Short answer
Yes. You can cancel for any reason before midnight of the third business day after you receive a copy of the contract (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151). Send a signed, dated written notice by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or deliver it in person to the address in the contract. Your money must be refunded within 30 days.
How to cancel
- Write a notice of cancellation, then sign and date it.
- Send it by registered or certified mail with a return receipt, or hand-deliver it, to the contractor business at the address in the contract.
- Do it before midnight of the third business day after you received your copy of the contract.
What happens next
All money paid under the cancelled contract must be refunded within 30 days of the contractor receiving your notice. If you signed a credit or loan agreement through the contractor to pay for the work, it is cancelled without penalty, and you must be told in writing within 30 days (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151).
The notice must be in your contract
Every home improvement contract must carry a "Notice to Consumer" explaining this right, printed in at least 10-point bold type, with the contractor's name, address and phone number for the cancellation (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151). If yours does not have it, ask why before you sign. After the three days, what happens depends on the contract's own terms.
Sources
- New Jersey Revised Statutes (Contractors' Registration Act), N.J.S.A. 56:8-151, Home improvement contracts: writing, contents and three-day cancellation. Checked September 2026.