California Contractor & Solar T&C Compliance Review
I review your residential Terms and Conditions for CSLB and Business & Professions Code compliance, answer your flagged statutory questions, and redline where the language needs fixing. I do not redraft your document.
Ask my AI Legal Analyst about your contractor T&C
It scopes your residential Terms and Conditions, points you to the right path, and explains how I check your clauses against BPC §7159, the §7169 solar disclosure, §7191 arbitration formatting, Civil Code §2782 anti-indemnity, and the cancellation-fee and lien-waiver rules. A full review of your actual document is the compliance-review package, not this chat. AI-generated legal information, not legal advice.
This is a page-aware routing workflow built on my actual California contractor-compliance review process, not a generic chatbot. Pricing and scope questions below answer instantly and free; the AI is for matching your situation to the right engagement.
A clause-by-clause compliance read of your Terms and Conditions against BPC §7159, the §7169 solar disclosure, §7191 arbitration formatting, Civil Code §2782 anti-indemnity, and the cancellation-fee and lien-waiver rules; written answers to your flagged statutory questions; redlines where the language needs adjustment; and a short "what you missed" flag list. It is a review with targeted answers and redlines, not a redraft and not the drafting of new sections.
A standard residential T&C compliance review (an 8 to 12 page Terms and Conditions plus an addendum, with targeted statutory answers and redlines) is a defined-scope flat fee in the $1,000 range. Unusually long documents or multi-document work are billed at $240 per hour. I confirm the exact scope and fee in writing before I start.
No. This package is compliance review plus targeted answers plus redlines. I mark up your existing language where it does not meet a statutory requirement and explain what needs to change. I do not rewrite your whole contract or draft new provisions from scratch. A full redraft or new drafting is a separate engagement.
Yes. Multi-version contracts (for example a LADWP service-area version and an SCE service-area version) are reviewed once within the flat fee when you provide a diff document showing how the versions differ. If the versions diverge substantially and need separate full reviews, the added work is billed at $240 per hour.
Your residential Terms and Conditions document and any addendum, your solar disclosure or cover page if you use one, your written list of the statutory questions you want answered, and (if you run more than one version) a diff document showing the differences. Send them through the intake form or in the chat.
Attorney-supervised AI · general information, not legal advice. California contractors only. A full review of your actual document is the paid compliance-review package. Sergei Tokmakov, Esq., CA Bar #279869.
📋 What you getA clause-by-clause compliance review, written answers to your flagged questions, and redlines where the language needs adjustment.
I read your residential Terms and Conditions against the California rules that actually get contractors into trouble, answer the statutory questions you flag, and mark up the specific language that needs to change. This is a review with targeted answers and redlines, not a redraft.
Each operative clause checked against BPC §7159, the §7169 solar disclosure, §7191 arbitration formatting, Civil Code §2782 anti-indemnity, and the related Civil Code lien-waiver and cancellation rules.
Down payment limits, progress payments, solar disclosure placement, arbitration notice and separate initials, indemnity, cancellation fee, e-signature, late interest, and whether incorporation by reference satisfies the §7159 description-of-work requirement.
I mark up the exact wording that falls short of a statutory requirement and explain what has to change, so you can update it in your own document.
A short list of required notices, formatting rules, or disclosures that your current Terms and Conditions do not address at all.
Statutory questions I answer in writing include: the down-payment cap, progress-payment timing, where the §7169 solar disclosure must sit and in what type size, the §7191 arbitration NOTICE and separate-initials rule, §2782 indemnity limits, whether your post-cancellation fee is defensible, electronic execution under UETA, a defensible late-payment interest position, and whether your scope clause can incorporate a project description by reference and still meet §7159.
⚠️ The five highest-risk areas I checkTap a card to flip it: the front is the rule, the back is what I check in your document.
These are the provisions most likely to be non-compliant in a California residential contractor's Terms and Conditions. Tap any card to flip from the rule to what I actually check.
Writing and signatures before work; 10-point type with 10-point boldface headings; required notices in 12-point boldface; detailed project description; payment limits.
Tap to see what I check →- Down payment not over $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less
- Progress payments tied to work performed or materials delivered
- Three-day cancellation (five days for seniors), mechanics lien warning, CSLB info, all in 12-point boldface
- A detailed project description, not a vague scope line
A solar energy system disclosure on the front or cover page of every solar contract, in boldface 16-point type, matching the oral sales presentation.
Tap to see what I check →- It sits on the front or cover page, not buried inside
- Boldface 16-point type
- Total cost and payments, including financing
- Complaint procedures and the §7159 cancellation rights
- Same language as your oral sales presentation
A clause titled ARBITRATION OF DISPUTES, with the statutory NOTICE and assent language and separate initials, in specific type formatting.
Tap to see what I check →- Titled "ARBITRATION OF DISPUTES"
- NOTICE plus "WE HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND..." immediately before the assent line
- 10-point roman boldface (or contrasting red 8-point boldface), capitals if typed
- Separate initials on the clause
- A non-compliant clause is unenforceable against everyone but the contractor, so correct formatting preserves your own right to compel arbitration
Anti-indemnity limits on residential construction contracts that cannot be waived by agreement.
Tap to see what I check →- Indemnity for the promisee's own sole negligence or willful misconduct is void under §2782(a)
- §2782(d) limits residential construction indemnity and cannot be waived
- Whether your indemnity wording reaches into the void zone and needs to be pulled back
A fee charged after the three-day cancellation window tested for reasonableness, not penalty.
Tap to see what I check →- A consumer liquidated-damages clause is void under Civil Code §1671(d) unless it is a reasonable estimate of actual damages, not a penalty
- CLRA (§1770) exposure on unfair or unconscionable fee terms
- Whether your post-cancellation fee is defensible as drafted; I do not promise a safe number
I also check whether your own statutory citations are correct. A common example: Civil Code §8132 is the "CONDITIONAL WAIVER AND RELEASE ON PROGRESS PAYMENT" lien-waiver form. It is not a preliminary notice and it is not the in-contract mechanics-lien warning, which lives in BPC §7159. If your Terms and Conditions cite §8132 for the wrong thing, I flag it. The 90, 60, and 30-day lien deadlines sit elsewhere in the Civil Code mechanics-lien article, and I will not paste an unverified section number into your document.
🎯 Scope: what this is and what it is notCompliance review plus targeted answers plus redlines. Not a redraft, not new drafting.
Included: a clause-by-clause compliance review of your residential Terms and Conditions; written answers to the statutory questions you flag; redlines on the specific language that needs adjustment; and a short "what you missed" list. Multi-version contracts (for example LADWP versus SCE service-area versions) are reviewed once when you provide a diff document showing the differences.
Not included: redrafting your contract, drafting new sections from scratch, negotiating with a homeowner or the CSLB, representing you in a dispute, or rewriting versions that diverge so much they need separate full reviews. A full redraft or new drafting, and any litigation or CSLB defense, are separate engagements I quote on their own.
This keeps the engagement defined and the fee predictable: you get a compliance read, the answers you asked for, and the redlines, and you make the edits in your own document.
💰 PricingA defined-scope flat fee in the $1,000 range for a standard residential T&C compliance review; unusually long or multi-document work at $240/hour.
A standard residential T&C compliance review: an 8 to 12 page Terms and Conditions plus an addendum, with targeted statutory answers and redlines. Defined scope, confirmed in writing before I start.
Start package intakeUnusually long documents, multiple separate contracts, or versions that diverge enough to need separate full reviews are billed hourly. I estimate the hours before I begin.
Request a scope and quoteThe flat fee covers one standard residential Terms and Conditions document (roughly 8 to 12 pages) plus a single addendum, your flagged statutory questions answered in writing, and redlines. Multi-version sets are reviewed once within the flat fee when you provide a diff document. I confirm the exact fee and scope in writing before any work begins.
❓ Frequently asked questionsOpen any question to read the answer.
Do you redraft my contract?
No. This is a compliance review with targeted answers and redlines. I mark up your existing language where it does not meet a statutory requirement and explain what needs to change, but I do not rewrite your whole contract or draft new provisions. A full redraft is a separate engagement.
Is my arbitration clause enforceable under California law?
BPC §7191 requires a home improvement arbitration clause to be titled "ARBITRATION OF DISPUTES," to carry the statutory NOTICE and the "WE HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND..." language immediately before the assent line, to use specific type formatting (10-point roman boldface, or contrasting red 8-point boldface, capitals if typed), and to be separately initialed.
A clause that does not comply is unenforceable against anyone except the contractor. So correct formatting is what preserves your own ability to compel arbitration. I check your clause against the statute and redline the formatting gaps.
Where does the solar disclosure have to appear?
BPC §7169 requires the solar energy system disclosure on the front or cover page of every solar contract, in boldface 16-point type. It must include the total cost and payments (including financing), complaint procedures, and the cancellation rights under BPC §7159, in the same language as your oral sales presentation. I check placement, type size, and content against the statute.
How much can I take as a down payment?
Under BPC §7159, the down payment on a home improvement contract may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Progress payments must be tied to work performed or materials delivered; it is against the law to collect for work not yet completed or materials not yet delivered. I check your payment schedule against these limits and flag language that overreaches.
Can my cancellation fee survive after the three-day window?
A post-cancellation fee is tested as a liquidated-damages clause. Under Civil Code §1671(d) a consumer liquidated-damages provision is void unless it is a reasonable estimate of actual damages rather than a penalty, and the CLRA (§1770) adds exposure for unfair or unconscionable terms. I tell you whether your fee is defensible as drafted. I do not promise a safe number.
Does my electronic signature setup hold up?
Electronic execution in California runs through UETA, Civil Code §1633.1 and following. I check that your e-signature language and process are consistent with it, alongside the §7159 requirement that the contract and required notices be present and properly formatted before work begins.
Can you review my LADWP and SCE versions together?
Yes. Multi-version contracts are reviewed once within the flat fee when you provide a diff document showing how the versions differ. If the versions diverge substantially and need separate full reviews, the additional work is billed at $240 per hour.
Who is this service for, and is it legal advice?
It is for California residential solar and home improvement contractors who want their own Terms and Conditions checked for CSLB and Business and Professions Code compliance. The content here is informational and attorney-supervised, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship exists until you engage me and I confirm the scope. California contractors only.
This page is informational and attorney-supervised. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. I represent California contractors only, and an engagement begins only when you retain me and I confirm the scope in writing. Sergei Tokmakov, Esq., California Bar #279869.