Protecting Clarkstown Homeowners – Proposed Chapter 135 to the Code of the Town of Clarkstown

A local Home Improvement Contractors law, drafted for our Town.

Every year, families in Clarkstown invest tens of thousands of dollars — sometimes their life savings — into the homes where they raise their children, care for aging parents, and build their lives. When a contractor walks off the job with the deposit, or disappears behind a new business name after shoddy work, the damage isn’t just financial. It’s the kitchen unfinished before the holidays. The roof that still leaks after the second check clears. The savings account drained with nothing to show for it.

Clarkstown residents deserve better. Proposed Chapter 135 establishes a local registration, consumer protection, and enforcement framework designed specifically to protect the people who live and own property in this Town.

What the law does for homeowners

• Requires every home improvement contractor working in Clarkstown to register with the Town and post a $50,000 surety bond that homeowners can claim against if a contractor defaults.
• Caps upfront deposits at one-third of the contract price, and requires deposits over $25,000 to be held in a joint-controlled escrow account that cannot be released without the homeowner’s signature at each milestone.
• Gives every homeowner a three-business-day right to cancel any home improvement contract, printed in bold type on the first page.
• Creates a Clarkstown Home Improvement Restitution Fund, financed by contractor registration surcharges — not by taxpayer dollars — to compensate homeowners who win a judgment against a bad contractor but cannot collect.
• Establishes an independent Hearing Panel of neutral attorneys — not politicians — to adjudicate complaints, with full due process, a written record, and appeal rights.
• Publishes a public, searchable registry of every registered contractor, and any suspensions or revocations, so homeowners can verify before they sign.

What the law does for honest contractors

• Levels the playing field. Contractors who already run ethical businesses stop losing jobs to operators who cut corners and disappear.
• Provides a clear, predictable local framework with transparent enforcement.
• Extends the Town’s solid waste transport exemption under Chapter 149 to locally registered contractors, so job-site debris disposal is straightforward for the people doing the work right.

Why this matters now

Rockland County has regulated home improvement contractors since 1984. Clarkstown residents deserve a local program — administered in town, enforceable in town, and accountable to the people who live here.

This law is a supplement, not a replacement. A valid County license remains required for every contractor. Chapter 135 simply adds a local layer of consumer protection on top of what the County already requires.

Read the full draft

The complete text of proposed Chapter 135 is available below. Feedback from homeowners, contractors, and community members is welcome. This is your law — if we’re going to do it, let’s do it right.