If you sign a contract at your home in Ohio, like a roof job pitched by a salesperson at your door, you can usually cancel without penalty until midnight of the third business day after you sign. The seller has to give you a written notice of that right, and until it does, the three-day clock doesn't start.

What counts as a home solicitation sale?

Ohio's Home Solicitation Sales Act, in Chapter 1345 of the Revised Code, covers consumer sales where the seller personally pitches you at your home and you agree there, even if you invited them over. It also covers agreements made anywhere other than the seller's place of business, like a kitchen table, a driveway or a hotel ballroom. That's the classic storm-chaser scenario: a crew knocks after a hailstorm, inspects the roof, and asks you to sign on the spot.

The law excludes some transactions, including:

• Purchases under $25.
• Deals you started by visiting the seller's store or showroom.
• Cases where you contacted a seller that has a fixed business location in Ohio to negotiate a purchase. Seeing an ad doesn't count as the seller starting contact.
• A genuine emergency you called about, but only if you hand the seller a separate, dated statement in your own handwriting describing the emergency and waiving the right to cancel.
• A repair visit you asked for. Extra goods or services sold during that visit are still covered.

One more detail: a business day under this law is any day except Sunday and the holidays the law lists, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, so Saturday counts.

What does the seller have to give you?

The law is specific. Every home solicitation sale has to be in a written agreement, in the same language used in the sales pitch, with the seller's name and address. The seller has to:

• Have you sign it and write the date you actually signed.
• Leave you a copy signed by the seller.
• Print, in bold type near your signature line, a statement that you may cancel any time before midnight of the third business day.
• Attach two copies of a detachable "notice of cancellation" form, filled in with the seller's name, address, email or fax, the date of the sale, and the cancellation deadline.
• Tell you out loud, at signing, that you have the right to cancel.

The contract can't include a waiver of your right to cancel or a confession of judgment.

What if they didn't give you the notice?

Then your right to cancel stays open. The law says the three-day period only begins once the seller complies with the written agreement and notice rules. Until then, you can cancel by delivering written notice.

That's a big protection. If a contractor had you sign a one-page form with no cancellation notice, you may still be able to cancel well after three days. Talk with the Attorney General's office or a lawyer about your specific situation.

How do you cancel?

Use the notice of cancellation form if you have it. Sign and date it, then send it to the seller before the deadline by one of these methods:

• Certified mail, return receipt requested.
• Personal delivery.
• Fax.
• Email.

You can also send any other written notice that says you're canceling. Keep a copy, plus your receipt or the sent email. Mailing with return receipt is the strongest proof.

What does the seller owe you after you cancel?

Within 10 business days after getting your cancellation, the seller has to:

• Refund all payments you made under the contract.
• Return anything you traded in, in substantially as good condition as when the seller got it.
• Cancel and return any note or financing paperwork you signed, and release any lien or security interest.
• Tell you whether it plans to pick up or abandon any goods it delivered.

The seller also can't sell your financing note to a finance company before midnight of the fifth business day after you signed.

If goods were delivered, you need to make them available at your home in about the same condition. If the seller doesn't pick them up within 20 days of your cancellation notice, you can keep or dispose of them without further obligation.

What about insurance claims after a storm?

Door-to-door roofers often ask homeowners to sign a contract that's tied to an insurance claim. Before you sign anything:

• Call your insurer or agent first and open the claim yourself.
• Get the insurer's adjuster to inspect before agreeing to a scope of work.
• Get two or three written bids.
• Check the contractor's registration with your local building department.

You can still hire someone who knocked on your door. Just do it on your timeline, with the paperwork you're entitled to.

FAQ

Can I cancel a contract with a door-to-door contractor in Ohio?

Usually yes, until midnight of the third business day after you sign, if the sale was solicited and signed at your home.

What if the contractor didn't give me a cancellation form?

The three-day period doesn't start until the seller provides the required written agreement and notice of cancellation, so you may still be able to cancel.

How fast does an Ohio contractor have to refund my deposit after I cancel?

Within 10 business days after receiving your cancellation notice.

Can I cancel by email in Ohio?

Yes. The law allows notice by certified mail, personal delivery, fax or email.

Next step

After any storm damage, call your licensed local insurance agent before you sign with a contractor. Ask what your policy covers, what the deductible will be, and whether the claim makes sense before anyone starts tearing off shingles.

Sources: Ohio Revised Code 1345.23, home solicitation sales agreement and notice; Ohio Revised Code 1345.22, right to cancel; Ohio Attorney General, consumer protection.

Ohio doesn't have a statewide license for residential contractors. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses commercial contractors in five trades: electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration. For work on your house, licensing and registration are up to your city, county or township, and some local building departments require the state license for residential work, too.

What does the state license?

The OCILB, part of the Ohio Department of Commerce, issues state contractor licenses, often called master licenses, to people who meet the board's qualifications and pass an exam. Those licenses cover five specialty trades:

• Electrical.
• Heating, ventilating and air conditioning.
• Plumbing.
• Hydronics, meaning hot water heating systems.
• Refrigeration.

Under Ohio law, the board regulates commercial contractors in these trades. Local building and health departments with contractor registration programs have to verify state licensure before issuing permits for commercial work.

The Department of Commerce says it plainly: residential contractors are not required to be licensed by the state. Local governments regulate them, and they may require a state license for residential work at their discretion.

So who checks the contractor redoing your kitchen?

Usually your local building department. Many Ohio cities and counties require contractors to register before they can pull permits. Requirements vary a lot, and some places require proof of insurance or a bond to register.

That's why one call matters more than anything else. Ask your local building department:

• Does this contractor need to be registered here?
• Are they registered now?
• Does my project need a permit?

How do you look up a state license?

If your project includes electrical, HVAC or plumbing work, it's worth checking whether the contractor or the person who'll pull the permit holds a state license, even on a residential job:

• Individual lookup: the OCILB eLicense Center, searchable by name or license number.
• Company lookup: the Department of Commerce's company license search.

A license tells you the person passed the exam and met the board's requirements. It doesn't tell you their work is good, so it's a starting point.

What else should you verify?

The Department of Commerce's own checklist for vetting contractors is a good one for homeowners:

• Training. Ask whether the workers hold journeyman cards or completed a state-approved apprenticeship, and ask for copies.
• Insurance. Get a certificate of insurance, then call the insurer to confirm it's active. Ask about general liability and workers' compensation.
• References. Ask for recent clients with similar projects, and call them.
• Reviews. Look for patterns of complaints, not one bad review.
• Permits. A contractor who refuses to pull permits is a red flag.

What should the contract say?

The Department lists what a good written contract includes:

• The scope of work and materials.
• A timeline.
• A payment schedule.
• How change orders work.
• Warranties.
• A breakdown of labor and materials.

Be careful with big down payments or paying in full before work starts. If the job came from a salesperson at your door, Ohio's Home Solicitation Sales Act also gives you three business days to cancel.

What are the red flags?

The Department names these warning signs:

• High-pressure sales tactics.
• No references.
• No permits.
• Bids that are unusually low compared with others.

Other common ones after storms: a contractor who shows up uninvited, asks you to sign over insurance payments, or wants cash only. Take your time. A good contractor will still be there next week.

Where do you complain about a contractor?

It depends on the problem. For a contractor holding a state license, complaints about commercial work go to OCILB. For residential work, your local building department handles code and permit issues. For deceptive sales practices or unfinished work you paid for, the Ohio Attorney General's consumer protection section takes complaints.

What does a permit protect you from?

A permit isn't just paperwork. It means a local inspector looks at the work, usually at stages like rough-in and final. For electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, that inspection is often the only independent check that the job meets code.

Skipping permits can come back to bite you later:

• An insurer may question a claim tied to unpermitted work, like a fire that starts in a DIY-grade electrical job.
• A buyer's inspector or appraiser may flag a finished basement or addition with no permit record.
• You may have to open walls so an inspector can see the work before you sell.

Ask the contractor who pulls the permit, and get the permit number. Then you can check its status with the building department yourself.

FAQ

Do contractors need a license in Ohio?

Not statewide for residential work. Ohio licenses commercial electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration contractors. Local governments regulate residential contractors and may require registration or a state license.

How do I check an Ohio contractor's license?

Use the OCILB eLicense Center for individual licenses or the Department of Commerce company search. Then check registration with your local building department.

Do I need a permit for my home project in Ohio?

Permit requirements are local. Ask your city, county or township building department before work starts.

What should be in an Ohio home improvement contract?

The scope, materials, timeline, payment schedule, change-order process, warranties and a labor and materials breakdown.

Next step

If you're buying a home that needs work, ask your licensed local agent for contractors past clients have used, then call the local building department to confirm registration and permit rules before you sign anything.

Sources: Ohio Department of Commerce, Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board; Ohio Department of Commerce, Verifying Licensed Contractors; OCILB eLicense Center lookup.