California Construction Change Order (2026)

A signed amendment to a construction or home improvement contract: what changes, what it adds to or deducts from the price, the revised contract sum, how many days it adds to the schedule, and confirmation that everything else in the contract stays the same.

Updated September 2026≈ 5 minReviewed against Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159 · Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7030, 7159 · Cal. Civ. Code §§ 8000–8848

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What you'll get

Sample first page of the Construction Change Order. Your answers fill in the blanks; the clauses required in California are added automatically.

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What this document covers

Change order number and the contract it amends
Contractor, licence number and owner
Project address and the date of the original contract
What changes, in the owner's and the contractor's words
Why it changes — owner request, hidden condition, code or design
Itemized pricing or a lump sum, added or deducted
Revised contract sum after every previous change order
Days added to the schedule and the new completion date
Payment terms for this change alone
Confirmation that every other contract term stays in force

California rules that this document follows

Written change order required	Yes — A change-order form for changes or extra work must be incorporated into the home improvement contract and becomes part of the contract only if it is in writing and signed by the parties before any work covered by the change order begins.Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(c)(5), (d)(13)
Signature before the changed work	Required — the order counts only if signed before the changed work beginsSource: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(c)(5), (d)(13)
Price and schedule in the order	The change in price must be stated; the effect on the schedule or completion date must be stated tooSource: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(c)(5), (d)(13)
Payment for the change	A contractor may not collect payment for work not yet completed or for materials not yet delivered, so the money for a change order is due as the changed work is performed, not when the order is signed. The down payment limit of $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, is set by the same section.Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(d)(9)(C), (d)(8)
Licence number on the paperwork	Required on the home improvement contract, so it is printed on the change order too — Contractors State License Board (CSLB)Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7030, 7159(d)(1)
Lien rights for the extra work	Work added by a signed change order is lienable: it counts as labor and materials furnished for the improvement under this state's mechanics lien chapter.Source: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 8000–8848 (works of improvement)

Rules current as of 2026-09-14. Statutes change; verify before relying on them.

How to use this Construction Change Order in California

A change-order form for changes or extra work must be incorporated into the home improvement contract and becomes part of the contract only if it is in writing and signed by the parties before any work covered by the change order begins. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(c)(5), (d)(13)) A change order is not a new contract: it names the original contract and its date, describes exactly what changes, prices the change, and says what it does to the completion date. Everything the contract said before stays in force unless this document changes it.

Price the change the way the owner can check it. Line items — quantity times unit price, labour and materials separated — are what survive a dispute; a lump sum belongs on small, obvious work. Say plainly whether the amount is added to the contract or deducted from it, then carry the arithmetic all the way through: original contract sum, plus the net of every earlier change order, plus or minus this one, equals the revised contract sum. That last number is the only price that should appear on the next invoice, on the lender's draw request and in any lien claim.

Deal with time and money in the same document. Write the schedule effect in whole days, even when it is zero — leave it blank and the original completion date usually still binds, which is how a contractor ends up late because of a change the owner asked for. On payment, California law is specific: A contractor may not collect payment for work not yet completed or for materials not yet delivered, so the money for a change order is due as the changed work is performed, not when the order is signed. The down payment limit of $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, is set by the same section. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(d)(9)(C), (d)(8)) A deposit for special-order or custom material is the one sensible exception.

Sign before the changed work starts, and give the owner a copy the same day. In California that sequence is not advice, it is the rule — the order counts only if it is signed before the work it covers begins. Print the contractor's licence number on the amendment as well, because California requires it on the contract this document becomes part of (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7030, 7159(d)(1)). Keep the signed order with the contract, the invoices and the lien waivers — together they are the whole story of what the job cost.

Frequently asked questions

Does California require a change order to be in writing?

Yes. A change-order form for changes or extra work must be incorporated into the home improvement contract and becomes part of the contract only if it is in writing and signed by the parties before any work covered by the change order begins. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(c)(5), (d)(13))

Can a contractor bill for extra work with no signed change order?

In California that is the hard case, because a change-order form for changes or extra work must be incorporated into the home improvement contract and becomes part of the contract only if it is in writing and signed by the parties before any work covered by the change order begins. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(c)(5), (d)(13)) Without the signed order the contractor is usually left arguing unjust enrichment, which recovers cost at best and often nothing.

When is the change order money due?

A contractor may not collect payment for work not yet completed or for materials not yet delivered, so the money for a change order is due as the changed work is performed, not when the order is signed. The down payment limit of $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less, is set by the same section. (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(d)(9)(C), (d)(8)) In practice that means the change is billed as the changed work is performed, on the schedule this form sets out.

Does a change order have to state the new completion date?

In California yes — the statute makes the effect on the schedule part of what a change order has to say (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159(c)(5), (d)(13)). Even where no statute says so, leave it out and the original date usually still binds, so a contractor can be late on a deadline the owner's own change made impossible. Write the days, even when the answer is zero.

Can extra work be included in a mechanics lien?

Yes — work added by a signed change order is labor and materials furnished for the improvement under Cal. Civ. Code §§ 8000–8848 (works of improvement). The signed order is what proves both the scope and the amount, so keep it with the contract and the invoices; an unsigned extra is the claim owners defeat most often.

Do I need the licence number on the change order?

In California the licence number is required on the home improvement contract itself (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7030, 7159(d)(1)), and a change order becomes part of that contract, so print it here too — this form does it for you.

Other names

change order
construction change order
contract amendment contractor
extra work order
change order form
work order change
variation order
contract modification construction
remodel change order
addendum to construction contract

Other states

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