Vetting a Texas foundation contractor

Three different things get called “licensed,” and only one of them is about competence. Here’s what’s actually regulated in Texas, what your city requires, and how to check all of it for free.

The three things people mean by “licensed”

Texas did once register residential builders. The Texas Residential Construction Commission was abolished by the Legislature in 2009 and wound down by 2010, and nothing replaced it. A fossil remains in Property Code §41.007, which still asks for a TRCC registration number “if the contractor is required to register” — a condition that can no longer be met.

The part that is licensed — and it matters here specifically

Texas exempts private homes from the engineering licence requirement, and then takes the exemption back for exactly our situation. Occupations Code §1001.056(c)(2) removes it for engineering work relating to:

a residential dwelling slab located on expansive soil that meets the expansive soil classification provisions of the International Residential Code as applied in the jurisdiction… unless the construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, or drawing of plans or specifications meets the International Residential Code requirements as applied in the jurisdiction. Texas Occupations Code §1001.056(c)(2)

Williamson County is expansive clay — that’s the whole reason this site exists. Read the conditional carefully though, because it matters: the exemption falls away for expansive-soil slabs unless the work meets the local building code requirements. It is jurisdiction-specific, so we’re not telling you Texas requires an engineer for every foundation repair. It doesn’t say that.

Some cities settle it anyway. Georgetown lists foundation repair as its own permit type and requires “Foundation plans stamped by a engineer” [sic] and an “Engineers inspection report… onsite for building inspection.”

How to check a company, free

Since a 2023 change, the roster of individual engineers no longer shows addresses or phone numbers — you’re confirming the licence exists and is current, not getting contact details. The firm roster still shows them.

The insurance certificate trap

A certificate of insurance is a summary, not the policy. The Texas Department of Insurance puts it plainly: “A certificate cannot say anything that is not the same as what is stated in the insurance policy.” It also can’t tell you about exclusions, or whether the policy is still in force today.

The actual check: take the carrier name and policy number off the certificate, confirm the carrier is authorised in Texas, then call the agent listed on the certificate and ask whether the policy is current and covers this work. Under-slab plumbing is worth asking about specifically — that work must be done by a licensed plumber even though the foundation work needn’t be.

Compare your quotes

Foundation quotes are hard to compare because they’re priced differently on purpose. Enter what you have — nothing is saved or sent anywhere, this runs in your browser.

Your house can be liened — but only if four things happened

A subcontractor who doesn’t get paid can go after your home. On a homestead, Property Code §53.254 sets several requirements, and these four are the ones contractors miss most often. All four must be true:

1. The contract is in writing
2. It was executed before any material was furnished or labour performed
3. If the owner is married, it is signed by both spouses
4. It is filed with the county clerk

These four are necessary but not the whole of §53.254 — the section also governs the notice wording on the lien affidavit itself. Contractors miss the four above routinely, particularly the pre-work timing and the county filing. Two more protections worth knowing: under §53.101 the owner shall reserve 10% of the contract price (or 10% of the value of the work) during the work and for 30 days after. That is a duty, not an option — an owner who skips it can be liable to unpaid subcontractors, so don’t let it be negotiated away. And under §162.006, a homestead job over $5,000 requires the contractor to deposit your payments into a designated “construction account.” Most foundation jobs clear that threshold. You can ask for written verification that the account exists.

Property Code §41.007 also requires a specific bold warning in a homestead improvement contract — and omitting it is automatically a Deceptive Trade Practices Act violation. If a binding-arbitration clause appears, it has its own bold-type requirement and isn’t enforceable against you unless that’s met.

The three-day cancellation right — narrower than you’ve been told

Texas does give a cooling-off period: under Business & Commerce Code Chapter 601 you may cancel “not later than midnight of the third business day” after signing. If the contractor never gave you the completed cancellation form, the contract is void under §601.201. Other Chapter 601 violations don’t void the contract automatically, but they do expose the merchant to damages, attorney’s fees and costs under §601.202.

But it only covers the sale that came to you. The chapter exempts a sale made “after negotiations between the parties at a business establishment in a fixed location where goods or services are offered or exhibited for sale.” So the knock-on-your-door pitch after a storm is covered; a job you started by walking into their showroom generally is not. What sits in between — you phoned them and invited a rep to the house — is a solicitation away from their place of business, so the right may well apply. Anyone telling you flatly that you always have three days, or never do, is overselling it.

The State of Texas already tells you to do this

Before a residential construction contract is signed, Property Code §53.255 requires the contractor to hand you a disclosure statement. The statute sets out model wording and says the statement must read “substantially similar” to it, so yours may be phrased a little differently. The statutory text reads:

KNOW YOUR CONTRACTOR. Before you enter into your agreement… make sure that you have investigated your contractor. Obtain and verify references from other people who have used the contractor for the type and size of construction project on your property. Texas Property Code §53.255

The same statement requires: “GET IT IN WRITING” — with the work described, the time for completion, the cost or how it’s determined, and the payment method, noting that “an oral promise that is not included in the written agreement may not be enforceable.” “READ BEFORE YOU SIGN… NEVER SIGN A DOCUMENT THAT INCLUDES AN UNTRUE STATEMENT.” “GET A LIST OF SUBCONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS.” And “CONVEYANCE TO CONTRACTOR NOT REQUIRED” — nobody may require you to sign over your property as a condition of the work.

If you weren’t given that statement, that itself tells you something.

If you’re outside the city limits

Unincorporated Williamson County is a different world. In the county’s own words, it “does not require any new residential construction to conform to any building code” — no county building permit, no inspection, no certificate of occupancy. There is no municipal registration behind your contractor and no inspector coming to look at the work.

That doesn’t mean don’t hire anyone. It means the checks on this page are the only ones there are, so run them all: entity status, engineer’s licence if one is claimed, insurance verified with the carrier, references from jobs of similar size, and a written contract that satisfies §53.254 before anyone starts.

Common questions

Is an unlicensed contractor a red flag?

Not on its own, because for this trade there is no state licence to have — but “unlicensed” is the wrong lens. Check the things that do exist. Judge them on the checks that do exist: entity status, city registration, insurance you verified yourself, an engineer’s stamp where one applies, references, and a contract that meets the statutory formalities.

Should I get an engineer before or after quotes?

Before. An independent structural engineer doesn’t sell repairs, so their scope becomes the neutral document every bidder quotes against — which is also what makes the quotes comparable. More in how repair works and how to hire.

What if the work goes wrong?

The Deceptive Trade Practices Act is the usual route for a homeowner, and a home purchase or repair is never exempted by size — the Act’s large-transaction exemptions specifically carve residences back in. Two things people get wrong: treble damages are capped and discretionary, not automatic, and require a finding that the conduct was knowing or intentional. And there’s a 60-day written notice requirement before filing suit. Claims against an engineer’s professional opinion may be treated differently from claims against a contractor’s workmanship. This is general information, not legal advice — talk to a lawyer about your situation.

Do you vet the contractors you refer?

Not to the standard this page describes, and we’d rather say so than imply otherwise. Whatever screening any referral service does, it is not a substitute for checking a company yourself — you are the one signing the contract and the one whose homestead is exposed. Run the checks above on anyone you’re considering, including anyone we send you.

Sources

• Texas Occupations Code §1001.056 (engineering exemption and the expansive-soil carve-out), §1001.301 (title protection).
• Texas Property Code §53.254 (homestead lien formalities), §53.255 (pre-contract disclosure), §53.101 (retainage), §41.007 (contract warning), §162.006 (construction account).
• Texas Business & Commerce Code Ch. 601 (three-day cancellation), Ch. 17 (Deceptive Trade Practices Act).
• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — the list of regulated industries. Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors — rosters. Texas Department of Insurance — certificate of insurance guidance. Williamson County — unincorporated building code statement.
• City registration and permit requirements from each city’s own building department: Round Rock, Georgetown registration and Georgetown foundation repair permit, Cedar Park, Leander, Taylor.
• Not legal advice. This is general information about Texas law as we read it. Your situation may differ, and statutes change — the Legislature next convenes in January 2027.

Statutes and registration requirements last verified July 27, 2026.

Foundation repair by city

Soil, neighborhoods and permit rules differ across the county. Local detail for Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Hutto, Pflugerville and Taylor, or see every area we serve.