Oregon residential contract requirements and required notices

If you work on homes in Oregon, the CCB sets minimum rules for your paperwork: when a written contract is required, what it must say, which consumer notices you hand the owner, and how you prove you did. Getting it wrong can put your lien rights at risk. Here is what the CCB publishes, in plain English.

When a written contract is required

• Residential work where the contract exceeds $2,000.
• If the original price was under $2,000 but goes up during the project and ends up over $2,000, the CCB says you must give the owner a written contract within five days (ORS 701.305).
• If you do not provide a written contract and all required consumer notices, you may not be able to claim a lien (ORS 87.037).

Terms your residential contract must include

• Your name, address, phone number and CCB license number (as shown on CCB records)
• The customer's name and the address where the work will be done
• A description of the work, the price and the payment terms
• The owner's rights under the contract, including the ability to file a complaint with the CCB
• Whether the contract has a mediation or arbitration provision

Building a new home? The CCB also requires you to give the owner or first purchaser a new home warranty and a maintenance schedule.

The three required consumer notices

When the contract exceeds $2,000, the contractor who contracts with the owner must provide:

1. Consumer Protection Notice
2. Notice of Procedure (what an owner must do before starting arbitration or a court case against a contractor)
3. Information Notice to Owner About Construction Liens

The CCB's notices chart says they are due on or before the date the contract is entered into, and that subcontractors do not have to provide them. If a job goes over $2,000 later, the chart says to mail or deliver the lien notice no later than five working days after you know the price went over. The CCB also offers a combined version of all three notices.

Proof of delivery: keep it two years

The CCB lists three ways to prove the owner received the notices:

• Put the notices fully inside the written contract.
• Get and keep signed copies of the notices.
• Hand over the notices and include an unambiguous phrase in the contract acknowledging receipt, initialed by the owner.

Keep that proof for two years after the contract is entered into.

Homeowners' right to cancel

• One-day right: an owner can cancel an initial contract for residential construction, improvement or repair with written notice before midnight of the next business day. Exceptions apply, such as when work has substantially begun (ORS 701.310).
• Three-day right: for home solicitation contracts, where the contractor solicits in person and the offer is accepted somewhere other than the contractor's permanent place of business, the owner must be told of a three-day right to cancel. It applies to remodels and repairs, not building a new house (ORS 83.720).

Other items the CCB recommends

The CCB's consumer guidance says well-written contracts often also include a list of specific materials, start and completion dates, allowance items and their budgets, required permits and who obtains them, and an agreement that changes happen only by written change orders signed by both sides. See how to write a change order and our bidding tips.

Working on pre-1978 homes? The CCB's contractor tools page says contractors must give the EPA "Renovate Right" pamphlet before renovation on target housing.

Free CCB tools to check your contract

• Residential Construction Contract Checklist
• Sample Contract for Construction Work
• All required forms: CCB contractor tools

This is a summary, not your contract. Have an Oregon attorney review your contract form. Homeowners: see our hiring checklist.

Sources: CCB contractor tools, CCB required notices chart and CCB consumer tools, checked Oct 17, 2026.