No signature, no extra work: change orders signed on the spot
Most change order fights aren't about whether the work happened. They're about whether the customer agreed to the price before it did. The fix is a simple rule, no extra work until the change order is signed, plus a way to get that signature in the five minutes before the crew moves on.
Updated November 9, 2026 · 3 min read
On this page
Put the rule in the contract
- Changes only in writing. The contract says extra work, substitutions and credits happen only by a change order signed before the work on it starts.
- Who may sign. Name both owners, or say that either one may approve changes, so one spouse's yes is enough when the other is at work.
- Electronic signatures count. Say the parties agree to sign change orders electronically, so nobody argues later that a tap on a phone wasn't real.
- What happens without a signature. Work on that change waits, and the schedule moves with it.
Some states also say what a change order must contain. In California, a home improvement change order isn't enforceable against the homeowner unless it states the scope of work, the amount added or subtracted, and the effect on progress payments or the completion date (Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159.6). See how to write a change order and your state's rules, such as the California or Florida home improvement requirements.
A template your crew can fill in fast
- 1
Start from a real change order
The library's change order form has the description, the reason, the price broken into labor and materials, the new contract total and the days added, plus an approve-or-decline choice for the customer.
- 2
Keep the money fixed
Prices go in labeled text boxes, so they print as part of the document and the customer can't type over them.
- 3
Show what you found
Rotten subfloor, a buried pipe: add the photo to the envelope as a page, and the customer sees why before they see the price.
- 4
Set the order
Customer first, your company last. Turn reminders to Daily: a change order that waits a week has already cost you the week.
Signed before the crew moves on
| The customer is | Do this |
|---|---|
| Standing next to you | Send it, choose Sign in person and hand over the phone. In the iPhone and iPad app, only your Face ID or passcode ends signing mode. |
| At work | Send it, then copy their link and text it with one line about what changed. They approve on their phone between meetings. |
| Two owners, one home | One signs on your device, the other from their link. The change order completes when both have signed. |
If your office must approve the price before a customer sees it, put a manager first in the signing order with an Approve field. The customer's email only goes out once the price is approved.
When the answer is no, or nothing
Silence is the expensive answer, so let the reminders and a sign-by date do the asking, and press Remind yourself when you know they're at their desk. A no is cheaper than it feels: the customer can decline with a reason, which closes the envelope and tells you whether it's the price, the scope or the timing, before anyone has built anything. If a customer wants the work but won't sign, what to do when a customer won't sign a change order covers your options.
Why it gets you paid
- Time-stamped consent. The certificate of completion shows when the customer opened, agreed and signed, so the signature clearly came before the work.
- One total at the end. Every change order from the template is a row in its Responses table, with the amount of each change as a column. Download the CSV, filter to the job and check the sum against your final invoice.
- Copies for everyone. Both sides get the sealed PDF the moment it's signed, so there's no my-copy-versus-your-copy at closeout.
Questions? Answers.
Can my crew send change orders without the office?
Yes, if their role can use templates. On Crew and Company, each person on the team sends from the same change order template on their own phone.
Is a change order signed from a texted link valid?
It's the same signing page, consent step and certificate as one opened from email. See are electronic signatures legal.
Does SignMaster text the customer for me?
No. It sends the request by email. Copy their link from the envelope and text it yourself, or use Share in the iPhone app.
Can a change order reduce the price?
Yes. A credit for work taken out of the scope uses the same form: enter the credit as the amount of the change and show the lower new contract total.
Sources
- California Business and Professions Code § 7159.6, extra work and change orders · leginfo.legislature.ca.gov