Storm contractor rules in Massachusetts: home improvement registration, written contracts and the three-day cancellation right
Massachusetts regulates home improvement work through chapter 142A of the General Laws, and door-to-door sales through section 48 of chapter 93. This page restates those sections as the General Court publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. None of the sections read names tree work or storms. No official page on the Massachusetts price gouging rule was read for this page on October 9, 2026.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| 142A section 1, residential contracting | The reconstruction, alteration, renovation, repair, modernization, conversion, improvement, removal or demolition of a pre-existing owner-occupied building of one to four dwelling units, or the construction of an addition, or work on structures adjacent to the residence. A contractor is anyone who owns or operates a contracting business and undertakes, offers or bids for that work |
| 142A section 2, written agreement | An agreement for residential contracting above US$1,000 must be in writing. It lists the registration number, start and substantial completion dates, a detailed description of the work and materials, the total price and a payment schedule. A deposit may not exceed the greater of one-third of the price or the cost of special-order materials. No work may begin before the owner has a signed copy |
| 142A section 2, notices in the contract | The contract must carry a clear notice that contractors must be registered by the director, the registration number, the three-day cancellation right under section 48 of chapter 93, the warranties, and in bold type of ten points or larger above the signature space "Do not sign this contract if there are any blank spaces" |
| 142A section 14, exemptions | Not required to register: a contractor whose single project has an aggregate price under US$500, a part-time contractor who earned under US$5,000 in gross revenue in the previous twelve months, and a contractor who works exclusively in listed areas, including landscaping, interior painting, fencing and driveway installation. Tree work is not listed |
| 142A section 17, prohibited acts | Prohibited acts include operating without a certificate of registration, abandoning a contract without justification, false promises to win a contract, and advertising that lacks the registration number. Violations are an unfair or deceptive act under chapter 93A and can lead to administrative sanctions and criminal prosecution |
| Chapter 93 section 48(A) | A buyer may cancel an agreement for goods or services for personal, family or household purposes worth more than US$25 that was made away from the seller's address, by notifying the seller by midnight of the third business day after signing |
| Chapter 93 section 48(J) and (K) | A seller of services may not start the service during the three-day period. The section does not apply where the buyer started the transaction and needs the work for a bona fide immediate personal emergency, and gives the seller a separate dated, signed statement in the buyer's handwriting that describes the emergency and waives the right to cancel |
| Chapter 93 section 48(E) | Violation is punishable by a fine of up to US$500, imprisonment of up to six months, or both |
Registration and tree work
Chapter 142A is built around a certificate of registration issued by the director of consumer affairs and business regulation. The definition of residential contracting covers removal and work on structures next to a residence. The statute does not say whether taking down a tree is residential contracting. The exemption list in section 14 names landscaping, but only for a contractor who works exclusively in the listed areas, and it does not name tree removal or pruning. The text read does not say whether a given storm job needs registration.
Written contract and cancellation
Section 2 sets a US$1,000 line for the written agreement and caps a deposit. It also says a contract that fails the section is not invalid solely because of that. Section 48 of chapter 93 is separate: it covers sales made away from the seller's address, requires the seller to tell the buyer of the right to cancel orally at signing, and bars the seller from starting service in the three days. The emergency exception in subsection (K) has three parts in the text: the buyer started the contact, the need is an immediate personal emergency, and the buyer wrote and signed the waiver. The text read does not say how a storm-damaged tree fits. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- General Court of Massachusetts, General Laws chapter 142A section 1, Definitions, read October 9, 2026
- General Court of Massachusetts, General Laws chapter 142A section 2, Residential contracting agreements, read October 9, 2026
- General Court of Massachusetts, General Laws chapter 142A section 14, Exemption from registration, read October 9, 2026
- General Court of Massachusetts, General Laws chapter 142A section 17, Prohibited acts, read October 9, 2026
- General Court of Massachusetts, General Laws chapter 93 section 48, Cancellation of agreements consummated away from the seller's place of business, read October 9, 2026