Home services and trades: the numbers, the rules, the AI picture.

• State licence number in advertising (example: California CSLB)

  California's Contractors State License Board says licensed contractors must include their licence number in all construction contracts, subcontracts, calls for bid and all forms of advertising, with a civil penalty of $100 to $1,000 for a first offense. It defines advertising to include business cards, vehicle lettering, brochures, directories, contract proposals and any website or post that solicits business. Vehicles must show the business name and licence number in at least 72-point type, or letters at least three quarters of an inch high and wide. C-36 plumbing contractors must show name, address and licence number in letters at least 1.5 inches high on each side.

  What it means: Put the licence number in the website footer, on service page templates, in ad copy where space allows, on Google Business Profile and social profiles, on quotes and on every vehicle. If you work in several states, keep a table of licence numbers per state and check each board. Never run an ad for a trade outside the classifications on your licence.

  [9] cslb.ca.gov

• Classification, bonding and false-advertising limits (California CSLB)

  CSLB says you cannot advertise for construction work outside the areas for which you are licensed. Its example is a C-29 masonry contractor advertising electrical work without a C-10 licence. It also says the law prevents licensees from noting in advertising that they are bonded, because the statement could suggest a higher level of protection than exists. It adds that using false, misleading or deceptive advertising to induce improvement contracts is a misdemeanor.

  What it means: Match each service page and ad to a classification you hold. In California, do not copy a "licensed, bonded and insured" footer. State rules on bonding claims differ, so confirm with your state board before you use a line from another state or a competitor. Keep proof for every claim about insurance, years in business or guarantees.

  [9] cslb.ca.gov

• Texas HVAC and electrical advertising rules (TDLR)

  Texas air conditioning and refrigeration rules (16 TAC 75.71) say advertising that solicits business must include the affiliated licensee's licence number. Promotional items, letterheads and signs at the permanent location are exempt. Proposals and invoices must show the company name, address, phone and licence number, plus a notice that the work is regulated by TDLR. For electricians, TDLR's sanctions schedule lists "failed to include contractor name and license number in advertising" as a Class A violation with a penalty of $500 to $2,000. In August 2025 TDLR reported a one-week undercover operation in the Laredo area that found 74 alleged violations and opened 25 enforcement cases, mostly against unlicensed electricians and HVAC contractors whose ads lacked licence information.

  What it means: In Texas, show the TDLR licence number on every ad, web page, social profile, quote and invoice, and add the TDLR regulatory notice to proposals, contracts and invoices. Plumbing is licensed by a different board, so check its advertising rules separately. Enforcement is active, and ads without a number are what investigators look for.

  [10] law.cornell.edu

• Florida contractor advertising and unlicensed advertising (Chapter 489)

  Section 489.119(5) of the Florida Statutes says a contractor's registration or certification number must appear in each offer of services, business proposal, bid, contract or advertisement, whatever the medium. For a first offense the board issues a notice of noncompliance, and it may fine or cite for a violation not corrected within 30 days or for any later offense. Section 489.127(1)(f) makes it unlawful to advertise as available to engage in contracting without being registered or certified, and a first violation is a first-degree misdemeanor.

  What it means: Show your state number on everything that solicits work. Do not advertise a trade you are not certified or registered for, and remove old pages for services you dropped. A local business tax receipt is not a contractor licence.

  [11] flsenate.gov

• FTC Cooling-Off Rule for sales at the home (16 CFR Part 429)

  The rule covers a sale where the seller personally solicits the sale and the buyer agrees to buy somewhere other than the seller's permanent place of business, for $25 or more at the buyer's home or $130 or more elsewhere. The seller must give the buyer notice of a right to cancel within three business days. The rule excludes a buyer-initiated purchase for a bona fide immediate personal emergency, when the buyer gives a dated, handwritten, signed waiver. It also excludes a visit the buyer requested for repairs or maintenance, but extra goods or services sold during that visit are not excluded.

  What it means: If a tech visits for a requested repair and then sells a replacement system or an add-on at the kitchen table, the cancellation notice may apply to that extra sale. Train staff, put the notice in your paperwork and use a compliant emergency waiver only for true emergencies. Many states add their own home-solicitation and home-improvement contract rules.

  [12] law.cornell.edu

• FTC rules on "free" offers and bait advertising (16 CFR Parts 251 and 238)

  The FTC's Guide Concerning Use of the Word "Free" says offers must be made with extreme care to avoid misleading consumers, with all conditions set out clearly and conspicuously at the outset, not in a footnote. It also says the required purchase must be sold at a genuine regular price, and that a free item should not be paid for by raising the price of what the buyer must buy. The Guides Against Bait Advertising say no advertisement containing an offer to sell a product should be published when the offer is not a bona fide effort to sell it. These are guides, not statutes, and states have their own unfair-practices laws.

  What it means: A "free estimate" or "free inspection" must say what is free and what is not, such as a diagnostic fee that applies if you repair. A "$49 tune-up" must be a real service you will sell at that price, not a way to get inside and sell something bigger. Do not disparage the advertised special to push a costlier job.

  [13] law.cornell.edu

• Reviews: the FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule and Google policy

  The FTC rule took effect on October 21, 2024. It bars writing, selling or buying fake or false reviews, bars compensation or incentives conditioned on a particular sentiment, requires disclosure of insider reviews, and bars review suppression through intimidation or unfounded legal threats. Offering incentives for reviews is not banned by itself, but it cannot depend on the sentiment. Google's Maps policy is stricter: it bars offering incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods or services for reviews, and bars selectively soliciting positive reviews or discouraging negative ones.

  What it means: Ask every customer, not only the happy ones, with a plain link or QR code and no reward. Never trade a discount for a review, never write reviews for your own company and never pressure staff to review on site. Reply to reviews with specific, non-templated answers, and report policy violations instead of arguing.

  [14] ftc.gov

• Calls, texts and email follow-up (FCC rule 47 CFR 64.1200 and CAN-SPAM)

  The FCC rule requires prior express written consent for telemarketing calls using an artificial or prerecorded voice to residential lines, defined as a signed written agreement that clearly authorizes the seller to deliver the messages. A called party can revoke consent by any reasonable method, and a text reply such as "stop", "quit", "end", "revoke", "opt out", "cancel" or "unsubscribe" counts. Requests must be honored within a reasonable time not to exceed ten business days. The national do-not-call registry also bars telephone solicitations to registered residential numbers. The FTC says CAN-SPAM covers all commercial email, requires an honest header and subject line, a physical address and a working opt-out honored within 10 business days, and allows penalties of up to $53,088 per email.

  What it means: Get written consent before any marketing text or automated call, store it with the date and number, and honor every opt-out. A missed-call text-back that sends a quote or a promotion needs more care than one that answers the caller's own request. Every marketing email needs an unsubscribe link and your address. Ask counsel how the rules apply to your tools before you automate follow-up.

  [15] law.cornell.edu

• EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (40 CFR Part 745)

  The EPA says anyone paid to perform work that disturbs paint in houses, apartments and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 must be certified, including sole proprietorships, and that firms cannot advertise or perform covered renovation activities in those buildings without firm certification. The EPA lists plumbers, electricians, painters and carpenters among the trades covered. Housing built in 1978 or later is not covered.

  What it means: If you cut into walls, windows or trim in older homes, such as a plumber opening a wall or an electrician running cable, check whether the work disturbs paint and whether you hold EPA firm certification. Do not advertise covered work on pre-1978 homes without it, and show the certification where you hold it.

  [16] epa.gov

This is general information, not legal advice. Licensing, contract and consent rules change and differ by state, city and trade, so check your state licensing board and your own counsel before you publish or automate anything.