What Ohio Law Requires in a Roofing Contract Over $25,000
Roof and siding projects paid through an insurance claim routinely clear $25,000 in central Ohio. At that number a specific Ohio statute starts governing what has to be in your contract.
A Threshold Most Storm Jobs Now Cross
A full roof replacement with a supplement or two, or a roof and siding claim on a two-storey house, comfortably exceeds twenty-five thousand dollars in the Columbus market. That number is not arbitrary — it is the trigger for Ohio's Home Construction Service Suppliers Act.
The Act was amended to make clear it covers repair, improvement, remodelling, and renovation of existing structures, not only new construction. Restoration work sits squarely inside it.
What Chapter 4722 Requires
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4722 applies to home construction service contracts exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars on one-, two-, and three-family dwellings. Among its requirements:
- A written contract containing the supplier's name, physical business address, business telephone number, and taxpayer identification number; your name, address, and telephone number; the address of the property; a general description of the goods and services; the anticipated start and completion dates or periods; the total estimated cost; and any costs the estimate does not cover.
- A certificate of insurance showing general liability coverage of not less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars, attached to the contract.
- A down payment cap. A supplier may generally take no more than ten per cent of the contract price as a down payment before performance begins, with a narrow exception for special-order goods.
- An excess cost disclosure. A statutory notice, in capitals, about your right to an estimate of unforeseen excess costs once they exceed five thousand dollars over the course of the contract, with a place for you to initial the type of estimate you require.
- A subcontractor list. Suppliers are required to maintain a list of subcontractors with full legal names and principal business addresses for contracts worked on in the preceding three years.
Prohibited practices
Section 4722.03 lists conduct suppliers cannot engage in, including failing to perform in a workmanlike manner, charging for excess costs the owner has not approved, representing that work was performed when it was not, and failing to disclose before work begins that part of the service will be performed by someone other than the supplier or its employees where the contract disclaims warranty on that person's work.
Enforcement
The Ohio Attorney General can investigate, and the statute provides for civil penalties and a private cause of action for owners. That combination is what gives the requirements teeth.
What Applies to Smaller Jobs
A repair that comes in under twenty-five thousand dollars is not governed by Chapter 4722, but it is not unprotected. Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act applies to residential roofing transactions, and the Home Solicitation Sales Act's three-day cancellation right applies to in-home sales of twenty-five dollars or more.
So the practical checklist barely changes. Get it in writing, confirm the insurance, keep the deposit small, and make sure the cancellation notice is attached.
What to Verify Before You Sign in Ohio
Whatever the contract size, these are worth confirming:
- A physical Ohio business address, not just a phone number and a magnet.
- A current certificate of general liability insurance, and separately, workers' compensation coverage for anyone who will be on your roof.
- Start and completion windows written into the document.
- A deposit at or under ten per cent, with the balance tied to milestones.
- The scope written in line items that match your insurance estimate, so nobody has to reconcile two different vocabularies later.
- The three-day cancellation notice and the Notice of Cancellation form.
This is general information and not legal advice; a lawyer can tell you how the statute applies to a specific contract. We work out of Dublin and Wadsworth and we are happy to walk through our paperwork line by line before you commit to anything. Call (877) 521-7171.
Not Sure Where Your Claim Stands?
We inspect the roof, document what is actually there, and tell you honestly whether you have a claim worth filing.
Common Questions
Chapter 4722 covers home construction services including repair, improvement, remodelling, and renovation of existing residential structures, for contracts exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars on one-, two-, and three-family dwellings.
Under the statute, a home construction service supplier may generally take no more than ten per cent of the contract price as a down payment before beginning performance, with a limited exception for special-order goods.
For contracts under the Act, a copy of the supplier's certificate of insurance showing general liability coverage of at least two hundred fifty thousand dollars must be included with the contract.
Chapter 4722 will not apply, but Ohio's Consumer Sales Practices Act and the Home Solicitation Sales Act's three-day cancellation right still do.
The statute addresses subcontractor disclosure and requires suppliers to maintain a subcontractor list. Ask directly who will be on your roof and whether they carry their own coverage.
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