Contractor didn't finish the job: what to do, and what the permit file shows

Where your state's remedies stand

A dash means we did not verify that item for this page; check the state's own site. Sources and read dates are listed at the end of the page.

Step 1: Read the permit before you do anything else

Search your address on the city portal (the official search for all 46 cities). Note the permit number, the status and the last inspection.

• Issued / Active, inspections stop partway: the job is open. The inspection list shows what passed (rough-in, framing) and what never happened.
• Expired: the permit lapsed without a final. KXAN counted 107,775 expired permits on 68,867 Austin residential addresses in 2021; they stay on the address until cured (KXAN, Nov 2021).
• Final / Complete / Closed: the city signed off. Your dispute is then about the contract, not code compliance.
• No permit at all: see the steps in our permit guide.

Then check the contractor's other jobs on their firm page here. Among San Francisco roofing firms with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm finished 62.2% of its permits; 20 of 135 such firms were under 70%. If your contractor is under 70% too, list its other open permits in your complaint.

Why it matters later: Sioux Falls' building department warns that "many financial institutions will not finance a purchase without proof of a final inspection" (City of Sioux Falls, accessed Oct 2026).

If it was structural work in New York City

Structural and foundation permits are the slowest to close in New York City: 43.6% of those a year or more old were signed off, and the usual one took 805 days from issue to sign-off, against 162 for electrical (6,279 structural permits from 1,658 firms, October 2023 to September 2026). Of the 108 structural firms with 10 or more permits, 98 finished fewer than 70%. An open structural permit is normal, so before you send notice, check whether the job is stalled (no inspections, no work for months) or just not signed off yet.

• Find the permit: search the address on DOB NOW (portal links for every city), then compare the firm on New York City structural contractors and the city's permit timing page.
• Who to complain to: DCWP regulates home improvement contractors that charge more than $200, and its 311 complaint page lists "Not completing work" (NYC311). Every home improvement contractor working on residential property in the city needs a DCWP license (NYC Business).
• Getting money back: the Trust Fund pays only when the contractor held a DCWP license when you contracted and paid into the fund. Its claim process pays up to $20,000 (raised from $10,000 on 18 July 2025) after a DCWP complaint and a mediation that did not settle; the standard process pays up to $40,000 with a court judgment, arbitration award, breached settlement or administrative decision (DCWP Trust Fund page). A contractor that did not join the fund posts a $20,000 surety bond instead (NYC Business).
• Court: NYC small claims takes cases up to $10,000 (NY Courts).

Step 2: Send written notice

Put the unfinished items, the dates and a deadline in a letter, and keep proof of mailing. Oregon makes it a rule: before filing with the CCB, send the contractor a 30-day pre-complaint notice by USPS certified mail to the address on the board's record, wait 30 days, then file with a copy of the notice and the mailing proof (Oregon CCB). Minnesota's DLI says complaints "must be submitted in writing" with contracts, cancelled checks and correspondence attached.

Before you pay anyone else: liens from unpaid subcontractors

A contractor who walks off a job may leave its subcontractors and suppliers unpaid too, and they may be able to record a mechanics lien against your house over money you already paid the contractor. California's rules show what to ask for. Subcontractors and suppliers must send you a Preliminary Notice if they may need to file a lien, and "if subcontractors and suppliers don't provide you with the notice, they lose the right to file a lien"; laborers and the direct contractor are not required to send one. Before each payment, get a signed conditional release from each possible claimant, and afterwards an unconditional release from each one paid; "by law, you may withhold the next payment until you get the unconditional releases for the previous payment". The simplest protection, CSLB says, is a joint check "payable to both the contractor and the supplier or subcontractor" (CSLB, How to Prevent a Mechanics Lien, read 21 October 2026).

So before you pay a completion contractor, gather every Preliminary Notice you received and ask each sender whether it was paid. Lien deadlines and notice rules differ by state; your state's license board or county recorder has the local version.

Step 3: File with the license board

What each board can and cannot do, in its own words:

• California (CSLB): acts on violations "for up to four years from the date of the act", licensed or not. It mediates, runs mandatory arbitration for disputes of $25,000 or less and voluntary arbitration from $25,000 to $50,000, and can issue citations with "civil penalties of up to $30,000". It says "we cannot guarantee that you will get any money back."
• Florida (DBPR): discipline is "administrative in nature" (reprimand, fine, suspension, revocation). It cannot recover fees for you, and disagreements over contract terms or some workmanship may fall outside its authority.
• Minnesota (DLI): can discipline a license but cannot "compel a contractor to perform corrective work or pay damages"; those remedies belong to the courts.
• Oregon (CCB): residential claims on existing homes must be filed within one year of substantial completion or the date work ceased; there is a $50 processing fee for most complaints, and the CCB offers mediation, which it says resolves about 70% of disputes.

Step 4: Claim on the bond

In California the bond is $25,000 and you claim it with the surety company, not CSLB (CSLB bonds guide; CSLB complaint process). In Washington you sue in the superior court of the county where the work was done, within two years of the date the work was substantially completed or abandoned; L&I serves the papers and the surety pays up to $30,000 (general) or $15,000 (specialty) (L&I F625-088-000, Sept 2025). One bond covers all of a contractor's jobs, so earlier claimants may have used it up.

Step 5: Recovery funds

Every fund above requires a licensed contractor; none pays when the contractor was unlicensed.

Step 6: Small claims

Individual limits, from the courts' own pages: California $12,500 (California Courts), Washington $10,000 (WA Attorney General), Florida $8,000 (Miami-Dade Consumer Protection), Minnesota $15,000 in conciliation court (Minnesota Judicial Branch), Texas $20,000 (Texas State Law Library). Washington excludes attorneys from small claims unless the judge allows it. New York City $10,000 (NY Courts), Illinois $10,000 (Illinois Courts), Ohio $6,000 (ORC 1925.02), North Carolina $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the county (NC Judicial Branch).

If you're in Chicago or Illinois

In Chicago, 51.7% of windows and doors permits a year or more old were closed out by the city, and the usual one took 227 days (497 permits, October 2023 to September 2026); see the Chicago permit timing page.

• Was a permit pulled? Chicago's express permit for replacing windows and doors in existing openings is applied for by "a licensed general contractor (Class A, B, C, D, or E, based on total project cost)", or by an owner acting as contractor with Form 401 and ID showing they live there (City of Chicago). A window crew with no permit and no GC license is the first thing to put in your complaint. The Illinois license guide has the City's GC lookup.
• Who to complain to: there is no state board for general contractors. The Illinois Attorney General takes complaints about home repair and construction services online or on its Chicago helpline, 1-800-386-5438, and can try informal dispute resolution; it cannot act as your lawyer (Illinois Attorney General).
• Court: small claims covers "civil cases seeking money damages in the amount of $10,000 or less" (Illinois Courts).

If you're in Ohio or Cincinnati

Ohio's licensing board, the OCILB, covers only electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration contractors; its complaint form says it "may not have authority over residential contractors" and sends workmanship complaints to the local building department or the Ohio Attorney General, 1-800-282-0515 (OCILB complaint form). Remodelers hold no state license. On a home job over $25,000, Ohio's home construction law lets you rescind or recover actual damages plus up to $5,000 in non-economic damages when the contractor breaks its rules (ORC 4722.08; the rules are in our Ohio guide). Small claims tops out at $6,000 (ORC 1925.02).

In Cincinnati, 64.9% of remodel and alteration permits a year or more old were closed out, and the usual one took 340 days from issue to closeout (2,075 permits from 853 firms). Check the firm's Cincinnati remodel record before you write to it.

If your home builder didn't finish: what the new-home permit file shows

A new house is the longest permit most owners hold. In Miami, 760 new-home permits were filed from October 2023 to September 2026 by 311 firms; the usual one took 648 days from issue to final, and 53.6% of those a year or more old were closed out. So an open new-home permit after a year is common; one with no inspection for months is the signal. The Miami home builder list shows each builder's finished share.

In Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade County's Contractor Enforcement section investigates complaints against contractors and unlicensed people working without the right license or permit, and can issue citations and fines, order work stopped, or refer cases for prosecution under Chapter 10 of the County Code (Miami-Dade Contractor Enforcement). Its complaint form is notarized and mailed with copies of your contract, cancelled checks and the builder's ads, never originals; the complaint becomes a public record, and penalties can include restitution and fines of up to $5,000 per count (Miami-Dade Contractor Complaints). Use its Contractor Inquiry and Complaint Search to see complaints already filed. For a state-licensed builder, file with DBPR too; the Recovery Fund row above applies.

Electrician didn't finish the job? (North Carolina)

Complain to the board that issued the license. Electricians: the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors takes complaints online or by mail, with your contract, invoices, checks and photos attached (NCBEEC). General contractors: request a complaint form from the NCLBGC at nclbgc.org/complaints or 919-571-4813. The NCLBGC's Homeowners Recovery Fund is for losses caused by "dishonest or incompetent general contractors", and claimants "must have exhausted every legal remedy" first; its FAQ gives no cap (NCLBGC). Small claims limits run from $5,000 to $10,000 by county (NC Judicial Branch).

In Raleigh, the usual electrical permit took 91 days from issue to final (16,812 permits from 942 firms). Look the permit up on the City's Permit and Development Portal, then compare the firm on the Raleigh electrician list.

Plumber didn't finish the job? (Wheaton and Illinois)

In Wheaton, 71.1% of plumbing and water-heater permits a year or more old reached the city's sign-off, and the usual one took 34 days from issue (217 permits from 62 firms, October 2023 to September 2026). Sewer and water-service permits did better: 79.8% signed off, usually in 14 days (261 permits). So a plumbing permit still open two months after the crew left is already slower than most; one with no inspection at all is the thing to raise.

What to do, in order:

1. Read the permit. Search your address on the City's permit portal (links for every city) and compare the firm on the Wheaton plumber list or the sewer and water-service list, which show each firm's finished share.
2. Check the license. Illinois plumbers are licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, not IDFPR: the Illinois Plumbing License Law (225 ILCS 320) defines "Department" as IDPH, requires plumbing to be done by licensed plumbers, and requires anyone doing plumbing for someone else to register as a plumbing contractor, every year. Look the person up on IDPH's Plumbing License Verification page. Wheaton asks plumbing contractors who register with the City for a copy of the State Plumbing Contractor Registration (055) and the State Plumbing license (058), and registration costs $75 a year (City of Wheaton, revised 2/19/2025).
3. Know the sewer gap. The same law says plumbing "does not include the installation, repair, maintenance, alteration or extension of building sewers" (225 ILCS 320/2), so a sewer-line contractor may not hold an IDPH plumbing license at all. Wheaton's registration list names excavation contractors separately; ask which registration the firm holds with the City.
4. Send written notice with the unfinished items and a deadline, as in Step 2.
5. Complain. IDPH's plumbing page lists no complaint form; the Act lets the Department investigate anyone plumbing without a license or registration, discipline a license after a hearing, and set a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per offense for unlicensed work (225 ILCS 320/19, 20 and 29.5). Contact the IDPH plumbing program through that page. For the money side, the Illinois Attorney General takes home repair complaints and tries informal dispute resolution (see the Chicago section).
6. Court. Illinois small claims covers cases up to $10,000 (Illinois Courts).

See every Wheaton plumber's finished share →

Gas line contractor didn't finish the job? (Texas, Waco)

In Waco a gas permit is the fastest to close: the usual one took 3 days from issue to final, and 93.6% of those a year or more old were closed out (854 permits from 93 firms, June 2023 to May 2026). So a gas permit still open after a few weeks means the final inspection has not happened, and the piping has not been passed by the City.

1. Check the permit. Waco requires a gas permit for work on the service line from the meter to the house or on gas piping inside it; swapping an appliance does not need one (City of Waco, "Do I Need a Permit?"). Search the address on the City's Citizen Self Service portal, which shows inspection results, and compare the firm on the Waco gas line list.
2. Know who licenses it. Texas law defines plumbing to include piping "used to supply, distribute, circulate, or recirculate water, other liquid, or gas" (Tex. Occ. Code 1301.002(7)), so gas piping falls under the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Waco says plumbing, mechanical, electrical and irrigation permits must be pulled by a licensed trade contractor, or by an owner doing the work on their own homestead. 78.5% of Waco's gas line firms matched an active TSBPE or TDLR record by business name.
3. Send written notice (Step 2).
4. Complain to TSBPE. Its complaint page offers a General Complaint Form as a PDF; the phone line is (512) 936-5200. The board must keep a file on every written complaint and tell you its status at least quarterly until it is resolved (Tex. Occ. Code 1301.303). We found no TSBPE recovery fund, so the money comes from the contractor or a court.
5. Court. Texas justice court hears small claims up to $20,000 (Texas State Law Library).

The full Texas lookup steps are in our Waco license guide.

Water heater installer didn't finish? (California, Marin County)

In unincorporated Marin County, 71.7% of water-heater permits a year or more old reached a final, and the usual one took 56 days from issue to final (470 permits from 73 firms, October 2023 to September 2026). If yours is open well past that, the installer has not called for the final inspection. Compare the firm on the Marin water-heater list, then use the California route in the table: CSLB takes complaints for four years from the act, and the $25,000 bond is claimed with the surety, not CSLB.

See every San Francisco remodeler's finished share →

What the permit file cannot tell you

It shows permits, inspections and license status. It does not show your contract, payments, or why a job stopped. A low finished share can include homeowners who never booked the final. Our copy updates about monthly; the city portal is the live record.

This page is a guide to official processes and public records, not legal advice.