How to File a Complaint Against a Contractor (And What Actually Works)

You hired a contractor. They took your money, did terrible work, ghosted you mid-project, or some combination of all three. Now you want to do something about it. The question is: what actually works?

There are several places you can file a complaint against a contractor, and each one does something different. Some can get their license revoked. Some can get you a refund. Some mostly just create a paper trail. Understanding which option does what will save you time and help you focus your energy where it actually matters.

Should I file a complaint or sue my contractor—what's the difference?

These are two separate tracks that serve different goals. A complaint goes to a regulatory body and can result in fines, license suspension, or revocation—but it rarely gets your money back directly. A lawsuit goes through the courts and can result in a damages judgment, but won't affect the contractor's license. In most situations you should do both: file the complaint to protect other consumers and build an official record, and pursue legal action to recover what you lost.

Before you start filing anything, understand that complaints and lawsuits are two completely separate tracks. A complaint goes to a regulatory body. It can result in the contractor being disciplined, fined, or losing their license. But it usually will not get you your money back directly.

A lawsuit goes through the court system. It can result in a judgment ordering the contractor to pay you damages. But it won't affect their license.

In many situations, you should do both. File the complaint to protect other consumers and create an official record. Pursue legal action to recover your money. They're not mutually exclusive, and the complaint record can actually strengthen your court case.

When a complaint alone might be enough: The contractor is licensed, the amount in dispute is relatively small, the licensing board has a restitution fund, or you mainly want to prevent them from doing this to someone else.

When you probably need to sue: The damages are significant (thousands of dollars), the contractor is unlicensed, you need actual compensation for repairs or completion costs, or the contractor has ignored all other attempts at resolution.

How do I file a complaint with my state contractor licensing board?

Search for your state's contractor licensing board website—most have an online complaint form. You'll need the contractor's license number if you have it, your contract, and documentation of the problem. The licensing board is the most powerful option for licensed contractors: it can investigate, order correction of deficient work, issue fines, suspend or revoke the license, and in some states (like California, which has a fund paying up to $25,000) pay you from a contractor recovery fund.

If the contractor is licensed, your state licensing board is the most powerful place to file a complaint. This is the agency that issued their license, and it's the agency that can take it away.

What licensing boards can do:

• Investigate the complaint and interview both parties
• Order the contractor to correct deficient work
• Issue fines against the contractor
• Suspend or revoke their license
• In some states, pay you from a contractor recovery fund (California, for example, has a fund that pays homeowners up to $25,000 when a licensed contractor causes financial harm)
• Place the complaint on the contractor's public record

What licensing boards cannot do:

• Force the contractor to pay you damages (they're not a court)
• Help you if the contractor was never licensed in the first place
• Speed things up. Investigations typically take 3 to 12 months
• Guarantee any specific outcome

To file, search for your state's contractor licensing board website. Most have an online complaint form. You'll need the contractor's license number (if you have it), your contract, and documentation of the problem. Some states require you to attempt resolution with the contractor before filing.

One important detail: licensing boards take complaints against licensed contractors seriously because their whole purpose is regulating the industry. A pattern of complaints can trigger a formal investigation even if individual complaints seem minor.

Is filing a BBB complaint against a contractor worth it?

A BBB complaint won't result in fines or license action—the BBB is a private nonprofit with no enforcement power. What it can do is create a public record on the contractor's profile that future customers see, prompt a response from contractors who care about their rating, and sometimes facilitate informal mediation. It's most effective against established contractors with an online reputation to protect, and least effective against fly-by-night operators who don't care about ratings. Filing takes about 15 minutes.

What BBB complaints actually do:

• Create a public record on the contractor's BBB profile that future customers can see
• Prompt the BBB to contact the contractor and request a response (many contractors respond because they care about their rating)
• Sometimes facilitate a resolution through mediation or arbitration
• Affect the contractor's BBB rating, which some consumers check before hiring

What BBB complaints won't do:

• Force the contractor to do anything
• Result in fines or license action
• Carry any legal weight in court

Think of a BBB complaint as a reputation lever. It works best against established contractors who care about their online presence. It's less effective against fly-by-night operators who don't care about ratings. Filing takes about 15 minutes at bbb.org.

When should I report a contractor to the state Attorney General?

File with your state Attorney General's consumer protection division when fraud or deceptive practices are involved: the contractor took payment and disappeared, misrepresented their qualifications, or ran a bait-and-switch. The AG's office rarely investigates individual disputes—they look for patterns across many complaints. Your filing may not trigger immediate action, but it contributes to a complaint record that can prompt enforcement when enough reports accumulate about the same contractor.

The AG's office generally doesn't investigate individual complaints the way a licensing board does. Instead, they look for patterns. If they receive 50 complaints about the same contractor, that's when they take action. Their enforcement tends to focus on fraud, deceptive practices, and consumer protection law violations.

Filing with the AG is most useful when:

• The contractor engaged in outright fraud (took payment and disappeared, misrepresented their qualifications, ran a bait-and-switch)
• You suspect the contractor is scamming multiple people
• The contractor violated specific consumer protection laws (door-to-door sales rules, right-to-cancel provisions, deceptive advertising)

Search for your state's Attorney General consumer complaint form online. Most states have an online portal. Be specific about what happened and include as much documentation as possible.

Can I report my contractor to the local building department, and what happens?

Yes—and if permits were skipped or work violates building code, you should. Your local building department (a city or county agency) can send an inspector, issue stop-work orders, require the contractor to bring work up to code, and flag the contractor for permit violations on future projects. One caution: if you report unpermitted work on your own property, the department may require you to remediate it at your expense, even if the contractor was at fault.

Contact your building department when:

• Work was done without required permits (this is a code violation the department takes seriously)
• Work doesn't meet building code (they can send an inspector)
• The contractor failed to get required inspections
• Structural work was done that might be unsafe (this is a public safety issue and departments respond quickly)

The building department can issue stop-work orders, require the contractor to bring work up to code, and in some cases impose fines. They can also flag unpermitted work, which becomes an issue for the contractor if they try to get permits for future projects.

One thing to be aware of: if you report unpermitted work on your own property, the building department may require you to bring it up to code at your expense, even if the contractor was at fault. This is still usually the right thing to do for safety reasons, but know going in that it can create costs on your side.

What documents do I need to file a complaint against a contractor?

Documentation is everything—a complaint without evidence is just a story. The essential items are your written contract or estimates, all payment records (checks, transfers, Venmo, Zelle, receipts), date-stamped photos and video of the work, screenshots of every text message and email, and a written chronological timeline of events. An estimate from another licensed contractor quantifying the repair cost is especially powerful because it establishes the dollar value of your damages.

Essential documents:

• The contract. Every written agreement, proposal, estimate, or scope of work. If you only had a verbal agreement, write down exactly what was discussed, when, and what was promised.
• Payment records. Every check, bank transfer, credit card charge, Venmo or Zelle transaction, and cash receipt. Show what you paid and when. If you paid cash without a receipt, note the amounts and dates.
• Photos and videos. Document the current state of the work. Show what was done wrong, what was left incomplete, and any damage. Date-stamped photos are best. Take wide shots for context and close-ups for detail.
• Text messages and emails.Screenshot every communication with the contractor. These often contain promises, excuses, and admissions that are incredibly valuable. Don't delete anything.
• Timeline of events. Write a chronological summary of what happened: when you hired them, when work started, when problems began, when you tried to resolve things, and when communication broke down.

Extra evidence that strengthens your case:

• An estimate from another licensed contractor to fix or complete the work (this establishes the dollar value of damages)
• Before photos showing the state of things before the contractor started
• Any advertising or marketing materials where the contractor made specific claims about their qualifications or guarantees
• Permit records showing whether permits were pulled as required
• Witness statements from neighbors, family members, or other tradespeople who observed the work

What actually happens after I file a complaint against a contractor?

Timelines vary significantly by agency. Licensing board investigations typically take 3 to 12 months from acknowledgment to determination—you'll be asked to provide documentation and the contractor will be contacted for their response. BBB complaints are faster: the contractor has 14 days to respond, and the process usually wraps in 30 to 60 days. Attorney General filings rarely generate personal follow-up; your complaint joins a pattern file. Building departments vary widely but respond quickly to safety concerns.

Licensing board:You'll get an acknowledgment within a few weeks. An investigator will be assigned. They'll contact the contractor for their side of the story. The investigation can take anywhere from 3 to 12 months. You may be asked to provide additional documentation or answer questions. Eventually you'll receive a determination letter with the outcome. If the board finds violations, the contractor may be ordered to correct the work, pay a fine, or face license suspension.

BBB:The BBB will forward your complaint to the contractor within a few business days. The contractor has 14 days to respond. If they respond, you'll have a chance to accept or reject their response. If they don't respond, the complaint remains on their profile as unanswered. The whole process usually takes 30 to 60 days.

Attorney General:You'll receive a confirmation that your complaint was filed. Beyond that, don't expect personal follow-up. The AG's office uses complaints to identify patterns and prioritize enforcement. Your individual complaint may not result in action, but it contributes to a larger picture that could trigger an investigation.

Building department: Response time varies widely by jurisdiction. Some will send an inspector within days, especially for safety concerns. Others may take weeks. If violations are found, the contractor and/or property owner will receive a notice of violation with a deadline to correct the issues.

Will filing a complaint actually get my money back?

Probably not on its own. Complaints rarely result in direct financial recovery—licensing board investigations take months, recovery funds exist in only some states and have caps, and unlicensed contractors fall outside the licensing board's jurisdiction entirely. For actual financial recovery, you'll likely need small claims court (for amounts under your state's limit, typically $5,000–$15,000) or an attorney for larger sums. File complaints anyway: they protect future homeowners and can strengthen your court case.

The hard truths:

• Complaints rarely result in you getting your money back directly. Recovery funds exist in some states but have caps and requirements.
• Investigations take months. If you need an immediate resolution, complaints alone won't get you there.
• If the contractor is unlicensed, your complaint options are more limited. The licensing board can't discipline someone they don't regulate. In this case, the AG's office and small claims court are your primary options.
• Some contractors simply don't care about complaints. They operate under different business names, let licenses lapse, and move from state to state. Complaints still matter because they create a trail, but they may not change that contractor's behavior.
• If you want actual financial recovery, you'll likely need to go to small claims court (for amounts under your state's limit, typically $5,000 to $15,000) or hire an attorney for larger amounts.

What you should do in most situations:

1. Send the contractor a formal written demand letter giving them a reasonable deadline to resolve the issue (this is sometimes required before you can file a complaint or lawsuit)
2. File with the licensing board if the contractor is licensed
3. File with the AG's office if there's fraud or deception involved
4. File with the BBB if you want to affect their public reputation
5. Contact the building department if there are code or permit issues
6. Consider small claims court or an attorney if you need money back

The bottom line

Filing a complaint against a contractor is not a single action. It's a combination of steps, each with a different purpose. The licensing board protects the public and can punish bad actors. The BBB affects reputation. The AG's office targets fraud. The building department handles code and safety violations. None of them is a magic bullet on its own.

Start by documenting everything thoroughly. Then file with every relevant agency. If you need financial recovery, understand that complaints alone probably will not get you there, and plan to pursue legal action through small claims court or an attorney.

The contractors who do the most damage are the ones who operate in the dark. Every complaint you file shines a light. Even if your individual complaint doesn't result in dramatic action, it contributes to a record that protects the next homeowner who searches that contractor's name before signing a contract.