How to File a Complaint Against a Contractor in Texas

To file a complaint against a contractor in Texas, first figure out who regulates them: licensed trades like electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians fall under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), while unlicensed general contractors and remodelers are handled by the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. If your real goal is getting money back rather than seeing the contractor disciplined, an agency complaint is only part of the picture, and Texas law requires specific written notices before you can sue.

Figure Out Which Agency Handles Your Contractor

TDLR regulates the trades that require a state license. Electricians fall under Chapter 1305 of the Texas Occupations Code, air conditioning and refrigeration contractors under Chapter 1302, and plumbers under Chapter 1301.1Justia. Texas Occupations Code Title 8 – Regulation of Environmental and Industrial Trades TDLR also runs a separate program for water well drillers and pump installers.2Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers If your dispute is with one of these licensees, TDLR is the right door.

General contractors are different. Texas does not require a statewide license for general contracting, so there is no licensing board to complain to.3Austin Development Services. Contractor Registration Complaints against unlicensed contractors typically go to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, which enforces the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA).4Office of the Attorney General. Consumer Rights The DTPA reaches false, misleading, or deceptive conduct, which covers a contractor misrepresenting their qualifications, charging for work never performed, or substituting cheap materials for the ones promised.

Your city’s building department is worth contacting in parallel. Municipal code enforcement can investigate unpermitted work and building code violations regardless of state licensing status. That route won’t get you a refund, but it creates an official record and can force correction of dangerous or noncompliant work.

Pull Your Evidence Together First

Before you touch a complaint form, gather what documents the work and what you paid. The strength of a complaint depends almost entirely on what you can put on paper.

  • Your signed contract and any written change orders or texts agreeing to scope changes. The written terms are what an investigator measures against.
  • Financial records: cancelled checks, bank statements, credit card receipts, and invoices. Cash payments weaken the file, so note dates and amounts as precisely as you can.
  • Date-stamped photos and video of defective work, abandoned projects, or damage. Shoot wide-angle context along with close-ups of specific defects. TDLR recommends color images.5Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. File a Complaint
  • The contractor’s full legal name, business address, and any license numbers. For licensed trades, verify status through TDLR’s online lookup. For unlicensed contractors, the business name registered with the Texas Secretary of State or county clerk is what investigators need.
  • Emails, texts, voicemails, and other written communications. A message promising a completion date before the contractor disappears is powerful evidence.

Filing a Complaint With TDLR

For licensed trades, TDLR takes complaints online and by mail. The online form asks you to identify the licensee, describe the violation, and upload supporting documents. Total uploads are capped at 35 MB; if your evidence exceeds that, submit the form a second time with the additional attachments.5Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. File a Complaint

Paper complaints are also accepted. TDLR posts a downloadable form on its website that you can print, complete, and mail.6Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Complaints Send it by certified mail with return receipt requested so you have proof of the filing date, and keep a copy of everything you send.

Watch the deadline. TDLR complaints must be filed within two years of the event that caused the complaint.5Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. File a Complaint If a licensed electrician botched wiring 18 months ago and you’ve been putting off the complaint, the clock is running.

Filing a Complaint With the Attorney General

For unlicensed general contractors, your complaint goes to the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division through its online portal.7Office of the Attorney General. File a Consumer Complaint The system can’t save your progress; using the back button or navigating away clears your submission, so have every piece of information ready before you start.

The AG’s office asks for the contractor’s full name and address, a detailed description of the complaint, transaction dates and amounts, contract information, payment details, and any resolution steps you’ve already taken, including names of people you spoke with.7Office of the Attorney General. File a Consumer Complaint Do not include Social Security numbers or financial account numbers in the complaint text. After submitting, you’ll get a confirmation email with a unique complaint number.

Understand what this filing does and doesn’t do. It puts the complaint on record and may prompt the office to contact the contractor. The AG’s office investigates patterns of consumer harm and pursues enforcement against repeat offenders. It is not your personal attorney, and it does not collect refunds for individual consumers. Recovering your specific losses generally means a private claim under the DTPA or a suit in court.

What Happens After You File

At TDLR, a complaint moves through several stages. Intake first decides whether TDLR has jurisdiction and whether a violation may have occurred. If it clears intake, TDLR opens a case and sends an opening letter to you and to the contractor, the “respondent.”8Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Complaint Investigation and Resolution An investigator interviews you, the contractor, and witnesses, and may inspect the work on site.

A prosecuting attorney then reviews the report. If the evidence doesn’t support formal action, the case closes with a letter, though TDLR may issue a warning to the contractor. If the evidence warrants it, the prosecutor issues a Notice of Alleged Violation seeking administrative penalties and possible sanctions against the license.8Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Complaint Investigation and Resolution Under Section 51.301 of the Occupations Code, the TDLR commission can impose administrative penalties for violations of the laws it administers, and in serious cases it can suspend or revoke a contractor’s license.9State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code Section 51.301 – Imposition of Penalty

This process takes time. If your goal is money back rather than discipline against the contractor, you likely need to pursue the legal options below in parallel.

If You Want Your Money Back: Pre-Suit Notice, DTPA, and Small Claims

Send the Required Pre-Suit Notice

This is the step that trips up more Texas homeowners than any other. Under the Texas Residential Construction Liability Act (RCLA), you cannot file a construction defect lawsuit against a contractor without first sending a specific written notice at least 60 days before filing. Send it by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the contractor’s last known address. Describe the defects in reasonable detail and include supporting evidence such as expert reports, photographs, and recordings.10State of Texas. Texas Property Code Section 27.004 – Notice and Offer of Settlement

Once the contractor receives your notice, a structured timeline begins. The contractor has 35 days to request and complete an inspection of the property and may conduct up to three inspections during that window. Within 60 days of receiving your notice, the contractor may send a written settlement offer, which can include agreeing to repair the defects at their expense, at a reduced cost, or through an independent contractor, and must describe what will be repaired and when.10State of Texas. Texas Property Code Section 27.004 – Notice and Offer of Settlement If the offer is unreasonable, you have 25 days after receiving it to send a written response saying why.

Skipping RCLA notice is a serious mistake. The contractor can use your failure to send it to get the lawsuit delayed or dismissed, costing you months and legal fees. Send the notice first even if you’re furious, and let the 60-day clock run.

Suing Under the DTPA

The Deceptive Trade Practices Act gives you a private right to sue a contractor, licensed or not, for false, misleading, or deceptive conduct. That includes billing for premium materials but installing cheap substitutes, misrepresenting experience or qualifications, or collecting payment for work the contractor never intended to complete.4Office of the Attorney General. Consumer Rights

Before filing, you must send the contractor written notice at least 60 days in advance describing the complaint in reasonable detail and stating the amount of economic damages and expenses you’ve incurred, including attorney’s fees. During that window, the contractor may request the chance to inspect the goods or work at issue.11State of Texas. Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 17 – Deceptive Trade Practices, Section 17.505

The damages make the DTPA powerful. A prevailing consumer can recover economic damages plus court costs and attorney’s fees. If the contractor’s conduct was knowing, the court can award up to three times your economic damages along with mental anguish damages. Intentional violations carry potential treble damages on both economic and mental anguish awards. The reverse also applies: if the court finds your DTPA suit was groundless or brought in bad faith, the contractor can recover attorney’s fees from you.12State of Texas. Texas Business and Commerce Code Section 17.50 – Relief

Small Claims Court

If the dispute is primarily about money and the amount is manageable, Texas justice courts handle small claims cases for up to $20,000, not counting statutory interest and court costs.13Texas State Law Library. How Much Can I Sue for in a Small Claims Court Small claims is designed for self-representation. You file a petition at the justice court in the county where the contractor lives or does business, or where the work was performed. Filing fees are relatively modest, the process moves faster than district court, and the rules of evidence are relaxed. Above $20,000, you file in county or district court, where the process is more formal.

One thing doesn’t change with the courtroom: if your claim involves construction defects, the RCLA’s 60-day notice requirement still applies before you file, even in small claims.

Deadlines That Can End Your Claim

Several clocks run at once, and missing any of them can permanently kill a claim:

File your agency complaint and send your pre-suit notices as early as you can. Waiting to see if things work out is how claims expire, and the four-year contract deadline feels generous only until you subtract the mandatory 60-day notice periods that have to run before you can file suit.