How to Fill Out and File the Oregon CCB Complaint Form

To file a breach-of-contract complaint with Oregon’s Construction Contractors Board, you first mail the contractor a 30-day notice of intent by certified mail, then complete the Oregon CCB complaint form for residential and small commercial work and send it with your supporting documents to the board’s Salem office. The $50 processing fee is not paid up front; the dispute analyst requests it after confirming the board has jurisdiction over your complaint.

Confirm You’re Still Within the Filing Window

Before you spend time on paperwork, make sure the board can still accept your complaint. ORS 701.143 sets hard deadlines, and the CCB will not process a complaint received after the applicable cutoff, even on a strong claim.¹

Work on an existing structure that was completed: one year from the date the contractor substantially completed the work.
New construction that was completed: one year after you first occupied the structure or two years after substantial completion, whichever comes first.
Contractor never started: one year from the date you signed the contract.
Contractor walked off before finishing: one year from the date the contractor stopped working on the structure.

Count backward from that deadline. You also need to fit in the 30-day pre-complaint notice described next, so the board must receive your form at least 30 days after you mail the notice and still within the one- or two-year window.

Send the 30-Day Pre-Complaint Notice

Oregon law prohibits filing a CCB complaint without first giving the contractor written notice that you intend to file. Under ORS 701.133, you must send this notice by certified mail to the contractor’s last known address as shown in the board’s licensing records, which is not necessarily the address on your contract or on a business card. Look it up using the CCB’s online license search.²

The notice has to go out at least 30 days before you file. The statute does not prescribe a specific format, but your letter should identify the project, describe what the contractor did or failed to do, and state that you intend to file a CCB complaint if the issue is not resolved. Keep the certified mail receipt. You will submit proof of mailing with the complaint form.³

Gather What the Form Will Ask For

The complaint form itself is short. The supporting paperwork takes more effort. Pull the following together before you sit down to fill anything out:

The contractor’s legal business name and CCB license number, both available on the CCB license lookup.
A complete copy of the signed contract and any written change orders. Oregon requires construction agreements over $2,000 to be in writing. If yours was not written, you can still file, but you will need other documentation of the agreement such as invoices, estimates, emails, or text messages.⁴
Proof of payment: front and back copies of canceled checks, bank statements, credit card receipts, or similar records showing what you paid.
A copy of the pre-complaint notice you mailed and the certified mail receipt.
Photographs of any unfinished or defective work, plus emails, texts, or letters between you and the contractor about the problems.

Confirm the contractor was licensed at the time of the work. The board can only process complaints against licensed contractors. If the person you hired was unlicensed, the CCB has no jurisdiction and your only route is civil court.³

Filling Out the Form

Use the Prime Contractor Complaint form for residential and small commercial work, available on the CCB website.⁵ It asks for the total contract price, the date of the agreement, the amount you paid, and the amount you believe you are owed. The dollar figures should match the records you are attaching.

The form also has a section where you describe the claim in your own words. Keep it factual and chronological: when you signed the contract, when the contractor started work, when problems appeared or work stopped, and what specific items remain unfinished or defective. Dispute analysts read hundreds of these. A clean timeline with specific dates is more useful than a description of how frustrating the experience has been.

Where to Send It and When to Pay

Mail the completed form and all attachments to:

CCB, Attn: Dispute Resolution
PO Box 14140
Salem, OR 97309-5052⁵

Do not send the $50 processing fee with your initial package. The board first reviews the complaint to confirm it has jurisdiction, meaning the contractor was licensed and the complaint arrived within the deadline. Once the analyst verifies jurisdiction, the analyst will contact you to request the fee.³ The $50 applies to residential and small commercial complaints handled under ORS 701.145.⁶

What Happens After You File

Once the board accepts your complaint and you pay the fee, the dispute analyst typically assigns the case for mediation. Mediation is voluntary. Both you and the contractor have to agree to participate. If both sides opt in, the analyst schedules an on-site or telephone session and notifies you of the date and time. The mediator helps the parties explore a resolution rather than deciding who is right.⁷

If mediation does not produce a settlement, or if the contractor refuses to participate, the analyst sends you a notice directing you to file in court. Watch this deadline closely. You have 30 days from that notice to file a lawsuit and send the analyst a copy of your court filing. Miss it and the analyst closes your file. A closed file can be reopened within 60 days if you provide a court filing document; after 60 days, the complaint is permanently closed.³ The board itself cannot order the contractor to pay or release bond money. Recovering from the contractor’s surety bond requires a final court judgment or an arbitration award reduced to a judgment, with an active CCB complaint still open.⁷

If Your Project Is a Large Commercial Structure

The form and process above cover residential and small commercial work. If your dispute involves a large commercial structure and a contractor who holds only a commercial endorsement, the complaint runs on a different track under ORS 701.146. You file a lawsuit or initiate binding arbitration first, then deliver a copy of the court pleading or arbitration demand to the CCB and to the contractor’s surety by certified mail, return receipt requested. There is no processing fee under that section, and the surety-notification deadlines are strict enough that missing them can release the surety from the judgment.⁸

1
OregonLaws. Oregon Code 701.143 – Requirement for Timely Filing of Complaints
2
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 701.133 – Notice of Intent to File Complaint; Fees; Rules
3
Oregon Construction Contractors Board. Oregon Construction Contractors Board – Consumer Protection
4
Oregon Construction Contractors Board. Oregon Construction Contractors Board – Consumer Tools
5
Oregon Construction Contractors Board. Oregon CCB Breach of Contract Complaint Form
6
Oregon Secretary of State. Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 812 Division 4 – Complaints
7
OregonLaws. Oregon Code 701.145 – Resolution of Complaints Involving Work on Residential Structures or Certain Small Commercial Structures
8
OregonLaws. Oregon Code 701.146 – Resolution of Complaints Involving Work on Large Commercial Structures or Certain Small Commercial Structures