A change order is a short signed document that changes a construction contract after it’s been signed: more work, less work, different materials, a new price or a new finish date. Contractors, subs and homeowners all use them, and our free change order template gives you a one-page form in Word or PDF that both sides can sign before the extra work starts.
When do you need a change order form?
You need one any time the job stops matching the contract. That includes the obvious cases (the owner wants a bigger window, the tile they picked is back-ordered) and the unpleasant ones (you open a wall and find rotten framing). If it changes what you’re building, what it costs, or when it’ll be done, write it down.
Here’s a hypothetical. Luis is halfway through a $38,000 bathroom remodel when the owner asks for heated floors. He says sure, it’s about $2,200, and does it. At the final invoice the owner remembers “around a thousand.” Nobody is lying; they just remember different conversations. A signed construction change order would have ended that argument before it started.
California’s Contractors State License Board is blunt about it: in its guide for contractors it says all change orders must be in writing, and that change order forms become part of the contract once the contractor and homeowner sign them. Its consumer guide says the same from the owner’s side: if the contract price needs adjusting, it must be done with a written change order.
A change order isn’t the right tool for starting a new, unrelated job. If the owner who hired you for a deck now wants a garage, that’s a new construction contract.
What should a change order include?
Our change order form template follows the elements California’s board lists for home improvement work, plus a few practical fields. Walk through them before you fill it in.
Reference to the original contract
The project name, address, the date of the original contract and a change order number. Number them in sequence (CO-1, CO-2) so nobody loses track, and keep a simple change order log.
Description of the change
What’s being added, removed or substituted, specifically. “Add heated floor” is thin. “Install electric radiant floor heat under 64 sq ft of bathroom tile, thermostat on east wall, dedicated 20A circuit” is a description you can hold someone to. Note whether the change came from the owner, a hidden condition, or a code or inspector requirement.
Price change
The amount added or subtracted, how it was worked out (lump sum, or time and materials at stated rates), and the new contract total. Showing the running total is the part people skip, and it’s what makes the math obvious to everyone.
Schedule and payment effect
How many days the change adds or removes, the new completion date, and how the change affects the payment schedule. California’s board specifically lists the effect on the schedule of progress payments as something the change order must state.
Signatures before work begins
Both parties sign and date it before the changed work starts. California’s contractor guide says all parties must sign prior to the commencement of any work covered by the change order. Even if your state has no such rule, following it protects both sides.
What should you check for your state?
Change order rules mostly live in two places: your original contract (which should say that changes must be in writing and signed) and your state’s home improvement or contractor licensing rules. California’s are among the most detailed. Other states handle it differently, so check your licensing board. On public and government jobs the contract itself usually prescribes its own change order form and process; use theirs, not ours. The same goes for jobs run on a standard industry contract form that has its own change order document.
How do you fill it in and get it signed?
- Fill in the change order template in Word as soon as the change comes up, ideally on site.
- Attach anything that explains the change: a photo of the hidden damage, a revised drawing, a supplier quote.
- Double-check the new contract total against the original price and every earlier change order.
- Send it to the owner for signature, then countersign. Don’t start the changed work until both signatures are on it.
- File the signed copy with the original contract and update your change order log.
Speed is the whole reason people skip change orders. A crew is standing around, the owner is at work, and “just text me a yes” feels easier. E-signing fixes that: the owner can sign on a phone in a couple of minutes, and you get a record of exactly what they approved. Under the federal ESIGN Act a contract can’t be denied legal effect solely because it’s electronic; our guide on whether electronic signatures are legally binding explains more, and how to get a document signed by multiple people helps if a lender or co-owner also has to approve.
Download it, fill in the blanks, and send it for e-signature with any tool you like. (SignWren, the tool we’re building, is meant for exactly this job, and the waitlist is open.)
This template is general information, not legal advice. For a specific contract or dispute, talk to a lawyer licensed where you are.