Web Design Contract Checklist: What to Confirm Before Signing

The short answer

• Nine clause groups cover scope, money, ownership, exit, and support — all in writing.
• The scope schedule should name every page, deliverable, and exclusion.
• Ownership of the site, content, and accounts must be assigned in writing.
• Tie every payment milestone to a named deliverable, not a calendar date.
• This is general information, not legal advice — have a lawyer review big agreements.

Scope and deliverables

The contract should attach the itemised quote as a scope schedule: every page, feature, and deliverable named, plus a short list of what is excluded. Scope is the clause most disputes trace back to, because "a five-page website" means something different to every person who reads it.

If the proposal itself is vague, the contract cannot rescue it. Check the estimate against what a web design quote should include first, then have the agreement reference that itemised scope directly. An itemised scope whose price cannot change without your written approval is a fair standard to ask any provider for.

Timeline, dependencies and delay handling

The timeline clause should state a start date, named milestones, and the dependencies that sit with you — content, feedback, approvals. It should also say what happens when either side is late: whether the schedule pauses, how the project restarts, and when a stalled project can be closed out.

Most website delays are shared: the designer waits on photos, the owner waits on drafts. A fair delay clause treats both sides the same way. Look for wording that pauses the schedule while content is outstanding, and a defined path for restarting — or invoicing and closing — a project that has stalled for months.

Feedback, revisions and acceptance

The contract should state how many revision rounds are included at each stage, how feedback is submitted, and what counts as acceptance. Acceptance matters most: a written sign-off at each milestone marks the stage complete, starts the next one, and stops finished work being reopened for free months later.

• Rounds — two to three structured rounds per stage is a healthy standard.
• Format — feedback gathered in one document per round, not a stream of emails.
• Acceptance — a named person approves each stage in writing.
• Silence — a stated period after which no response counts as approval, so projects cannot stall forever.

Payment milestones and taxes

Payments should be split into milestones tied to deliverables — commonly a deposit to book the project, a payment at design approval, and the balance at launch. The contract should state each amount, when it falls due, the accepted payment methods, and whether the figures include GST.

Avoid schedules where most of the money is due before you have seen anything, and be equally fair the other way: providers carry real risk when a finished site sits unpaid. Milestones tied to named deliverables protect both sides.

Change requests and out-of-scope work

A change request clause defines how new work is added mid-project: the request is described in writing, priced before it starts, and approved by you before anyone builds it. Without this clause, extras arrive as surprise line items on the final invoice — or as silent scope creep that delays launch.

The clause does not need to be complicated. One paragraph works: changes outside the scope schedule are quoted in writing, work starts only after written approval, and the timeline adjusts accordingly. That single paragraph converts most mid-project arguments into a five-minute email.

Ownership, licences and third-party assets

The contract should assign ownership of the finished website, its design, and its content to you on final payment, and list what stays licensed rather than owned — stock images, fonts, plugins, platform code. In Canada, the creator of a work generally holds copyright unless it is assigned in writing.

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office describes copyright as arising automatically with the creator of a work. As general information, that means the person who builds your site may hold copyright in it unless the agreement assigns it to you — which is why one written assignment clause matters more than any verbal promise. The practical list of what to claim, from domain to analytics, is in who owns your website and accounts.

Third-party assets follow their own licences. The contract should name the stock images, fonts, and plugins the site depends on, who holds each licence, and what renewals cost — so nothing on your website quietly belongs to someone else's subscription.

Confidentiality, data and access

The contract should state what confidential information each side shares, how customer data is handled, and how credentials are managed. Passwords should be exchanged securely, access should be limited to what the project needs, and every credential should be handed back or transferred when the work ends.

This clause is short in most small-business agreements, and that is fine. What matters is that it exists: who can access your accounts during the build, whether any work is subcontracted, and a plain sentence confirming your business information will not be shared or reused.

Termination, refunds and unfinished work

A termination clause lets either side end the agreement with written notice, and states what happens next: completed milestones are paid for, deposits are addressed, and you receive the work finished to date. As general information, cancellation rights depend on the wording — which is exactly why they belong in writing.

Read this clause imagining the worst month of the project, not the best one. If the provider disappears, do you get the files? If your circumstances change, what do you owe? The fair pattern is simple: pay for work completed, receive that work, and part ways without hostages on either side.

Warranty, support and handover

The contract should define a post-launch fix window, what it covers, and what ongoing support costs after it ends. A 30-day window where defects are fixed at no cost is a reasonable baseline to ask for. Handover should include admin access, credentials, and any documentation needed to run the site.

Separate warranty from maintenance. The warranty covers defects in what was built; maintenance covers updates, backups, and small changes going forward, priced as its own optional monthly line. Handover completes the picture — you should end the project holding every login and knowing where everything lives.

When to seek legal advice

Have a lawyer review the agreement when the project is a significant spend for your business, when it contains unusual clauses such as non-competes or broad liability terms, when the provider is outside Canada, or whenever ownership and termination wording is unclear. A short review costs far less than a dispute.

For a typical small-business build, the checklist above will catch most gaps before signing. This article remains general information for Canadian small businesses, not legal advice — a local lawyer can read a specific agreement against your specific situation, which is the one thing no checklist can do.

Frequently asked questions

What should a web design contract include?

A web design contract should include an itemised scope and deliverables list, a timeline with client dependencies, revision rounds and acceptance terms, payment milestones with tax treatment, a change request process, written ownership and licence terms, confidentiality and access rules, termination terms, and a defined post-launch warranty and handover.

Who owns the website under the contract?

Whoever the contract says. In Canada, the creator of a work generally holds copyright unless it is assigned in writing, so the agreement should assign the finished website, design, and content to you on final payment, and list any third-party assets that remain licensed rather than owned.

How should revisions be handled?

The contract should state how many revision rounds are included at each stage, how feedback is submitted, and what marks a stage as accepted. Two to three structured rounds per stage is a healthy standard, with written sign-off at each milestone so approved work is not reopened for free later.

What is a change request?

A change request is any work outside the agreed scope schedule — a new page, feature, or integration added mid-project. A good contract requires each change to be described in writing, priced before work begins, and approved by you, with the timeline adjusted so extras never arrive as surprise invoices.

Can I cancel a web design contract?

That depends on the termination clause, which is why it belongs in writing before you sign. Most fair agreements let either side end the project with written notice, with completed work paid for and files handed over. This is general information only — for a specific agreement, ask a lawyer.

What happens if the project is delayed?

Whatever the delay clause says. A fair contract pauses the schedule while client content or feedback is outstanding, sets a path for restarting stalled projects, and treats provider-side delays the same way. If the agreement is silent on delays, agree on that handling in writing before you sign.

Sources

• Canadian Intellectual Property Office — copyright basics