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Storm contractor rules after a disaster, by US state

After a declared emergency, state offices publish what changes for contractors: price limits, licence suspensions and contract wording. This page sets out what state sources in seven states say and which states have their own page.

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. It covers the United States only and seven states only. A state without a row has no official page read for this site on October 9, 2026, which is different from having no rule.

The seven states side by side

State and sourceWhat the source says
Florida: Florida Statutes 501.160, with its own pageUnconscionable pricing of essential commodities, including services, is unlawful in the declared area. The prohibition runs no more than 60 days unless extended. Offering goods or services to the public without a business tax receipt is a second-degree misdemeanor during the emergency. Licensing: not stated in the section. The receipt named is a local business tax receipt
Texas: Attorney General pages, with its own pageTaking advantage of a disaster declared by the Governor or the President by selling or leasing a necessity, including building materials and construction tools, at an exorbitant or excessive price is a deceptive practice. Emergency remediation contractors from another area, with some exceptions, may not require payment before beginning work. Licensing: not stated on the pages read
Georgia: Attorney General, September 25, 2024, with its own pageThe Governor's State of Emergency order of September 24, 2024 invoked the price gouging statute for goods and services needed for preparation, response and recovery. Protections ran until 11:59 p.m. on October 2, 2024. Licensing: The release says certain specialty occupations such as roofers, tree removal services, painters, drywall contractors and repair handymen are not required to be licensed by the state
Tennessee: Attorney General, February 4, 2026, with its own pageThe Governor suspended licensing requirements until March 7, 2026 for storm damage cleanup after the ice storms, while requiring sufficient experience and knowledge in the field. Executive Order 110 and its amendment, Order 111, say so in the order text, and end the price rule on February 5, 2026. Licensing: The release says contractors doing most storm-related repair work, such as tree trimmers, are typically required to obtain a contractor's license, and that the orders do not provide insurance
North Carolina: Department of Justice, with its own pageThe price gouging law is triggered by a state of emergency declared by the Governor, the Legislature or a municipality. Courts may impose civil penalties of up to US$5,000 for each violation, and the law applies at all levels of the supply chain. Licensing: the general contractor board page gives US$40,000 as the project value at which a state licence is required
Virginia: Code of Virginia, with its own pageThe Post-Disaster Anti-Price Gouging Act lists "tree removal supplies and services" among necessary goods and services and bars unconscionable prices in the area of a declared emergency. Licensing: contractor classes run by contract value, and the definition does not name tree work
Louisiana: Revised Statutes 29:732, with its own pageDuring a declared emergency, prices may not exceed those ordinarily charged for comparable goods and services in the same market area at or immediately before it, with exceptions for market fluctuations and reasonable expenses. Licensing: the board sets a residential licence line at US$50,000 for residential and home improvement projects and defines home improvement at US$7,500 or more
Other statesNo official page read on October 9, 2026

Price rules

Four of the sources are statute text or statute summaries. Virginia is the one state read here whose statute lists tree removal supplies and services by name. The Louisiana section covers goods and services in general and names no trade. The Florida section applies to commodities defined to include services, and ties the presumption of an unconscionable price to the average price in the 30 days before the declaration. The North Carolina page does not define a price test. It says the Attorney General can stop price gouging and seek refunds for consumers. The Georgia release names the Governor's order as the trigger and gives the date the protection ended, which shows that these windows are set by each declaration and not by the storm itself.

Licence rules

The Georgia and Tennessee releases point in different directions on licensing for tree work, and the difference sits in the state's own law, not in the storm. Georgia's Attorney General says tree removal services are not required to be licensed by the state. Tennessee's says tree trimmers are typically required to hold a contractor's licence and that an executive order suspended the requirement for storm cleanup until March 7, 2026. The pages on contractor licences for tree work set out the licence rules outside storm periods.

Contracts and scams

Florida's roof contract rules are on the Florida page. The warnings that the Attorney General offices issue about door-to-door tree offers are collected on the page on storm tree scams, and the hazards crews meet are on the page on storm work.

Storm contractor rules by state

Sources