The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill Mandates Residential Contractor Warranties and Sets Arbitration Rules
Last action · February 5, 2026: To Government OrganizationSponsors: Patricia Rucker and 1 other
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 760 requires residential improvement and new home contracts to include an express one-year minimum warranty covering structural, plumbing, electrical, and other major systems. The bill prohibits contractors from excluding or limiting these warranties or legal remedies and mandates that any contract arbitration take place within 50 miles of the residence.
Homebuyers and residential property owners gain legally enforceable minimum warranty protections and the right to hold dispute resolution proceedings close to their property, while contractors face potential license discipline, fines up to $1,000, or financial assurance requirements for failing to comply or remedy defects.
- Senate Bill 760 was introduced in the West Virginia Senate during the 2026 Regular Session and referred to the Committee on Government Organization. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Residential homeowners
Homeowners receive mandatory express warranties on residential improvements and new dwellings, cumulative warranty protections, and guaranteed local arbitration locations.
Residential contractors
Contractors must include specific express warranty terms in all residential improvement contracts, cannot disclaim warranties, and are subject to Contractor Licensing Board discipline for noncompliance.
Contractor Licensing Board
The board gains new enforcement authority to discipline contractors who fail to offer compliant contracts or fail to remedy construction defects.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What systems must be covered under the mandatory contractor warranty?
Can a contractor include a contract clause waiving implied warranties?
Where must arbitration hearings take place under this bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 5, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Government Organization
- Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
- Feb 5, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Government Organization then Judiciary
- Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Residential Warranty Standards
The legislation introduces statutory minimum warranty standards for residential improvement contracts, prohibiting waivers and establishing specific system coverage requirements.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy50Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools