Missouri roofing contract rules
What a Missouri roofing contract must say, how long you can back out, how much a roofer may ask up front, when a lien can follow and what a roofer may do about your insurance claim. Each rule is quoted from the statute or agency rule. Checked 2026-10-09.
Short answer: You can cancel a Missouri home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after you sign the agreement (3 business days, Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.705.1). The federal rule adds 3 business days for sales made at your home (16 CFR 429). If your Missouri roofing contract is paid from an insurance claim, you can cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered (Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.3). A Missouri lien claimant must file a verified account with the circuit clerk within six months after the debt accrued (Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.080). 14 rules on this page are quoted from official statutes, agency rules or regulator pages; 6 more are marked not confirmed.
State cancel period
3 business days
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.705.1
Deposit rule
not confirmed
No deposit rule confirmed
Lien filing deadline
6 months
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.080
Written contract
not confirmed
Contents below if confirmed
Find your last day to cancel
Only the signing date is needed for the cancel dates. Add the other dates when they happen and the rules that start from them get a calendar day too. Counting starts the day after the date you enter.
Enter the signing date to see your dates.
Days are counted the way each rule defines them: federal “business days” skip Sundays and federal holidays and count Saturdays; where a state rule defines business days as Monday to Friday we skip Saturdays and Sundays; where a rule says business days without defining them, or just says “days”, we count every calendar day and show the earliest possible date. State holidays are not subtracted, so a real deadline can fall a day or two later than shown. If the last day lands on a weekend, do not wait for it. General information from public rules, not legal advice.
Missouri against the other states
Calendar-day equivalents are used for the bars only (business days scaled by 7/5, months by 30, years by 365); the exact unit is in the tables.
Before you sign: Missouri checklist
Every line below comes from a rule on this page. Tick a line as you check it.
Missouri: right to cancel
The federal rule (16 CFR §429.1(a)) gives 3 business days for a sale made at your home. Rules of Missouri below are added to it.
| Rule | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| You can cancel a Missouri home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after you sign the agreement. The statute counts a business day as any day except Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays; the calculator skips weekends only, so a holiday can push the real last day later. You cannot cancel if you asked for work without delay because of an emergency and the seller in good faith made a substantial beginning of performance before your notice. |
3 business days counted from the day you sign |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.705.1 Covers: Only a consumer credit sale of goods or services solicited in person at the buyer's residence; a cash sale is not covered by this section. |
| For the Missouri home solicitation cancellation right, a business day is any day except Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays. | Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.705.1 Covers: Counting days under sections 407.700 to 407.720. | |
| The Missouri 3-day right covers only a credit sale of goods or services that the seller solicits in person at your residence, where you give your offer there. Because the definition is limited to a consumer credit sale, a roofer paid in cash or by check may fall outside this section. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.700 Covers: Credit sales only; a sale after prior negotiations at the seller's business location is excluded. | |
| The Missouri seller must give you a signed written agreement that shows the real signing date and a boldface notice of your right to cancel. Until the seller has complied, the buyer may cancel by telling the seller in any manner. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.710.1-2 Covers: Home solicitation sales, unless the buyer asks for the work without delay in an emergency. | |
| After you cancel a Missouri home solicitation sale, the seller has ten days to return your payments. If the seller already performed services before you cancelled, the seller is entitled to no compensation (section 407.720). |
10 days counted from the day the notice is given |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.715.1 Covers: A cancelled home solicitation sale. |
| If your Missouri roofing contract is paid from an insurance claim, you can cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered. Notice by mail is effective when deposited in the mail properly addressed with postage prepaid. The statute does not define business day for this section. |
5 business days counted from the day the insurer denies the claim |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.3 Covers: Written contracts with a contractor who repairs or replaces roof systems or does other exterior work on residential or commercial real estate. |
| If you cancel after an insurer denial, the Missouri roofer must return your payments and deposits within ten days, but may keep the reasonable value of emergency work you acknowledged in writing. A contract fee for anything except emergency services is not enforceable against an owner who has cancelled. |
10 days counted from the day the notice is given |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.5 Covers: Contracts cancelled under the insurance-denial right. |
Missouri: Mechanic's lien
| Rule | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before taking any payment, a Missouri original contractor must give you a ten-point bold written notice that unpaid suppliers can put a lien on your home, or it has no valid lien of its own. The notice tells you to ask for lien waivers from everyone supplying material or services; failing to get them may mean paying twice. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.012.1-2 Covers: Original contractors who contract with the owner for work on a building. The notice is not required for new residences with title-insurance lien protection. | |
| On a Missouri owner-occupied home of four units or less, a subcontractor or supplier gets no lien unless you agreed in a signed written contract to be liable for unpaid costs. Without that written consent, paying the contractor in full is a complete defense to liens filed by others. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.013.2 and .4 Covers: Repair, remodeling or additions to owner-occupied residential property of four units or less. | |
| A Missouri lien claimant must file a verified account with the circuit clerk within six months after the debt accrued. The six months run from when the debt accrued, which the statute does not tie to a fixed date, so no end date is calculated. |
6 months counted from the date the rule names |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.080 Covers: Original contractors, laborers and others seeking a mechanic's lien under sections 429.010 to 429.340. |
| A Missouri lien lawsuit must be started within six months after the lien is filed, or the lien ends. The six months run from the date the lien was filed with the circuit clerk, not from the last work. |
6 months counted from the date the rule names |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.170 Covers: Actions to enforce a mechanic's lien. |
Missouri: insurance claims and your roofer
| Rule | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A Missouri roofer may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate any part of your insurance deductible, including through discounts, gifts, coupons or referral fees. Any violation is an unfair practice under the Missouri merchandising practices act. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.2 Covers: Contractors who repair or replace roof systems or do other exterior repair or construction work on residential or commercial real estate. | |
| A Missouri roofer may not represent or negotiate for you on an insurance claim for roof or exterior work, or offer to. | Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.6 Covers: Contractors who repair or replace roof systems or do other exterior repair or construction work on residential or commercial real estate. | |
| Before you sign, a Missouri roofer on an insurance-paid job must give you a boldface statement of the five-day cancel right and a detachable cancellation form in duplicate. | Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.4 Covers: Written contracts paid under a property and casualty insurance policy. |
The insurer’s own deadlines are on the Missouri claim deadlines page.
What we could not confirm in Missouri
- A cap on the deposit a Missouri roofer may ask for: not confirmed. Not found in the sections read (Mo. Rev. Stat. chapter 407 sections 407.700 to 407.725 and chapter 429).
- A rule that a Missouri roofer must hold your deposit in trust: not confirmed. Not found in the sections read (chapters 407 and 429).
- A rule that every Missouri roofing contract above a set dollar amount must be in writing: not confirmed. Not found in the sections read (sections 407.700 to 407.725 and chapter 429); section 407.710 requires a written agreement only for home solicitation credit sales.
- Rules on assigning insurance benefits to a roofer in Missouri: not confirmed. Not found in the section titles of chapters 375 and 407; no assignment-of-benefits provision located.
- A Missouri ban on price gouging after a declared emergency: not confirmed. Searched the section titles of chapters 407, 44, 41 and 292 for price-gouging text and found none.
- Extra registration for out-of-state roofers after a disaster in Missouri: not confirmed. Not found in the section titles of chapters 407, 44 and 41.
Missouri contract questions
- How long can I cancel a roofing contract in Missouri?
- Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.705.1: 3 business days, counted from the day you sign. The federal rule gives 3 business days for sales made at your home. The median across the 25 of 27 states with a confirmed number is about 4 calendar days (business days scaled by 7/5). The statute counts a business day as any day except Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays; the calculator skips weekends only, so a holiday can push the real last day later. You cannot cancel if you asked for work without delay because of an emergency and the seller in good faith made a substantial beginning of performance before your notice.
- Can I cancel if my Missouri insurer denies the roof claim?
- Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.3: If your Missouri roofing contract is paid from an insurance claim, you can cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered. 5 business days, counted from the day the insurer denies the claim. Notice by mail is effective when deposited in the mail properly addressed with postage prepaid. The statute does not define business day for this section.
- What is a mechanic's lien on a house in Missouri?
- Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.080: A Missouri lien claimant must file a verified account with the circuit clerk within six months after the debt accrued. The six months run from when the debt accrued, which the statute does not tie to a fixed date, so no end date is calculated.
- Can a roofer in Missouri handle my insurance claim for me?
- Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.6: A Missouri roofer may not represent or negotiate for you on an insurance claim for roof or exterior work, or offer to.
- Can a roofer in Missouri waive my insurance deductible?
- Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.2: A Missouri roofer may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate any part of your insurance deductible, including through discounts, gifts, coupons or referral fees. Any violation is an unfair practice under the Missouri merchandising practices act.
Why contracts get signed fast after a Missouri hailstorm
NOAA lists 6 Missouri cities in our data with 149 city-days of hail at 1 inch or more since 2014; the largest stone was 4.75 inches and the busiest month is Apr. County by county: Missouri hail history.
Missouri cities we cover
| City | Cost | Roofers |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau | Roof age | Roofers in Cape Girardeau |
| Columbia | Roof age | Roofers in Columbia |
| Jefferson City | Roof age | Roofers in Jefferson City |
| Joplin | Roof age | Roofers in Joplin |
| Springfield | Roof age | Roofers in Springfield |
| St. Joseph | Roof age | Roofers in St. Joseph |
Where each Missouri rule comes from
| Rule | Source | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Right to cancel: 3 business days You can cancel a Missouri home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after you sign the agreement. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.705.1 statute text Quote“the buyer has the right to cancel a home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after the day on which the buyer signs an agreement or offer to purchase which complies with sections 407.700 to 407.720.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Right to cancel: no fixed number For the Missouri home solicitation cancellation right, a business day is any day except Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.705.1 statute text Quote“the term "business day" shall mean any day except Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Right to cancel: no fixed number The Missouri 3-day right covers only a credit sale of goods or services that the seller solicits in person at your residence, where you give your offer there. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.700 statute text Quote“"Home solicitation sale" means a consumer credit sale of goods, or services, except the sale of real property or interest therein, or the sale of personal property which is incident to the sale of real property or interest therein, in which the seller or a person acting for him engages in a personal solicitation of the sale at a residence of the buyer and the buyer's agreement or offer to purchase is there given to the seller or a person acting for him.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Right to cancel: no fixed number The Missouri seller must give you a signed written agreement that shows the real signing date and a boldface notice of your right to cancel. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.710.1-2 statute text Quote“the seller must present to the buyer and obtain his signature to a written agreement or offer to purchase which designates as the date of the transaction the date on which the buyer actually signs and contains a statement of the buyer's rights which complies with subsection 2.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Right to cancel: 10 days After you cancel a Missouri home solicitation sale, the seller has ten days to return your payments. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.715.1 statute text Quote“within ten days after a home solicitation sale has been cancelled the seller must tender to the buyer any payments made by the buyer and any note or other evidence of indebtedness” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Right to cancel: 5 business days If your Missouri roofing contract is paid from an insurance claim, you can cancel before midnight on the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.3 statute text Quote“A person who has entered into a written contract with a contractor to provide goods or services to be paid under a property and casualty insurance policy may cancel the contract prior to midnight on the fifth business day after the insured party has received written notice from the insurer that all or any part of the claim or contract is not a covered loss under the insurance policy.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Right to cancel: 10 days If you cancel after an insurer denial, the Missouri roofer must return your payments and deposits within ten days, but may keep the reasonable value of emergency work you acknowledged in writing. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.5 statute text Quote“Within ten days after a contract referred to in subsection 3 of this section has been cancelled, the contractor shall tender to the owner or possessor of real estate any payments, partial payments, or deposits made and any note or other evidence of indebtedness.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Mechanic's lien: no fixed number Before taking any payment, a Missouri original contractor must give you a ten-point bold written notice that unpaid suppliers can put a lien on your home, or it has no valid lien of its own. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.012.1-2 statute text Quote“shall provide to the person with whom the contract is made or to the owner if there is no contract, prior to receiving payment in any form of any kind from such person, (a) either at the time of the execution of the contract, (b) when the materials are delivered, (c) when the work is commenced, or (d) delivered with first invoice, a written notice ... Compliance with subsection 1 of this section shall be a condition precedent to the creation, existence or validity of any mechanic's lien in favor of such original contractor.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Mechanic's lien: no fixed number On a Missouri owner-occupied home of four units or less, a subcontractor or supplier gets no lien unless you agreed in a signed written contract to be liable for unpaid costs. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.013.2 and .4 statute text Quote“No person, other than an original contractor, who performs any work or labor or furnishes any material, fixtures, engine, boiler or machinery for any building or structure shall have a lien under this section on such building or structure for any work or labor performed or for any material, fixtures, engine, boiler, or machinery furnished unless an owner of the building or structure pursuant to a written contract has agreed to be liable for such costs in the event that the costs are not paid.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Mechanic's lien: 6 months A Missouri lien claimant must file a verified account with the circuit clerk within six months after the debt accrued. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.080 statute text Quote“within six months after the indebtedness shall have accrued, or, with respect to rental equipment or machinery rented to others, then, within sixty days after the date the last of the rental equipment or machinery was last removed from the property, to file with the clerk of the circuit court of the proper county a just and true account of the demand due him or them” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Mechanic's lien: 6 months A Missouri lien lawsuit must be started within six months after the lien is filed, or the lien ends. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §429.170 statute text Quote“All actions under sections 429.010 to 429.340 shall be commenced within six months after filing the lien” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Insurance claims and your roofer: no fixed number A Missouri roofer may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate any part of your insurance deductible, including through discounts, gifts, coupons or referral fees. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.2 statute text Quote“A contractor shall not advertise or promise to pay or rebate all or any portion of any insurance deductible as an inducement to the sale of goods or services.” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Insurance claims and your roofer: no fixed number A Missouri roofer may not represent or negotiate for you on an insurance claim for roof or exterior work, or offer to. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.6 statute text Quote“A contractor shall not represent or negotiate, or offer or advertise to represent or negotiate, on behalf of an owner or possessor of real estate on any insurance claim in connection with the repair or replacement of roof systems” |
2026-10-09 official page |
| Insurance claims and your roofer: no fixed number Before you sign, a Missouri roofer on an insurance-paid job must give you a boldface statement of the five-day cancel right and a detachable cancellation form in duplicate. |
Mo. Rev. Stat. §407.725.4 statute text Quote“Before entering a contract referred to in subsection 3 of this section, the contractor shall: (1) Furnish the insured party a statement in boldface type of a minimum size of ten points” |
2026-10-09 official page |
Nearby states
Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, Colorado or all states.
Related: Missouri claim deadlines, Missouri roofers, insurer roof-age rules.