What a Change Order Must Say
Five things, in this order. The scope of the change in plain language. The amount the change adds to or subtracts from the contract price, and the revised price that results. The effect on the schedule of progress payments and the completion date. Whether a subcontractor will be used on the change. Two signatures with dates.
That list is not a style choice. California Business and Professions Code section 7159 covers home-improvement contracts. Under it, a change order becomes part of the contract once it is written and signed before the changed work starts. It must describe the scope, the cost added or subtracted, and the effect on the schedule of progress payments. The template carries that statement in the statute's own words.
The subcontractor line is there because the statute puts the contract's subcontractor statement on each change order too. Check No or Yes and move on.
Negative numbers are allowed. A change order can remove work and cut the price, and the customer should sign that one too.
CHANGE ORDER
No. ______
Date ______
Attaches to the contract dated ________ for the job at ____________________
Contractor
Customer
1. Scope of the change
2. Change to the contract price
3. Effect on progress payments and the completion date
4. Subcontractors on this change
No Yes, with the subcontractor statement the contract carries
5. Signatures
Customer signature and date
Contractor signature and date
Footer on the printed page: the change-order statement from California Business and Professions Code section 7159, in the statute's own words, and the legal notice. One page, letter size.
Sign it in the driveway, not after the pour.
SiteOps builds the change order against the contract, gets the customer's e-signature in SiteOps, and puts the signed copy on the job record. Then it counts the extra as revenue in the job's daily P&L.
Write It, Sign It, Then Start
Price the extra the way you priced the job. Materials, delivered. Crew hours at the loaded rate. The overhead share. Then the margin. A favor priced at zero still costs all of that. The concrete bid calculator does that math for a slab in about a minute.
Write it while the customer is standing there. Most extras start as a sentence on pour morning, and a sentence is easy to forget by the time the invoice goes out. The form takes two minutes.
Get both signatures before the work starts, not after. The change order signed after the work is the one that turns into an argument about what was included. Sign first.
Then start. Once it is signed, the extra is part of the contract and part of the job's revenue. The crew hours that go into it are earning, not eating.
[ The order of operations ]
01
Price it
Cost the extra the same way you costed the job, then add your margin.
02
Write it
Scope, the amount added or subtracted, the revised price, the schedule effect.
03
Sign it
Both parties, dated, before anyone lifts a tool on the changed work.
04
Start it
Now the extra is part of the contract and part of the job's revenue.
The signature comes before the work, not after
The Same Form, Inside SiteOps
Paper works. It also gets left in the truck. In SiteOps, a change order is its own document against the parent contract. It carries the scope, a signed amount, and the effect on the completion date. The customer e-signs it in SiteOps, and the signed copy stays on the job record.
The revised contract price is derived, the original plus every signed change order, so nobody edits the original. Invoices bill against the contract plus signed change orders, and the daily P&L per job counts them as revenue.
The crew hours on the extra land on the same job through GPS-verified clock-ins, so the job's daily P&L includes them. Every paid plan includes unlimited contracts and change orders. The free trial is capped at 3 contract sends.
[ The same form, inside SiteOps ]
Its own document
A change order attaches to the parent contract with the scope, a signed amount, and the effect on the completion date.
Signed in SiteOps
The customer e-signs it in SiteOps. The signed copy stays on the job record.
The price is derived
The revised contract price is the original plus every signed change order. The original is never edited.
Billed and counted
Invoices bill against the contract plus signed change orders, and the daily P&L per job counts them as revenue.
[ Free download ]
Get the change order template
A one-page PDF you can print and keep in the truck. Drop your email and it opens right away. We might follow up once to ask if it helped. No lists, no spam.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a change order in construction?
- A change order is a written, signed change to the contract. It describes added or removed work, the amount added to or subtracted from the contract price, and any effect on the schedule. Once both parties sign it, it is part of the contract.
- Does a change order have to be in writing in California?
- For a covered California home-improvement contract, yes. Business and Professions Code section 7159 says changes must be in writing and signed by the parties before the changed work begins. Other contracts follow their own terms, so read yours and check with your attorney.
- What should a change order include?
- Five things. The scope of the change. The amount added to or subtracted from the contract price, and the revised contract price. The effect on progress payments and the completion date. Whether a subcontractor will be used. Dated signatures from both parties. This template has a line for each.
- Can a change order reduce the contract price?
- Yes. A change order can remove work and subtract from the price. Write the negative amount, show the revised price, and get it signed the same as an extra so the record matches the invoice.
- Who signs a change order?
- The customer and the contractor, both before the changed work starts. A verbal yes is not a signed change order. Put the price and the scope on paper and get the signature first.
- What if the customer will not sign the change order?
- Do not start the changed work. Re-check the price, explain what the change covers, and offer a smaller scope if that fits. If it turns into a dispute, talk to your attorney before you go further.
This template and page are general information for the construction trades, not accounting, tax, or legal advice. The form does not know your contract, your customer, or any rules beyond the California section it cites. Use it as a starting point and have your own contract reviewed by your attorney. General information, not legal advice. Laws and exceptions change. Check the current California statute, CSLB guidance, and your attorney before relying on this.
Every extra, priced and signed
You just downloaded the paper version. SiteOps keeps the whole job on one record. The contract, every signed change order, GPS-verified crew time, receipts with a job name, and a daily P&L per job. Priced by crew size, not per seat — $79/mo for a 10-man crew.