Sec. 20-419. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) “Certificate” means a certificate of registration issued under section 20-422.

(2) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Consumer Protection or any person designated by the commissioner to administer and enforce this chapter.

(3) “Contractor” means any person who owns and operates a home improvement business or who undertakes, offers to undertake or agrees to perform any home improvement. “Contractor” does not include a person for whom the total price of all of his home improvement contracts with all of his customers does not exceed one thousand dollars during any period of twelve consecutive months.

(4) “Home improvement” includes, but is not limited to, the repair, replacement, remodeling, alteration, conversion, modernization, improvement, rehabilitation or sandblasting of, or addition to any land or building or that portion thereof which is used or designed to be used as a private residence, dwelling place or residential rental property, or the construction, replacement, installation or improvement of driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, roofs, siding, insulation, sunrooms, flooring, patios, landscaping, fences, doors and windows, waterproofing, water, fire or storm restoration or mold remediation in connection with such land or building or that portion thereof which is used or designed to be used as a private residence, dwelling place or residential rental property or the removal or replacement of a residential underground heating oil storage tank system, in which the total price for all work agreed upon between the contractor and owner or proposed or offered by the contractor exceeds two hundred dollars. “Home improvement” does not include: (A) The construction of a new home; (B) the sale of goods by a seller who neither arranges to perform nor performs, directly or indirectly, any work or labor in connection with the installation or application of the goods or materials; (C) the sale of goods or services furnished for commercial or business use or for resale, provided commercial or business use does not include use as residential rental property; (D) the sale of appliances, such as stoves, refrigerators, freezers, room air conditioners and others which are designed for and are easily removable from the premises without material alteration thereof; and (E) any work performed without compensation by the owner on his own private residence or residential rental property.

(5) “Home improvement contract” means an agreement between a contractor and an owner for the performance of a home improvement.

(6) “Owner” means a person who owns or resides in a private residence and includes any agent thereof, including, but not limited to, a condominium association. An owner of a private residence shall not be required to reside in such residence to be deemed an owner under this subdivision.

(7) “Person” means an individual, partnership, limited liability company or corporation.

(8) “Private residence” means a single family dwelling, a multifamily dwelling consisting of not more than six units, or a unit, common element or limited common element in a condominium, as defined in section 47-68a, or in a common interest community, as defined in section 47-202, or any number of condominium units for which a condominium association acts as an agent for such unit owners.

(9) “Salesman” means any individual who (A) negotiates or offers to negotiate a home improvement contract with an owner or (B) solicits or otherwise endeavors to procure by any means whatsoever, directly or indirectly, a home improvement contract from an owner on behalf of a contractor.

(10) “Residential rental property” means a single family dwelling, a multifamily dwelling consisting of not more than six units, or a unit, common element or limited common element in a condominium, as defined in section 47-68a, or in a common interest community, as defined in section 47-202, which is not owner-occupied.

(11) “Residential underground heating oil storage tank system” means an underground storage tank system used with or without ancillary components in connection with real property composed of four or less residential units.

(12) “Underground storage tank system” means an underground tank or combination of tanks, with any underground pipes or ancillary equipment or containment systems connected to such tank or tanks, used to contain an accumulation of petroleum, which volume is ten per cent or more beneath the surface of the ground.

(P.A. 79-606, S. 2, 14; P.A. 88-269, S. 1; P.A. 91-325, S. 4; P.A. 93-215, S. 2; P.A. 95-79, S. 68, 189; P.A. 98-3, S. 61; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-21, S. 1; 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 05-211, S. 6; P.A. 13-196, S. 14, 26; P.A. 16-35, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 88-269 redefined “home improvement” to include sandblasting, redefined “person” to delete reference to firms and companies, redefined “private residence” to increase allowable units from four to six, and redefined “salesman” to delete the reference to contracts being made outside of a place of business; P.A. 91-325 redefined “private residence” to include a “unit, common element or limited common element in a condominium, as defined in section 47-68a, or in a common interest community, as defined in section 47-202”; P.A. 93-215 expanded the definition of “home improvement” in Subdiv. (4) by including repair work done to residential rental property and excluding work performed without compensation by an owner on his private residence or residential rental property, clarified the definition of “owner” in Subdiv. (6) and added Subdiv. (10) defining “residential rental property”; P.A. 95-79 redefined “person” to include a limited liability company, effective May 31, 1995; P.A. 98-3 made technical changes; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-21 amended the definition of “home improvement” in Subdiv. (4) to include the removal or replacement of a residential underground heating oil storage tank system, and added Subdiv. (11) defining “residential underground heating oil storage tank system”, and Subdiv. (12) defining “underground storage tank system”; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 05-211 redefined “home improvement” in Subdiv. (4) to replace “solar energy systems” with “sunrooms”; P.A. 13-196 amended Subdiv. (3) to redefine “contractor” by replacing “total cash price” with “total price”, amended Subdiv. (4) to redefine “home improvement” by replacing “total cash price” with “total price” and adding “or proposed or offered by the contractor”, amended Subdiv. (6) to redefine “owner” by adding provision re condominium association, and amended Subdiv. (8) to redefine “private residence” by adding provision re number of condominium units for which condominium association acts as agent, effective June 21, 2013; P.A. 16-35 redefined “home improvement” to add “water, fire or storm restoration or mold remediation”, effective January 1, 2017.

Notation

Cited. 194 C. 129; 200 C. 713; 224 C. 231; 232 C. 666; 240 C. 58.

Cited. 13 CA 194; 18 CA 463; Id., 581; 19 CA 1; 40 CA 351; 45 CA 586; Id., 743. Services performed by a contractor in installing a modular home at a new site and in making improvements to the newly installed home qualify for statutory exception for contracts for construction of a new home. 108 CA 222.

Subdiv. (3):

Whether a home improvement service provider is acting as a contractor or a subcontractor is a question of fact. 121 CA 105.

Subdiv. (5):

Home Improvement Act not intended to apply to the transaction between a subcontractor and a homeowner because in such circumstance there is no “home improvement contract” as that term is defined in the act. 249 C. 155.