Change order form template
A change order form records a change to a job that's already under contract: what's added, removed or swapped, what it does to the price and the finish date, and the customer's yes or no. This one-page form works for remodelers, roofers, builders and any trade with a signed contract. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and send it from the job.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Customer
- Contractor
Change Order
Change order number: Change order number Date: Change order date
This Change Order changes the contract dated Original contract date (the "Contract") between Contractor business name (the "Contractor") and Customer name (the "Customer") for work at Job address.
1. Description of the change
The Contractor will add, remove or substitute the following work and materials, including quantities and locations: Description of the change.
2. Reason for the change
This change is needed because of Reason for the change. The usual reasons are a request by the Customer, a condition that could not be seen when the Contract was priced, a requirement of the building inspector or code, or a material that is no longer available.
If the reason is a hidden condition, the Contractor found it on Date the condition was found and has attached photos or notes describing it. The Contractor stopped work on the affected area when the condition was found and will not continue there until this Change Order is signed, except to make the area safe.
3. Materials, allowances and permits
Products and materials for this change, with brand, model, color or grade where it matters: Materials for the change.
If this change uses an allowance in the Contract, the cost above or below the allowance is included in the amount in section 4. If the change needs a new or revised permit or inspection, the Contractor will obtain it, and its cost is included in that amount unless stated here: Permit costs not included.
4. Effect on the price
Breakdown of this change, if the Contract or the Customer asks for one: labor Labor amount, materials Materials amount, subcontractors and equipment Subs and equipment amount, overhead and profit Overhead and profit amount.
- Contract price, including all earlier change orders: Previous contract total
- Amount of this change (write a credit as a negative number): Amount of this change
- New contract price: New contract total
The amount of this change will be paid When this change is paid. Any effect on the Contract's progress payments: Effect on progress payments.
5. Effect on the schedule
This change adds Working days added working days to the Contract. The new estimated completion date is New completion date. The Customer agrees that the added time is not a delay by the Contractor.
6. Customer's decision
The Customer ticks one box:
- I approve this change, its price and its effect on the schedule, and authorize the Contractor to do the work.
- I decline this change. The work stays as described in the Contract, and I understand that declining may affect the result or the Contractor's warranty for the part of the work described above.
Customer's notes, if any: Customer notes
7. Terms
- The Contractor will not begin the changed work until both parties have signed this Change Order, except where immediate work is needed to prevent injury or damage to the property, which the Contractor will document.
- Except as changed here, every term of the Contract remains in effect, including its warranty and payment terms, which apply to the changed work.
- If the Customer declines, the Contractor will continue the work as described in the Contract and will not charge for this change.
- If the parties disagree about whether something is a change, or about its price, the Contractor will keep doing the work that is not in dispute and the parties will follow the dispute process in the Contract.
- This Change Order may be signed electronically, and an electronic signature counts as an original.
Contractor contact: Contractor contact name Phone: Contractor phone
Customer
Contractor
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
What the form is for
The original contract fixes the scope and the price. Every change after that, from an upgraded tile to a rotten joist found under the old floor, needs its own signed record, or the final invoice becomes a negotiation. A change order is that record: short, numbered, and signed before the extra work begins.
Use a change order when the change fits inside the existing contract. If the customer wants a different project altogether, such as adding a garage to a kitchen remodel, write a new contract instead. The guide on change orders versus contract amendments explains where that line falls.
The fields on the form
| Field | Why it's there |
|---|---|
| Change order number and date | Numbered in sequence, so a missing one is obvious at closeout. |
| Original contract date and job address | Ties the change to one signed contract. |
| Description of the change | Quantities, materials and locations, specific enough for a stranger to price. |
| Reason | Customer request, hidden condition, code requirement or substitution. |
| Price: previous total, this change, new total | The customer sees the running total, not just the add. |
| Days added and new completion date | A later finish agreed in writing can't be called a delay. |
| Approve or decline | A signed no protects you as much as a signed yes. |
Change order mistakes
- Pricing a hidden condition after you've fixed it. Stop, photograph it, price it and get the signature, then open the wall further.
- Writing "credit TBD" for removed work. Customers remember a credit as bigger than it was; settle the number now.
- Letting the original contract's change clause go unread. Some contracts name who can approve changes, like both spouses or a lender.
- Accepting a verbal yes from one homeowner when the contract has two. Send it to both, or follow what the contract says.
Some states set the contents
California's home improvement law, for example, makes a change order unenforceable against the homeowner unless it states the scope, the price change and the effect on payments or the completion date. This form includes all three, but check your own state's contractor rules.
Signing change orders from the job
- 1
Keep it ready on your phone
Choose Use this template above. It becomes a template in your account, with the customer as the first signer and your company second.
- 2
Write up the change on site
Start an envelope from the template and fill in the gray blanks: number, contract date, description, reason, the three price lines and any days added. Add photos of a hidden condition as extra pages.
- 3
Hand over the phone
If the customer is there, choose Sign in person. They tick approve or decline and sign. In the template editor, group the two boxes and require exactly one tick.
- 4
Or send it and wait
If they're at work, send it with a sign-by date and hold the extra work until it's back. Reminders do the follow-up, and you can see when they opened it.
When a supplier's price increase hits every open job at once, send one change order per contract from a spreadsheet with bulk send. Columns named Original contract date, Job address and Amount of this change fill each customer's form, and each customer signs only their own.
Questions? Answers.
Does a change order need to be signed by both parties?
It should be. The form is signed by the customer and the contractor, and most contracts say changes are valid only in a writing both sign. Get it signed before you start the changed work.
Can a change order reduce the price?
Yes. Enter removed work as a negative amount on the Amount of this change line, and the new contract total goes down. Credits for deleted items are a common source of disputes, so write the amount, not "to be determined."
Is a change order signed on a phone valid?
Generally, yes. Under the ESIGN Act and state e-signature laws, a signature can't be denied effect just because it's electronic. See how to sign a change order online.
Sources
- California Business and Professions Code § 7159.6, extra work and change orders · leginfo.legislature.ca.gov