This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah regulators participating in a national, undercover crackdown on construction-related fraud have issued 45 administrative citations and assessed $23,000 in fines at locations throughout the state.
Those actions came at the conclusion of a two-week sting operation in which the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) took the in-state lead.
Utah's efforts were under the umbrella of the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies, which also sponsored similar campaigns June 5-16 in the states of Arizona, California, Florida, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.
DOPL Director Mark Steinagel said the Utah campaign targeted both northern and southern portions of the state where unlicensed, fraudulent construction contracting had been reported.
"The division is proud of their achievements in identifying bad actors whose actions harm the public and take away legitimate business from professional licensees," he stated.
Steinagel said his investigators used Craigslist, online classifieds, field checks and "proactive investigations" to lure violators to "decoy" commercial buildings. There, they made bids; once would-be contractors' unlicensed status was confirmed, they were cited and fined.
The 45 citations this year compared to 32 issued during a similar crackdown in 2015, when $20,000 in fines were assessed.
DOPL, while touting its success this year, added that the best protection from contractor fraud was for those seeking construction help to follow some basic precautions:
— Verify the contractor or business is actively licensed with the state of Utah at http://www.dopl.utah.gov. (The same site can help with filing of a complaint).
— Always hire a licensed contractor so you have the ability to file a complaint if something goes wrong in the business transaction.
— Request three written estimates to compare with other firms.
— Check at least three references with former customers.
— Check with materials suppliers on which contractors/companies they would recommend.
— Require a written contract to protect yourself and your property against liens.
— Don't make a large down payment; pay as work is completed.
— Monitor the job in progress.
— Don't make the final payment until the job is complete per the terms of your contract.
— And finally, keep copies of all paperwork related to your job.
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