Working under a GC
A change order from above is a proposal, not a bill.
You signed a subcontract months ago, waited for the go-ahead, and then a change order lands in your inbox deducting money from your contract. One subcontractor described exactly this: the general had pulled permits for all subs at the time of the main permit application, then sent a change order charging one percent of the overall contract as the permit fee. Nothing had changed about the work. The paperwork just showed up.
Direct answer
Do not sign it and do not ignore it. A change order issued to you is a proposal until you accept it, but many subcontracts treat silence or continued work as acceptance. Respond in writing within days, reference the specific clause your subcontract uses, and state plainly what you agree to and what you do not.
01Workflow
How to respond
- 1
Read the change order for what it actually says, separating the work described from the money.
- 2
Open the subcontract and find the clause it claims to rely on.
- 3
Reply in writing quickly, even if the reply is only that you are reviewing it.
- 4
State specifically what you accept and what you dispute, with the reason attached to each.
- 5
Keep working on the undisputed scope unless your contract says otherwise, and keep the exchange in one thread.
02Practical notes
What matters in the field.
Silence is the risk, not disagreement.
Subcontracts commonly include a short window to object to a change order or a backcharge, after which it is treated as accepted. Waiting to see whether it goes away is the one response that reliably makes it stick. A two-line email saying you have received it and are reviewing it costs nothing and protects the clock.
Separate the work from the money.
Change orders from a general often bundle a scope change with a cost allocation. You may genuinely agree the work is needed and still disagree with who pays for it. Answering both in one sentence lets the general treat your agreement on the work as agreement on the charge. Answer them separately.
Ask what changed, in writing.
If nothing about your scope changed, that is the question to put on the record: what condition changed that produced this cost, and when. In the permit fee example, the permits had been pulled at the original application, which is a fact with a date attached. Facts with dates are what resolve these.
A backcharge and a change order are not the same thing.
A change order modifies scope or price going forward. A backcharge claims you caused a cost that someone else absorbed. They often arrive looking identical, and they have different requirements in most subcontracts - typically notice, and often an opportunity to fix the problem yourself. Naming which one it actually is changes the conversation.
Protect the relationship and the record at once.
Most subs depend on repeat work from the same generals, which is exactly why the response should be calm, specific, and written. A professional objection on the record is normal in commercial work. A verbal complaint that leaves no trace is what gets forgotten when the final payment application is prepared.
03Checklist
Before you reply
The change order read carefully, work separated from cost
The subcontract clause it relies on, located and read
The objection window in your subcontract, checked
A written reply sent within days, even if only an acknowledgement
Specific agreement and specific disagreement, each with a reason
The whole exchange kept in one email thread for the payment application
Example
The reply to send
Received CO #4 today. Confirming we are reviewing it and will respond in full this week.
On the scope: we agree the additional rough-in is required and can schedule it for the week of the 12th.
On the cost allocation: our subcontract does not provide for permit costs to be charged back to us, and the permits referenced were pulled at the original application on May 3. We are not able to accept that portion as written.
04FAQ
Common questions.
Can I just refuse to sign and keep working?
Refusing to sign is fine. Staying silent is not. Many subcontracts treat continued performance without objection as acceptance, so the refusal has to be stated in writing rather than just implied by not signing.
What if the general says the job stops until I sign?
That is a pressure tactic and also sometimes a real position, depending on the contract. This is the point where the specific wording of your subcontract matters more than general advice, and where a short call with a construction attorney is usually cheaper than the amount in dispute.
Does any of this apply to residential work?
The mechanics are the same whenever someone above you issues paperwork that changes your money - a builder, a property manager, a facilities company. What changes is that residential agreements are usually thinner, so the written exchange becomes the record rather than the contract clause.
See what the approval record looks like.
Open the sample PDF first, then download SiteTicket AI if this is close to how you handle added work, customer approval, and invoice backup.
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