things differ. The contractor recovery fund, which pays homeowners who win a judgment against a licensed contractor, doesn't cover roofers.² And a roofer license covers roofing only: the Department of Labor and Industry says a licensed roofer "cannot contract to provide the installation of gutters, downspouts, soffit, or fascia."¹³

Electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors: Minnesota exempts "a mechanical contractor" and "a plumber, electrician, or other person whose profession is otherwise subject to statewide licensing, when engaged in the activity which is the subject of that licensure" from the residential license.² Since 326B.809 and 326B.87 apply only to residential licensees, they don't reach your trade work. Most of the rest does. The warranty law names your work outright: installing "plumbing, electrical, heating or cooling systems" carries a two-year warranty.⁶ You buy parts and equipment from a supplier, so the pre-lien notice goes in. And a replacement sold at the house falls under the cancellation rules. HVAC has no state contractor license in Minnesota. What you file instead is a $25,000 bond to the state for "gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning, or refrigeration work," and cities can add their own license.²¹ Watch the wording on your paperwork: on the bond form you sign that "a Mechanical Bond is NOT a license" and that you won't advertise as a licensed contractor unless you hold a municipal license.²¹ So write "mechanical contractor bond #" on the contract, not "license #". Electricians and plumbers, put your contractor license number on it. Nothing requires that, but it's the first thing a careful homeowner looks up. If you also take on remodeling work in two or more special skills, you need the residential license and every row applies.

Painters, flooring installers, handymen and other one-skill contractors: no residential license needed (unless you roof), and none for anyone earning $15,000 a year or less who files for a certificate of exemption.^2,13 You're in the same spot as the trades: no 326B.809, but the warranty, the lien notice and the cancellation rules still apply.

Landlords and commercial customers: the cancellation law covers purchases made "primarily for personal, family or household purposes,"⁷ so work on a rental bought by a landlord is probably outside it. The residential license stops at four units. Large apartment and commercial jobs skip the pre-lien notice under the exceptions above.

What your Minnesota contract must include

Here's every required item, in the statutes' own words, with the template section that carries it.

If you're licensed: three items, in writing, signed and dated

Minnesota Statutes 326B.809 says "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

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."

Read the first line again: a quote counts. So does a change order. "All agreements shall be signed and dated by the licensee and customer," and you hand the customer a signed and dated copy "at no charge" at the moment you both sign, including performance guidelines and lien waivers.¹ In the template, Section 1 is the summary, the materials table in 1.2 has brand, model and color columns, Section 3 is the price (fixed, or time and materials with the rate and a cap), and the change order form in Appendix C asks for the same three things.

Your license number

"Contracts entered into by a licensee must state that the person is licensed and must state the license number."³ License numbers start with BC, CR or RR; a number starting with IR is a registration, not a license.^12,14 Page 1 of the template has a line that says which license you hold, with the number, and the signature block repeats it. The same section puts the number on business cards and all advertising, websites and truck lettering included.

Performance guidelines, before the customer signs

This one catches new licensees. "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."¹ The law doesn't define them, and I found no state form. In practice they're a written list of the standard the finished work has to meet (how flat a floor, how a drywall seam should look) and what you do when it doesn't. Builder associations publish sets for their members; Housing First Minnesota's opens by citing 326B.809.²³ Appendix D of the template is a frame for your own, with the building code as the baseline and blank rows for your work, and Section 10 lets you name a published set instead. Hand it over before the signature and get the owner's initials on page 1.

Everyone working on a home: the statutory warranty, in writing

Minnesota gives the owner a warranty on home improvement work that they can't sign away. Chapter 327A says the warranties "must be set forth as written warranty instruments and must be included as part of the construction contract," together with the exclusions, your right to inspect and offer a repair, and the state's home warranty dispute resolution process.⁶ The terms run from the day the work is done:

• Major structural changes or additions: one year against "defects caused by faulty workmanship and defective materials due to noncompliance with building standards," and ten years against "major construction defects."
• Installing plumbing, electrical, heating or cooling systems: two years against defects from faulty installation.
• Any other home improvement: one year against faulty workmanship or defective materials.⁶

"Building standards" means the State Building Code in effect when you did the work. Products that already carry a manufacturer's warranty fall under that warranty instead. Leave the written warranty out and you've committed a licensing violation, and the warranty applies anyway as an implied one.⁶ Section 9 of the template has all of it: tick boxes for the three warranty types, the sixteen exclusions from 327A.03 (problems not reported in writing within six months, normal wear, owner-supplied materials, defects in the existing structure, and the rest), the inspect-and-offer-to-repair steps with their 30-day and 15-day deadlines, and the dispute process. Sample wording, from 9.3: "Within 15 days after the inspection we will give you a written offer to repair, stating the scope of the repair, the date it would begin and the estimated completion date."

Can you narrow it? Only with a separate instrument "printed in boldface type of a minimum size of ten points," signed by the owner, that gives substitute warranties "offering substantially the same protections."⁶ That's a job for your attorney.

Signed at the customer's home or paid by insurance

A job sold away from your place of business needs a bold cancellation statement in the owner's signature box and two detachable cancellation forms. An insurance-paid roof needs a second statement and its own two forms, and any insurance job needs a written notice about deductibles with your first estimate. The sections below cover each one.

The Minnesota pre-lien notice: the exact wording

If you contract with the owner and "has contracted or will contract with any subcontractors or material suppliers," Minnesota Statutes 514.011 says you "shall include in any written contract with the owner the notice required in this subdivision." It must be "in at least 10-point bold type, if printed, or in capital letters, if typewritten," and it must say:⁴

"(a) Any person or company supplying labor or materials for this improvement to your property may file a lien against your property if that person or company is not paid for the contributions.

(b) Under Minnesota law, you have the right to pay persons who supplied labor or materials for this improvement directly and deduct this amount from our contract price, or withhold the amounts due them from us until 120 days after completion of the improvement unless we give you a lien waiver signed by persons who supplied any labor or material for the improvement and who gave you timely notice."

That's all of it. The longer notice that opens "This notice is to advise you of your rights under Minnesota law" is the subcontractor's version from subdivision 2, covered below. If there's no written contract, the notice goes to the owner "personally or by certified mail ... within ten days after the work of improvement is agreed upon." Skip it and "a person who fails to provide the notice shall not have the lien and remedy provided by this chapter."⁴

A "material supplier" is the supply house you buy the job's lumber, shingles or furnace from, so on my reading nearly every residential contractor needs this. I put it in every contract. One carpenter on Reddit said "I got Chat GPT to write me up a contract template."²⁶ Check whatever you're using now for this paragraph, word for word, in bold. It's Section 6 of the template.

Your subcontractors and suppliers have their own notice: anyone who isn't in a direct contract with the owner must give a longer pre-lien notice within 45 days of first furnishing labor or materials, or lose their lien.⁴ Once an owner gets one, they can hold back that company's share until 120 days after completion unless you give them its lien waiver. Section 7.3 of the template says you'll provide it.

How much deposit can a contractor take in Minnesota?

As much as the customer agrees to. Minnesota sets no cap. I read the residential licensing sections (326B.801 to 326B.89, with 326B.809), the home solicitation law, the insurance-claim and roofing-cancel sections, the mechanic's lien chapter, the warranty chapter and the residential contractor rules (Minnesota Rules chapter 2891). None of them limits a residential deposit or requires escrow, a bond or a separate account for it.

Someone on r/GeneralContractor asked the question every new contractor asks: "are you allowed legally to charge that much deposit?"²⁵ In Minnesota the legal answer is yes, with four rules attached:

• It's held in trust. "Proceeds of payments received by a person contributing to an improvement to real estate ... shall be held in trust by that person for the benefit of those persons who furnished the labor, skill, material, or machinery." The law doesn't make you open a separate account. But using the money elsewhere while a sub or supplier on that job is unpaid, without giving the payer a lien waiver or payment bond, is "theft of the proceeds of the payment."⁵ For licensees it's also grounds for discipline.^17,18 The deposit for the Johnsons' kitchen pays for the Johnsons' kitchen.
• Cancellation refunds. If the job was sold at the home and the customer cancels within three business days, you must return "any payments made by the buyer" within 10 days.⁷ An insurance-paid roof cancelled after a claim denial gets the same 10 days, less pay for any emergency work.⁹
• No pay for early work. "If the seller has performed any services pursuant to a home solicitation sale prior to its cancellation, the seller is entitled to no compensation."⁷ Don't start, and don't order special-order materials, until the three days are over. Section 2.4 of the template says so.
• Taking a deposit you never meant to earn is theft. Minnesota's theft law includes "a promise made with intent not to perform."¹⁹ A late or failed job isn't that on its own; the statute needs other evidence of intent.

How to set the payment schedule

With no legal cap, the limit is what a homeowner will sign, and the state tells them what to expect. The Attorney General's handbook says "a token 'good faith' down payment is customary," that it "should not be more than a small percentage of the total job," and that "any contractor who insists on a large down payment should be avoided." It also tells homeowners that small contractors need cash flow and suggests "a payment schedule that reflects work done to date."¹⁵ The Department of Labor and Industry lists "requires full or substantial payment before beginning work" as a red flag.¹⁴ So I'd size the deposit to the special-order materials plus a little to hold the date, and tie each later payment to something the owner can see: materials delivered, rough-in inspection passed, the final walk-through. That's how Section 4 of the template is laid out. Section 4.3 tells the owner in one sentence that their payments pay for their job, which is what the trust rule requires anyway.

Cancellation: Minnesota's 3-day rule and the FTC rule

Two laws give the customer three business days to cancel a sale made at their home. Both apply at once. Where they differ, follow whichever gives the customer more.

The difference that bites is Saturday. Sign on a Thursday and the federal three days end at midnight Monday. Minnesota's end at midnight Tuesday, because Minnesota skips the Saturday.^7,8 Put Minnesota's date on the form. The second difference is the invited visit: Minnesota lets a customer who asked you over waive the right in their own handwriting, but the federal rule covers sales "in response to or following an invitation by the buyer" with no such waiver,⁸ so in practice you give the notice either way.

For the paperwork, the template puts Minnesota's statement in the owner's signature box ("You, the buyer, may cancel this purchase at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of this purchase. See attached notice of cancellation form for an explanation of this right."). For the two forms in Appendix A, I used the federal form and added the two lines Minnesota's form asks for, the type of goods or services and the date. Minnesota allows exactly that: "a notice which conforms to applicable federal law or regulation so long as it provides the information required."⁷ One form, both laws. Until you comply, the customer can cancel "in any manner and by any means."⁷

When the 3-day rule doesn't apply

• The customer signs at your shop or office.
• The customer called you for a real emergency and hands you their own dated, signed statement describing it and waiving the right to cancel. A preprinted waiver doesn't count.
• The customer asked you to come and repair or maintain their property. Minnesota excludes that visit, but "additional services or goods other than replacement parts necessarily used" sold on it are covered again.⁷ The federal exclusion is narrower, covering only the buyer's "personal property."⁸ A furnace or water heater swap sold on a repair call is more than a replacement part, so I'd give the notice.
• For the federal rule only: a deal done entirely by phone or mail, with no other contact before the work.⁸

Roofing paid by insurance: 72 hours after a denial

When a homeowner signs a roofing contract to be paid from their property insurance, they can cancel "within 72 hours after the insured has been notified by the insurer that the claim has been denied." Before the contract is signed you give them a bold statement ("You may cancel this contract at any time within 72 hours after you have been notified that your insurer has denied your claim...") and two copies of a set Notice of Cancellation. You return payments within 10 days, but you keep pay for emergency services.⁹ The statement is the second bold paragraph in the template's signature box, and the forms are Appendix B.

Other notices and paperwork

Insurance jobs: the deductible notice

Minnesota Statutes 325E.66 covers any licensed residential building contractor, remodeler or roofer doing repairs "to be paid by an insured from the proceeds of a property or casualty insurance policy." You may not promise to pay "all or part of any applicable insurance deductible," or pay the owner for an inspection, a claim or a referral. Any agreement authorizing repairs comes with "a good faith estimate of the itemized and detailed cost." And you can't interpret the policy or adjust the claim without a public adjuster license. You also "must provide a written notification of the requirements of this section with its initial estimate."¹⁰ The law gives no wording. The Department of Labor and Industry suggests a paragraph, says the notice can go in the contract or on a separate sheet, and counts a "price agreeable" contract as an initial estimate.¹¹ Section 11.1 of the template is that paragraph word for word. Put it on your estimates too.

Homes built before 1978

Licensed contractors who disturb paint in a pre-1978 home must be EPA lead-safe certified,²² and the federal rule has you give the owner the EPA renovation pamphlet no more than 60 days before you start, with a signed acknowledgment or a certificate of mailing.²² Section 13 of the template has the line for the owner's initials.

The lien deadline: 120 days

If you're not paid, your lien "ceases at the end of 120 days after doing the last of the work" unless you record a lien statement with the county and serve a copy on the owner within that time.⁵ Then you have one year from the last item on the statement to sue to enforce it.⁵ An unlicensed contractor who knowingly breaks the licensing law has no lien at all.¹⁷

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

What isn't required

The Department of Labor and Industry says the contractor recovery fund "replaces bonding requirements": licensed builders and remodelers pay into it when they apply and renew, and after a court judgment it pays a homeowner up to $100,000, with a cap of $550,000 per contractor.^12,16 I found no rule that you mention the fund in your contract. I also found no requirement for an arbitration notice or an insurance disclosure.

What happens if you get it wrong

• No pre-lien notice. No lien on that job.⁴ You can still sue for the money, but without the lien behind you.
• Missing contract terms, license number, performance guidelines or the written warranty. A licensing violation. The Department of Labor and Industry can fine up to $10,000 per violation and discipline the license, and breaking the licensing law is a misdemeanor.¹⁷ The warranty applies whether you wrote it or not.⁶
• Missing or wrong cancellation paperwork. The customer can cancel "in any manner" until you comply.⁷ The Attorney General can seek a civil penalty of up to $25,000, and the customer can sue for damages plus attorney fees.^7,20 I found no treble-damages rule in these statutes.
• Deductible promises or acting as the owner's adjuster. The insurer doesn't have to consider your estimate, the owner or the insurer can sue you for their damages, and the Department of Labor and Industry enforces it.^10,11
• Using a customer's payments for something else while a sub or supplier goes unpaid. Theft of proceeds, a civil suit with attorney fees, and for licensees, grounds for discipline.^5,17

The Minnesota contract template

It's a residential construction contract written for Minnesota, with five appendices. Page 1 collects the parties, your license type and number (plus any electrical, plumbing or mechanical bond number), the job address, the year the home was built, where the contract was signed, whether insurance is paying, the price, and the owner's initials for the performance guidelines. Then:

• Sections 1 to 3: the detailed summary of the work, a materials table with a special-order column, permits, cleanup, dates, and the price (fixed, or time and materials with a cap).
• Section 4: a payment schedule table with the deposit, progress payments tied to milestones and the final payment, the 10-day refund promise, the trust sentence, and lien waivers on request.
• Section 5: written, signed and dated change orders, and hidden conditions.
• Section 6: the 514.011 pre-lien notice in bold, word for word.
• Sections 7 to 10: subcontractors and suppliers, license and insurance, the full 327A warranty with exclusions and the dispute process, and the performance guidelines clause.
• Section 11: insurance jobs, with the 325E.66 notice in the Department's suggested words and the 72-hour roofing cancel.
• Sections 12 to 16: owner duties, pre-1978 homes, ending the contract, disputes and general terms.
• Signatures, with both bold cancellation statements in the owner's box and a checklist of the copies handed over.
• Appendix A: two Notices of Cancellation (federal form with Minnesota's lines). Appendix B: two insurance-denial Notices of Cancellation. Appendix C: a change order form. Appendix D: a performance guidelines frame. Appendix E: notes for you, to remove before the owner gets the contract.

Download it: copy it into Google Docs, get the Word file, or the PDF.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel is free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors. You write quotes with options, and a shop-wide terms text you set once is copied onto every quote, so the Minnesota clauses from this template (the license line, the pre-lien notice, the warranty) can sit on each one. The customer approves the quote online and signs it on screen. You can ask for a deposit, a percent or a fixed amount, which they pay by card when they approve, and the deposit is credited on the final invoice. On Pro, this Minnesota contract is built in. Attach it to the estimate, and the customer reads it on the quote page, notices and cancellation forms 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. Deepsel doesn't know Minnesota law, though. The terms text alone won't add the notices or the detachable cancellation forms, nothing attaches your performance guidelines for you, and Deepsel won't stop you from setting a deposit the owner balks at. With the terms text alone, the on-screen signature is only the customer's, so sign your side of the contract too. It also collects the card deposit the moment the customer approves, so on a job sold at the home that money stays refundable for three business days. 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 with unlimited estimates and invoices. Details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pre-lien notice in Minnesota?

It's a short notice, in words set by Minnesota Statutes 514.011, telling the homeowner that anyone who supplies labor or materials to the job can file a lien if they aren't paid, and that the owner may pay those people directly or hold back what they're owed until 120 days after completion unless you hand over their lien waivers. If you contract with the owner and have or will have any subcontractor or material supplier, it goes in your written contract in bold type of at least 10 points, or is delivered personally or by certified mail within 10 days after the job is agreed. Without it you have no lien. Subcontractors and suppliers who don't contract with the owner give their own, longer pre-lien notice within 45 days of first furnishing labor or materials.

How much deposit can a contractor ask for in Minnesota?

Minnesota sets no cap on a residential deposit and no escrow or separate-account rule. Two rules still shape it. Payments for the job are held in trust for the people who supply labor and materials to it, so the deposit has to go to the job. And if you sold the job at the customer's home, they can cancel within three business days and you must return every payment within 10 days. The Attorney General tells homeowners a down payment should be a small percentage of the total, so most contractors size it to the special-order materials.

Is there a 3-day right to cancel a contractor contract in Minnesota?

Yes, when the job is more than $25, bought for personal, family or household use, and the customer agrees to it anywhere other than your place of business. Minnesota's home solicitation law and the FTC Cooling-Off Rule both apply. Minnesota skips Saturdays when it counts business days, so its deadline can run a day later than the federal one; use Minnesota's date. If you start work and the customer cancels in time, Minnesota says you're entitled to no pay for the work already done. Roofing paid from an insurance claim has a second right: 72 hours after the insurer denies the claim.

Do I need a license to do residential work in Minnesota?

You need a residential building contractor or residential remodeler license from the Department of Labor and Industry if you contract directly with the owner of a one-to-four-family home for work in two or more of the eight special skills (carpentry, interior finishing, exterior finishing and so on). Roofing alone needs a residential roofer, remodeler or building contractor license. A handyman who does only one special skill, or who earns $15,000 a year or less and holds a certificate of exemption, doesn't need the license. Electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors work under their own state licenses or bond instead.

What warranty does Minnesota require on home improvement work?

Chapter 327A gives the owner a warranty that runs from the day the work is completed: one year against faulty workmanship and defective materials, two years on the installation of plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems, and ten years against major construction defects when the job involves major structural changes or additions. Defects count when they come from not meeting the State Building Code. The warranty must be written into the construction contract along with its exclusions, the contractor's right to inspect and offer a repair, and the state's home warranty dispute resolution process. It applies even if you leave it out.

Is there a Google Docs, Word or PDF version?

All three, and all of them free. The Google Docs link makes a copy in your own Drive, the .docx opens in Word, and the PDF prints as is. The bold notices, the detachable cancellation forms, the change order form and the performance guidelines frame carry over in every format.

Sources

1. Minnesota Statutes 326B.809, Written contract required: (a) all agreements "including proposals, estimates, bids, quotations, contracts, purchase orders, and change orders" in writing with the three items; (b) "written performance guidelines" before entering into an agreement, "included or incorporated by reference," and "signed and dated by the licensee and customer"; (c) a signed and dated copy "at no charge," including "agreements, performance guidelines, and mechanic's lien waivers." revisor.mn.gov, 2026 Minnesota Statutes, read November 3, 2026.
2. Minnesota Statutes 326B.801 (scope), 326B.802 (definitions: "licensee" means a residential building contractor, residential remodeler, manufactured home installer, or residential roofer; "residential real estate" is a building "for habitation by one to four families" and includes detached garages; the eight special skills; specialty contractor), 326B.805 (who must be licensed; subdivision 6 exemptions for receipts up to $15,000 with a certificate of exemption, "a mechanical contractor," "a plumber, electrician, or other person whose profession is otherwise subject to statewide licensing," and one-skill specialty contractors), 326B.81 (roofers subject to all requirements "except the recovery fund"). 326B.802, 326B.805, 326B.81, revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
3. Minnesota Statutes 326B.87, License number; advertising: license numbers "on all business cards and all contracts"; in all advertising including "signs, vehicles, business cards, published display ads, flyers, brochures, websites, and Internet ads"; "Contracts entered into by a licensee must state that the person is licensed and must state the license number." revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
4. Minnesota Statutes 514.011, Notice: subdivision 1 (prime contractor's notice, its text, 10-point bold or typewritten capitals, delivery within ten days if no written contract, no lien without it), subdivision 2 (subcontractor and supplier notice within 45 days), subdivisions 4b and 4c (exceptions for buildings over four units and nonresidential property over 5,000 square feet). revisor.mn.gov, 2026 Minnesota Statutes, read November 3, 2026.
5. Minnesota Statutes chapter 514, Liens: 514.02 subdivision 1 (payments "held in trust"; no separate account required; "theft of the proceeds of the payment") and 1a (civil action with attorney fees), 514.08 subdivision 1 (lien "ceases at the end of 120 days" unless recorded and served), 514.12 subdivision 3 (enforce "within one year"). 514.02, 514.08, 514.12, revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
6. Minnesota Statutes chapter 327A, Statutory warranties: 327A.01 (definitions of "home improvement," "home improvement contractor," "building standards," "major construction defect," warranty date), 327A.02 subdivision 3 (one, two and ten-year home improvement warranties) and subdivisions 4 to 7 (inspection within 30 days, offer to repair within 15 days, dispute process before suit), 327A.03 (exclusions), 327A.04 (no waiver; modification only by a bold 10-point signed instrument with substitute warranties), 327A.051 (home warranty dispute resolution), 327A.08 (warranties "must be set forth as written warranty instruments and must be included as part of the construction contract"; failure is "a violation of section 326B.84"; otherwise "implied statutory warranties"). 327A.02, 327A.03, 327A.051, 327A.08, revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
7. Minnesota Statutes 325G.06 to 325G.11, Home Solicitation Sales: 325G.06 (more than $25; "primarily for personal, family or household purposes"; exclusions; "business day" excludes Saturday, Sunday and holidays), 325G.07 (cancel until midnight of the third business day), 325G.08 (statement, Notice of Cancellation in duplicate, oral notice; subdivision 2 allows a notice that "conforms to applicable federal law"; until compliance the buyer may cancel "in any manner and by any means"), 325G.09 (return payments "within ten days"; "entitled to no compensation" for services performed before cancellation), 325G.10 (penalties under 8.31), 325G.11 (damages and attorney fees). 325G.06, 325G.08, 325G.09, revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
8. Federal Trade Commission, Rule Concerning Cooling-Off Period for Sales Made at Homes or at Certain Other Locations, 16 CFR Part 429: 429.0 ($25 at the buyer's residence, $130 elsewhere; "in response to or following an invitation by the buyer"; exclusions including the handwritten emergency waiver, phone and mail sales, and repair of "the buyer's personal property"; business day is "any calendar day except Sunday or any federal holiday"), 429.1 (statement, Notice of Cancellation in duplicate, oral notice, refund within 10 business days), 429.2(b) (state laws stand unless directly inconsistent). ecfr.gov, read November 3, 2026.
9. Minnesota Statutes 326B.811, Residential roofing contract; right to cancel: 72 hours after notice of a claim denial; the bold statement and duplicate "NOTICE OF CANCELLATION"; payments returned "within ten days," with compensation for emergency services; applies to roofing by building contractors and remodelers and to residential roofers. revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
10. Minnesota Statutes 325E.66, Insurance claims for residential contracting goods and services: no deductible promises or compensation for inspections, claims or referrals; itemized good-faith estimate with any repair authorization; no interpreting policies or adjusting claims without a public adjuster license; "written notification of the requirements of this section with its initial estimate"; private action; enforcement by the commissioner of labor and industry. revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
11. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, "Contractors and insurance deductibles": the "initial estimate" includes "price agreeable contracts"; the notification "can be included in the contract document or provided to the customer as a separate document"; suggested wording. dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
12. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, "Residential contractor FAQs": "The Contractor Recovery Fund replaces bonding requirements"; license numbers on "all business cards, contracts, notices and statements relating to the filing of mechanics liens and all other advertising." dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
13. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, "Residential contractor licensing": who needs a license; a licensed roofer "cannot contract to provide the installation of gutters, downspouts, soffit, or fascia"; "Specialty contractors who provide only one special skill are not required to have a state license (except residential roofers)." dli.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
14. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, "Hiring a Residential Building Contractor: A consumer's guide": red flag, a contractor who "requires full or substantial payment before beginning work"; a down payment "should not be more than a modest percentage of the total job"; registration numbers begin with IR and are not licenses. dli.mn.gov (PDF), read November 3, 2026.
15. Minnesota Attorney General, "Home Building and Remodeling," the contract chapter: "While a token 'good faith' down payment is customary, this should not be more than a small percentage of the total job. Any contractor who insists on a large down payment should be avoided"; "a payment schedule that reflects work done to date." ag.state.mn.us, read November 3, 2026.
16. Minnesota Statutes 326B.89, Contractor recovery fund: subdivision 5 (no more than $100,000 per owner or lessee and $550,000 per licensee), subdivision 6 (judgment required). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
17. Minnesota Statutes 326B.84 (grounds for sanctions, including violating 326B.802 to 326B.885 and failing "to use the proceeds of any payment ... for the payment of labor, skill, material, and machinery"), 326B.082 subdivision 7 ("a monetary penalty of up to $10,000 for each violation") and subdivision 16 (misdemeanor), 326B.845 subdivision 2 (an unlicensed person who knowingly violates the law "has no right to claim a lien"). 326B.84, 326B.082, 326B.845, revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
18. Minnesota Rules chapter 2891, Residential Building Contractors: 2891.0050 subpart 1, item C ("diversion of funds paid to a licensee from the purposes for which the funds were intended"); 2891.0020 (keep records three years). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
19. Minnesota Statutes 609.52, subdivision 2(a)(3)(ii): false representation includes "a promise made with intent not to perform. Failure to perform is not evidence of intent not to perform unless corroborated by other substantial evidence." revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
20. Minnesota Statutes 8.31, subdivision 3 (civil penalty "not in excess of $25,000") and subdivision 3a (private remedies). revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026.
21. Minnesota Statutes 326B.197 ("A person contracting to do gas, heating, ventilation, cooling, air conditioning, fuel burning, or refrigeration work must give and maintain bond to the state in the amount of $25,000"), 326B.46 (plumbing licenses; contractor name and license number on vehicles), 326B.33 (electrical licenses; contractor's license required). 326B.197, 326B.46, 326B.33, revisor.mn.gov, read November 3, 2026. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, "Mechanical contractor bond requirements": "there is no state license required for mechanical contractors"; "mechanical contractors must comply with local licensing requirements," dli.mn.gov; and the bond application: "I understand that a Mechanical Bond is NOT a license and that I am prohibited from advertising as a licensed contractor unless I or my company holds a municipal license," dli.mn.gov (PDF). Both read November 3, 2026.
22. Minnesota Statutes 326B.106, subdivision 14 (licensees renovating pre-1978 homes must hold EPA certification) and 40 CFR 745.84 (pamphlet "no more than 60 days before beginning renovation activities," with a written acknowledgment or certificate of mailing). revisor.mn.gov and ecfr.gov, read November 3, 2026.
23. Housing First Minnesota, "Minimum Performance Guidelines" (member document): "Under Minnesota law, all licensed residential builders and remodelers are required to have written performance guidelines. See Minnesota Statutes § 326B.809." copy hosted by a member contractor, 2019 edition, read November 3, 2026. Secondary; cited only to show what such guidelines look like.
24. r/Contractor thread: "just googling a contract and hoping for the best won't get one that's written specifically for the state he works in." reddit.com.
25. r/GeneralContractor thread: "are you allowed legally to charge that much deposit?" reddit.com.
26. r/Carpentry thread: "I got Chat GPT to write me up a contract template." reddit.com.