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.