This week, in order
| Day | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Today | Write down every payment: date, amount, method. Photograph the site and save every text and email | Every board, card issuer and court asks for it |
| Today | If you paid by card, dispute it in writing to the issuer's billing-inquiries address | You have 60 days from the first bill showing the charge to keep your legal protections (California AG) |
| This week | Search your address on the city permit portal | No permit, or a permit in your name, changes what you can claim; see did my contractor pull a permit |
| This week | Send a dated demand by certified mail, return receipt: finish by a date or refund | Florida makes this the trigger; in Oregon it is required 30 days before a board complaint |
| After the demand | File with the license board (table below) and your state attorney general | Boards discipline licenses and run the recovery funds |
| If money was taken and nothing done | Report to police | The police decide whether it is theft or a civil dispute; Florida's contractor statute spells out when it is a crime |
| Anytime | Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov | The federal government's reporting site for fraud and bad business practices |
Where to complain, by state
Complaint pages and what each body says it can do, read 23 October 2026.
| State | Where | What it can and cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| California | CSLB | Acts on violations "whether the contractor is licensed or unlicensed, for up to four years from the date of the act"; cannot guarantee money back |
| Florida | DBPR, plus police under F.S. 489.126 | Administrative discipline; the statute adds the criminal route |
| Minnesota | DLI | Complaints "must be submitted in writing"; it cannot "compel a contractor to perform corrective work or pay damages" |
| Oregon | CCB | Requires "a 30-day pre-complaint notice by certified mail" first; runs dispute resolution |
| Utah | DOPL | Investigates; "will not act as your attorney" to recover money; complaints are not public |
| Texas | TDLR (electrical, A/C) or TSBPE (plumbing, gas) | No state board for general contractors or roofers; use the Attorney General for those |
| Illinois | Illinois Attorney General (Chicago hotline 1-800-386-5438) | No state board for general contractors |
| New York City | DCWP through 311 | Regulates home improvement contractors who charge more than $200 |
For North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, Virginia, Arizona and the small claims limits in each state, our contractor didn't finish the job guide has the verified links. Boards we could not read on the day (Arizona ROC, the NC general contractor board's complaint page, Tennessee, Nevada's complaint page) are left out here; search the board's name plus "complaint".
Getting money back
- The card issuer. For a billing error you have 60 days from the bill; for a dispute over goods or services ("claims and defenses") up to one year after the bill, if the amount is over $50 and the seller is in your state or within 100 miles of your billing address (California Attorney General). A cash or wire payment has no such route.
- The bond. Where the state requires a license bond, you claim against the surety. Bond amounts by state are in bonded vs insured.
- The recovery fund. All require a licensed contractor:
| Fund | Per claim | Before it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund | $30,000; $100,000 per contractor per biennium | A court judgment |
| Nevada Residential Recovery Fund | $40,000 | Not if "the claimant obtained any building permit for the project" or built as owner-builder |
| Minnesota Contractor Recovery Fund | $100,000 per owner per licensee; $550,000 per licensee in total | A court judgment |
- Small claims or civil court, for the rest. Limits by state are in the didn't-finish guide.
What the permit file shows about the contractor
Before you file, look the firm up on our compare page for your city. Two patterns are worth putting in your complaint:
| City | Trade | Firms | Firms whose license is now expired, suspended or otherwise inactive | Firms with 5+ permits and none in the last 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | Roofing | 1,483 | 171 | 144 |
| Saint Paul | Roofing | 1,301 | 129 | 75 |
| Sacramento County | Remodel | 864 | 24 | 19 |
| San Diego | Remodel | 534 | 14 | 8 |
| Miami | Remodel | 1,475 | 0 | 24 |
A firm that has gone quiet is not proof of anything, but a busy firm that stopped pulling permits a year ago and is still taking deposits is worth naming to the board. A license that is no longer active means a recovery fund may not pay; check its status on the date you signed, not today. Our license suspended guide explains each status.
Check a Minneapolis roofer's license status and permit history →
What this does not tell you
We show permits and license status, not payments or contracts, so the file cannot prove a scam. Fund rules, deadlines and criminal thresholds are quoted from the pages listed, read 23 October 2026; check them again before you rely on a date. This is a guide to public processes, not legal advice; for a large loss, talk to a lawyer before the deadlines pass.
How we know this
Rules are quoted from the California Attorney General, Florida Statutes 489.126, North Dakota Century Code 43-07-02, CSLB, Florida DBPR, Minnesota DLI and Minn. Stat. 326B.89, Oregon CCB, Utah DOPL, TDLR, TSBPE, the Illinois Attorney General, NYC311, Virginia DPOR and the Nevada State Contractors Board, all read 23 October 2026. License problems are firms whose matched state license record was expired, suspended, revoked or otherwise inactive on our snapshot date; "gone quiet" is firms with five or more permits in the window and none in the last 12 months.
Numbers come from City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Saint Paul building and trade permits (the City's old approved-permits file up to June 2025, and the City's PAULIE permit system since September 2025), with the contractor named on each permit; City of San Diego Development Services approvals; Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of Miami building permits (since 2014), data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- What is a contractor scam?
Taking a homeowner's money for work that is never started, abandoned, or done without the license or permit the law requires. Florida makes part of it a crime: a contractor who takes more than 10% of the price up front must apply for permits within 30 days and start within 90 days of the permits, or refund (F.S. 489.126). Our home improvement scams guide describes the five common kinds.
- Should I call the police if a contractor took my money?
Yes, if the contractor took money and did nothing, or lied about a license. In Florida, failing to apply for permits, start or refund after a written demand can be prosecuted, and the grade rises with the amount: a first-degree misdemeanor under $1,000, a third-degree felony from $1,000 to under $20,000, a second-degree felony from $20,000 to under $200,000 (F.S. 489.126). In North Dakota, contracting without a license on a job over $4,000 is a class A misdemeanor (NDCC 43-07-02).
- How long do I have to dispute a credit card payment to a contractor?
60 days from the date of the first bill showing the charge, in writing, to the card company's billing-inquiries address, for the legal protections; claims and defenses about a purchase can be raised up to one year after the bill if the amount is over $50 and the seller is in your state or within 100 miles (California Attorney General).
- Will the license board get my money back?
Usually not directly. Minnesota's DLI says it has no authority to compel a contractor to pay damages; Utah's DOPL says it 'will not act as your attorney' for recovering money; CSLB says it cannot guarantee you get money back. Money comes from the card issuer, a bond, a state recovery fund or a court.
- How much can a state recovery fund pay?
Up to $30,000 a claim in Virginia (with a court judgment), $40,000 in Nevada, and $100,000 per owner per licensee in Minnesota (with a judgment). Every one requires that the contractor was licensed, and Nevada pays nothing if you pulled the building permit yourself.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- What should a contractor contract include? 12 clauses, what California and New York law require, and how to check them
- What's a good completion rate for a contractor? The benchmarks from 12 trades and cities
- Permit vs no permit: what happens if you build or remodel without one, what it costs, and how to get a permit after
- Why is my permit still open? What it means and how to close it
For one city
- Credit Cards – Disputing a Charge — California Attorney General (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Florida Statutes 489.126 Moneys received by contractors (accessed 2026-10-23)
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-07 Contractors (43-07-02) (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Filing a Complaint — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- File a Complaint — Florida DBPR (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Residential building contractor complaints — Minnesota DLI (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Consumer Protection — Oregon Construction Contractors Board (accessed 2026-10-23)
- File a Complaint — Utah Division of Professional Licensing (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Complaints and Enforcement — TDLR (accessed 2026-10-23)
- File a Complaint — Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Consumer Protection — Illinois Attorney General (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Home Improvement Contractor Complaint — NYC311 (KA-02173) (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund — Virginia DPOR (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.89 Contractor recovery fund (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Residential Recovery Fund — Nevada State Contractors Board (accessed 2026-10-23)
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov — Federal Trade Commission (accessed 2026-10-23)