Storm contractor rules in New York: price gouging, door-to-door sales and contractor licensing
New York has a state price gouging law that the Attorney General enforces, no state licence for home improvement contractors, and city or county licences that vary by place. This page restates what the Attorney General, the Department of State and New York City say, read on October 10, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 10, 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. The price gouging rows come from the Attorney General's own page, which describes the law, and not from the statute text. None of the pages read names tree work or storm cleanup.
The rules in one table
| Rule | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Price gouging, Attorney General | Charging unconscionably excessive prices for essential goods and services during an abnormal market disruption is against the law in New York. The law reaches anyone in the distribution chain, and the Attorney General enforces it and makes rules under section 396-r of the General Business Law |
| Abnormal market disruption | Any change in the market, actual or imminently threatened, that results from a listed event. The Attorney General lists natural disasters and life-threatening weather events among them. A governor's declaration or a consumer alert is not needed to trigger the law |
| Essential goods and services | The Attorney General says it takes a commonsense view of basic necessities and gives examples that include snow-removal services and roof repairs. Tree removal is not in the examples on the page |
| Price tests | A seller may have gouged if it raised the price of an essential good or service by more than 10 percent over the price right before the disruption, or if the price grossly exceeds what most nearby sellers charge. A seller that shows it needed the increase to cover higher costs or keep the same margin may not have gouged. A seller with more than 30 percent of the market may have gouged by any increase |
| Penalties | Repayment to affected consumers plus a mandatory penalty of up to the greater of three times the amount charged for the gouged products or US$25,000 |
| New York City price rules | The city has its own rules for items declared in short supply (section 5-38 of the Rules of the City of New York) and for essential goods and services during a state of emergency the mayor declares (section 5-42) |
| State licensing | The Department of State says New York State does not license home improvement contractors. Some counties and local governments do, and the release names New York City, Buffalo and the counties of Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland |
| Contract and cancellation | The Department of State release lists a written contract with a description of the work, timeline, price and payment schedule, and says a homeowner has three days to cancel after signing a home improvement contract, in writing |
New York City home improvement licence
The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection says a person or business needs a Home Improvement Contractor licence to do construction, repair, remodeling or other home improvement work to residential land or a building in New York City. The list of other home improvement work on its checklist page includes landscaping, driveways, fences and work on land next to a home or apartment building. It does not name tree work or tree removal, and the page calls the description a general explanation.
The checklist page sets out what an application carries. It asks for proof of business and home address, workers' compensation insurance information, an EPA certification or a signed affirmation, a contractual compliance agreement, and either enrolment in the Home Improvement Business Trust Fund (fee US$200) or a signed US$20,000 surety bond. The Home Improvement Exam needs to be passed by only one of a sole proprietor, general partner, corporate officer, principal, director, member or owner of 10 percent or more of the company stock. It has 30 questions and needs 21 correct. The licence period is two years and expires on February 28 in odd years. The filing fee on the page depends on the filing date and runs from US$50 to US$250.
The compliance checklist PDF lists what every contract must carry in New York City: the contractor's name, address and licence number, the date, start and completion dates, a description of the work and materials, a payment schedule, a workers' compensation clause and a permits clause. In bold type of at least 10 points near the buyer's signature it must carry a statement that the buyer may cancel before midnight of the third business day after the transaction, with a separate notice of cancellation form attached.
What the pages do not say
The Attorney General page does not say whether tree removal after a storm counts as an essential service. The Department of State release dates from April 18, 2023 and is a consumer alert, not a statute. The licence rules of the other counties it names were not read for this page. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- New York Attorney General, Price gouging, read October 10, 2026
- New York Department of State, Division of Consumer Protection, consumer alert on home improvement scams, April 18, 2023, read October 10, 2026
- New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Home Improvement Contractor License Application Checklist, read October 10, 2026
- New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, Home Improvement Contractor Contractual Compliance Agreement and Checklist, read October 10, 2026