North Dakota requires a contractor licence for any job over $4,000, and painting is included. That makes checking a painter easy on this side of the river. This page covers the checks, the paperwork and the warning signs.
This page is general information for homeowners in North Dakota and across the river in Minnesota. It is not legal advice. The agencies named here have the final word.
How do I find a good painter?
To find a good painter, start with people you trust, then check the facts yourself. Ask neighbors whose houses were painted a few years ago, because paint that still looks good after several Fargo winters is the best reference.
- Look up the contractor licence on the Secretary of State's site.
- Ask for a certificate of liability insurance.
- Read recent reviews and look for how problems were handled.
- Ask for addresses of local jobs you can drive past.
- Get the scope, the products and the price in writing.
How many quotes should I get?
Get three quotes for a job of any size. Three is enough to show the going price and to expose a quote that left something out. Give every painter the same list of rooms and surfaces, so that the quotes can be compared.
What should a painting estimate include?
A painting estimate should include the surfaces to be painted, the prep, the products, the number of coats and the total price. If it is one line and one number, ask for more.
- Each room or each side of the house, and what is painted in it.
- Prep: washing, scraping, patching, sanding, caulking, priming.
- Paint line, sheen and color for each surface.
- Number of coats.
- Repairs priced separately, with a rate for extras.
- Who moves furniture and covers floors and plants.
- Start window, payment schedule and cleanup.
Our estimates are free and come as a written quote.
What should be in a painting contract?
A painting contract should hold everything in the estimate plus the terms: the company's legal name and licence number, the price, the payment schedule, the start and finish window, how changes are approved and priced, and what any warranty covers.
Any change to the work should be written down and agreed before it is done. That one habit prevents most disputes over the final bill.
How much deposit should I give a painter?
A modest deposit to book the job and cover paint is normal, with the balance due when the work is finished and you have walked it. We found no deposit cap for contractors on the North Dakota Secretary of State's licensing pages, so the deposit is whatever you and the painter agree in writing.
Keep the deposit in proportion to the materials. Tie later payments to progress on larger jobs, and hold the last payment until the walk-through is done.
A painter wants half up front in cash. Is that a red flag?
Yes, treat it as a red flag. Half the price is more than the paint costs on most jobs, and cash leaves no record. A painter who needs that much cash before starting may be short of money or may not plan to finish.
Pay by check or card, get a receipt and make sure the payment schedule is written in the contract.
Should I hire a painter who wants all the money up front?
No. Do not pay all of the money up front. Once the full price is paid, you have nothing left to make sure the job is finished and the faults are fixed. The final payment belongs at the end, after the walk-through.
Does a painter need a licence in this state?
Yes, in North Dakota a painter needs to be licensed as a contractor when the cost, value or price of a job exceeds $4,000. The Secretary of State issues the licence. There are four classes by job size: Class D up to $100,000, Class C up to $300,000, Class B up to $500,000 and Class A above that.
The state asks for a certificate of liability insurance with the application. A contractor with North Dakota employees must also show workers' compensation coverage from Workforce Safety & Insurance. The Fargo Painting Company is licensed and insured.
Minnesota is different, and that matters in Moorhead, Dilworth, Glyndon, Hawley and Barnesville. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licenses residential contractors who work in more than one special skill. A contractor who offers a single skill, such as painting only, generally does not need the state licence. So a painter there may lawfully have no state licence, and insurance and references matter even more.
How do I check a painter's licence and insurance in this state?
To check a licence in North Dakota, search the contractor's name on the Secretary of State's FirstStop contractor search at firststop.sos.nd.gov/search/contractor. It shows whether the licence is in good standing.
To verify insurance, ask the painter for a certificate of liability insurance, and call the insurer or agent named on it if you want to be sure it is current. In Minnesota, the Department of Labor and Industry has a licence lookup for the contractors it does license.
What are the red flags?
The main red flags are pressure, cash and vagueness.
- No written quote, or a quote with one line.
- A large cash deposit, or the full price before work.
- No licence for a job over $4,000 in North Dakota.
- No proof of insurance.
- A price far below every other quote.
- Pressure to sign today.
- No local address, no references and a name that keeps changing.
- No mention of lead-safe work on a house built before 1978.
A painter says they can start tomorrow. Is that a red flag?
It can be, in season. A painter who can start tomorrow in July, when good crews in Fargo are booked, may have no other work for a reason. It can also be honest: a job was cancelled or rain moved the schedule.
Ask why the gap is there, and do the same checks you would do for anyone. Outside the summer season, a quick start on interior work is normal.
What should I ask a painter before hiring?
Here are the questions to ask a painter before you sign.
- Are you licensed with the North Dakota Secretary of State, and under what name?
- Can I see your certificate of insurance?
- Who will be in my house: your employees or subcontractors?
- What prep is included, and what would cost extra?
- Which primer and paint will you use, and how many coats?
- If the house was built before 1978, is your firm EPA certified for lead-safe work?
- What does your warranty cover, and is it in writing?
- What is the payment schedule?
Do painters give a warranty, and what should it cover?
Many painters give a written warranty on their workmanship, and it should cover peeling, blistering and flaking caused by poor prep or application. It normally does not cover damage from leaks, rot, impact or normal fading.
Ask for it in writing, with its length and what it excludes. The paint maker's warranty is a separate thing and covers the product only. Ask us what we put in writing for your job.
What if a painter damages my floors or furniture?
Tell the painter straight away, in writing and with photos. A reputable painter repairs or pays for damage, and liability insurance exists for the larger cases. This is one reason to see the insurance certificate before work starts.
If a North Dakota contractor will not deal with it, the Secretary of State accepts certain complaints against licensed contractors. The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division takes consumer complaints at (701) 328-3404, or 1-800-472-2600 from within North Dakota. Small claims court is the route for money you are owed.
A free estimate with a written quote is the only way to get a real price for your job. Call or text (701) 502-6833.