Writing a construction contract means putting on paper exactly what will be built, what it costs, how long it takes, and who absorbs the risk when something goes wrong. A workable agreement identifies the parties, defines the scope, sets the price and payment schedule, locks in a timeline, and allocates risk through a predictable set of clauses covering change orders, insurance, warranties, liens, termination, and disputes. You can draft one from scratch, but you rarely should. The sections below walk through what each provision does and the drafting choices that matter most.
Start From an Industry Standard Form If You Can
The construction industry already has well-tested template contracts. The American Institute of Architects publishes the AIA A101 (owner-contractor agreement for a lump sum) and the companion AIA A201 (general conditions covering change orders, claims, and administration). ConsensusDocs offers a parallel set of forms developed jointly by owner, contractor, and surety associations. Both families are widely recognized by courts and lenders.
Using a standard form doesn’t mean accepting it as-is. Parties routinely modify and supplement these templates with project-specific terms. But starting from a tested document means you’re less likely to accidentally omit something important. If you draft a custom agreement, treat the sections that follow as your checklist.
Pick a Pricing Model Before You Draft Anything Else
The pricing structure shapes the entire contract, because it decides who absorbs cost overruns and who benefits from savings. Three models dominate.
A fixed-price (lump sum) contract has the contractor complete the work for a single predetermined amount. The contractor bears most of the financial risk, because unforeseen conditions or material price increases come out of their margin rather than the owner’s budget. This model works best when the scope is clearly defined and unlikely to change.
A cost-plus contract reimburses the contractor for actual project costs (labor, materials, equipment) and adds a fee for overhead and profit, usually calculated as a percentage of total costs. It gives flexibility when the scope is uncertain or evolving, but it requires the owner to trust the contractor’s cost reporting and typically includes an audit right.
A time and materials contract bills labor hours at agreed rates plus the actual cost of materials. Most include a ceiling price the contractor exceeds at their own risk. This structure fits smaller projects or repair work where the full scope can’t be pinned down upfront.
Each model needs different contract language. A fixed-price contract puts heavy emphasis on the scope of work, because anything outside that scope triggers a change order. A cost-plus contract needs detailed provisions about what qualifies as a reimbursable cost and how the fee is calculated. A time-and-materials contract needs clear hourly rate schedules and a defined price ceiling.
Identify the Parties and Project Correctly
The opening section should identify every party by full legal name and address. For a business entity, that means the registered name (not a trade name or DBA), entity type, and state of formation. Get this wrong and enforcement becomes a problem later. If the contractor is a corporation and you name only the individual owner, you may not be able to reach the corporate assets in a dispute.
Many jurisdictions require contractors to hold a valid license before performing construction work, and some require the license number to appear in the contract itself. Including the contractor’s license number, insurance policy numbers, and any relevant registrations in the opening section protects the owner and creates a record if a licensing dispute arises later. The contract should also identify the project location, the owner’s authorized representative, and any architect or engineer whose plans govern the work.
Write a Scope of Work That Leaves No Room for Argument
The scope of work is the single most important section of the contract, and it’s where most disputes originate. A vague scope hands the contractor room to cut corners and hands the owner room to demand extras for free. The scope needs enough detail that a contractor can accurately price the work and a third party could tell whether the finished product matches what was promised.
At minimum, the scope should reference the specific plans, drawings, and specifications that govern the work. If the project involves particular materials or brands, name them. If substitutions are acceptable, say so and describe the approval process. Spell out what is excluded. Assumptions about what’s obviously included cause more fights than ambiguous inclusions. If demolition, site preparation, landscaping, or utility connections are someone else’s responsibility, state that.
For renovation and remodeling projects, the scope should address how the contractor will handle unexpected conditions like hidden water damage, asbestos, or structural deficiencies discovered after work begins. A short provision establishing a process for pricing and approving unforeseen work prevents the project from stalling when someone opens a wall and finds a surprise.
Payment Terms, Retainage, and Lien Waivers
The payment section needs to cover more than the total price. It should establish a payment schedule tied to measurable milestones or progress benchmarks, specify when invoices are due, how long the owner has to pay after receiving an invoice, and what happens when payments are late.
Retainage
Most construction contracts include a retainage clause, where the owner withholds a percentage of each progress payment until the project reaches substantial completion. The standard retainage rate is 5% or 10%, though many states cap retainage on public projects at 5%. Retainage gives the owner leverage to make sure the contractor finishes punch list items and corrects defects rather than walking away after collecting most of the money. State the retainage percentage, when it will be released, and any conditions for release, such as delivery of final lien waivers.
Late Payment Interest
Nearly every state has a prompt payment act that imposes interest penalties when construction payments are late. Rates vary widely, from around 1% per month in some states to as high as 2% per month in others. Specify a late payment interest rate and a grace period in the contract. If the contract is silent, the state’s prompt payment statute will typically fill the gap, and those statutory rates are sometimes higher than what you’d negotiate.
Lien Waivers With Every Progress Payment
Without lien waivers, an owner who pays the general contractor in full can still face a mechanic’s lien from an unpaid subcontractor and effectively pay for the same work twice. The contract should require the contractor to deliver conditional lien waivers from all subcontractors and suppliers as a prerequisite for each progress payment, and a final unconditional waiver only after the final payment has cleared.
Schedule, Substantial Completion, and Liquidated Damages
The contract needs a clear timeline with a start date, key milestones, and a completion date. Milestones should correspond to measurable events (foundation poured, framing complete, rough-in inspections passed) rather than vague progress percentages. Tying payment releases to milestones keeps the schedule and the payment flow aligned.
Liquidated Damages
When a project runs late, the owner’s actual damages can be hard to calculate. A liquidated damages clause solves this by establishing a predetermined daily or weekly charge for each day the project remains incomplete past the deadline. Courts enforce these clauses only when two conditions are met: the actual harm from delay was genuinely difficult to estimate at the time of contracting, and the daily amount is a reasonable projection of the probable loss. If the amount bears no rational relationship to actual damages, a court will treat it as an unenforceable penalty.
The common mistake is copying a daily rate from another contract without doing any project-specific calculation. Estimate the actual costs the owner would incur from delay: extended equipment rentals, additional consultant fees, temporary facility costs, lost revenue from delayed occupancy, and similar expenses. Document that calculation and keep it with the contract file. A well-supported liquidated damages clause is much harder to challenge later.
Define Substantial Completion
The contract should define what constitutes substantial completion, meaning the point where the project is sufficiently finished that the owner can occupy or use it for its intended purpose even if minor punch list items remain. Substantial completion typically triggers the start of warranty periods, shifts property risk to the owner, and begins the clock on retainage release.
Change Orders in Writing, Every Time
No construction project goes exactly as planned. The change order provision governs how modifications to the original scope get proposed, priced, approved, and documented. A complete change order should describe the new or modified work, state the cost impact (broken down by labor, materials, and equipment), note any schedule adjustment, update the total contract value, and carry signatures from authorized representatives of both parties.
The single most important rule: put the change order in writing before the work starts. Verbal approvals are the biggest source of payment disputes in construction. The contractor does extra work based on a conversation, submits an invoice, and the owner disputes the amount or denies authorizing it at all. The contract should state explicitly that no change order is valid without written approval from a designated person, and that the contractor proceeds with unapproved changes at their own financial risk.
Insurance and Bonds
The contract should require the contractor to carry, at minimum, commercial general liability insurance, workers’ compensation coverage, and automobile liability insurance. Workers’ compensation is required by statute in virtually every state. General liability protects both parties against third-party injury and property damage claims arising from the work. Specify minimum coverage amounts, require the contractor to name the owner as an additional insured on the general liability policy, and obligate the contractor to deliver certificates of insurance before work begins.
For larger projects, the owner may also need a builder’s risk policy covering the structure under construction against fire, weather, theft, and similar perils. State clearly which party is responsible for obtaining and paying for builder’s risk coverage.
Two bonds commonly come into play on larger jobs. A performance bond guarantees that the contractor will complete the project according to the contract terms. A payment bond guarantees that the contractor will pay subcontractors and suppliers. On federal construction projects exceeding $100,000, the Miller Act requires the contractor to furnish both a performance bond and a payment bond before the contract is awarded.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 40 USC 3131 – Bonds of Contractors of Public Buildings or Works Most states have equivalent bonding requirements for state-funded construction above similar thresholds. On private projects bonding is negotiable, but owners on larger projects should seriously consider requiring both. The premium is typically 1% to 3% of the contract price, small compared to the exposure of a contractor default on a major job.
Warranties and Defect Liability
Construction warranties come in two flavors. Express warranties are the ones you write into the contract: the contractor guarantees the work will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a stated period, commonly one year from substantial completion.2Acquisition.GOV. 48 CFR 52.246-21 – Warranty of Construction The contract should also require the contractor to assign any manufacturer warranties on equipment and materials (roofing systems, HVAC units, appliances) to the owner, since those warranties often extend well beyond the one-year callback period.
Implied warranties exist even when the contract doesn’t mention them. In most jurisdictions, contractors impliedly warrant that the work will be performed in a skillful manner and that materials will be fit for their intended purpose. These implied warranties can’t typically be waived by contract in residential construction, though commercial contracts sometimes limit them.
Separate from the warranty period, every state has a statute of repose that sets an absolute outer deadline for filing construction defect claims, regardless of when the defect is discovered. These deadlines range from about 4 to 15 years depending on the state. A one-year warranty doesn’t prevent the owner from bringing a claim for latent defects within the statute of repose period, and the contract should not attempt to shorten the owner’s statutory rights below what the law allows.
Termination for Cause and Termination for Convenience
Every construction contract needs two separate termination provisions.
Termination for cause lets either party end the contract when the other materially breaches it, becomes insolvent, or fails to perform. The clause should require written notice of the default and give the defaulting party a specified cure period (typically 7 to 14 days) to fix the problem before termination takes effect. If the contractor is terminated for cause, the owner is usually entitled to hire a replacement contractor and charge any increased completion costs back to the original contractor.
Termination for convenience gives the owner the right to cancel the project for any reason, even if the contractor has done nothing wrong. Without this clause, canceling when the contractor isn’t in default would typically entitle the contractor to payment for completed work plus the profit they would have earned on the remaining work. A termination for convenience clause limits the contractor’s recovery to the cost of work actually completed, other costs already incurred, and a reasonable allowance for overhead and profit on the completed portion. It specifically excludes lost profits on the unfinished work. Contractors should pay close attention to this clause, because it dramatically changes financial exposure if the owner decides to pull the plug.
Dispute Resolution
Construction disputes are expensive to litigate. Most well-drafted contracts require the parties to attempt resolution through less costly methods first.
Mediation is a structured negotiation where a neutral mediator helps the parties find a voluntary resolution. The mediator doesn’t issue a ruling and can’t force either side to accept an outcome. Mediation is almost always worth trying first because it’s cheaper and faster than every alternative, and it preserves the working relationship better than adversarial proceedings.
Arbitration is binding. An arbitrator or panel hears evidence from both sides and issues an enforceable ruling. The losing party can’t simply disagree; the decision carries legal weight and can be enforced through the courts. Many construction contracts require mediation first, followed by binding arbitration if mediation fails. The American Arbitration Association publishes model clauses for exactly this sequence.3American Arbitration Association. AAA Clause Drafting
Specify a venue, meaning the city or county where disputes will be heard. Without a venue clause, a dispute between an out-of-state contractor and a local owner can turn into a fight about where the case should even be filed before anyone addresses the substance.
Indemnification (Mind Your State’s Anti-Indemnity Statute)
An indemnification clause requires one party to cover the other’s losses arising from certain events, usually the indemnifying party’s own negligence. In construction, the typical arrangement requires the contractor to indemnify the owner against claims arising from the contractor’s work.
A majority of states have anti-indemnity statutes that limit how far these clauses can reach. Some only prohibit clauses that shift liability for the owner’s sole negligence to the contractor. Others go further and bar any clause that requires a contractor to indemnify an owner for the owner’s own concurrent negligence. A broad indemnification clause that works in one state may be completely void in another. Have an attorney review the indemnification language against the law of the state that governs the contract, because an unenforceable indemnity clause gives you nothing but false confidence.
Permits, Code Compliance, and Mechanic’s Liens
Someone has to pull the building permits, schedule inspections, and ensure the work complies with applicable codes. Assign this responsibility clearly. In most commercial construction contracts, the contractor is responsible for obtaining necessary permits and complying with all applicable building codes and regulations at no additional expense to the owner.4Acquisition.GOV. 48 CFR 52.236-7 – Permits and Responsibilities In residential projects, some jurisdictions require the property owner to be the permit applicant. The contract should also address what happens if a code change during construction forces modifications to the approved plans. Treat compliance modifications as a change order rather than letting either party absorb the cost without discussion.
Every contractor, subcontractor, and material supplier who improves real property has a potential right to file a mechanic’s lien if they aren’t paid. A mechanic’s lien attaches to the property itself, not just to the party who owes the money, which means the owner’s real estate is the collateral. Lien rights come with strict procedural requirements that vary by state. Many states require a preliminary notice sent within 10 to 30 days of starting work, and missing that deadline can permanently forfeit lien rights. Filing deadlines for the lien itself typically range from about 60 days to one year after the last day of work. Beyond requiring lien waivers with each payment application, include a provision requiring the contractor to promptly bond off or resolve any liens filed by subcontractors or suppliers.
Signing the Contract Properly
Once the contract is finalized, every party must sign it. If a party is a corporation, the person signing needs actual authority to bind the company. If a party is a partnership, confirm which partners have signing authority. If an agent signs on someone’s behalf, attach written proof of their authorization. Getting the signature mechanics wrong can make the entire contract unenforceable against the party that supposedly agreed to it.
Some jurisdictions require notarization for contracts that will be recorded against real property, and certain bonding requirements trigger notarization as well. Even when not legally required, having signatures witnessed or notarized adds an extra layer of proof that the person who signed is the person they claim to be. After execution, every party gets a fully signed original. Don’t start work until the ink is dry and the insurance certificates are in hand.