Pressure washing and driveway sealing scams: door-knockers, leftover materials and bad practice

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

What scams should you watch for?

No consumer agency page found for this guide describes a scam aimed at pressure washing as such. The closest documented cases involve crews selling driveway paving and sealing door to door, a job that cost surveys such as HomeGuide price on the same pages as washing, and they follow a pattern the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes for home improvement scams in general. This guide sets out those cases, the FTC's warning signs, and the practices that the bodies behind each material say are wrong even when nobody intends to cheat you.

What did Pennsylvania's Attorney General find?

In August 2026 the Attorney General filed a complaint against a northeastern Pennsylvania paving contractor. According to the office's release, the business advertised paving, sealing and asphalt services on social media and door to door, and the office received at least 14 complaints. The complaint alleges high-pressure sales tactics, contract prices raised without consumers' knowledge, abandoned jobs and substandard work. These are allegations in a pending case, not findings.

One example in the release shows how such a job unfolds. A senior in Dauphin County was approached by people offering to pave his driveway, who said they had extra materials left over from another job. They quoted $16,000, and he paid $8,000 down. After the work, they tried to collect twice the contract amount; terms had allegedly been added to the contract without his knowledge. Fearing a lien, he paid $32,000.

What happened in Connecticut?

Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection and its Attorney General warned in 2021 that driveway paving and sealing was a common scam at that time of year. They described unregistered contractors going door to door with high-pressure tactics who, after charging a high price, put down hot motor oil instead of a proper sealant. The oil washed off after a couple of rainstorms, polluting water systems and leaving the driveway unfinished. Their advice was never to commit on the spot to an unsolicited sales pitch at your door.

What are the FTC's warning signs?

The FTC lists tactics scammers use on homeowners:

• Knocking on your door because they are "in the area".
• Saying they have materials left over from a previous job.
• Pressing you for an immediate decision.
• Asking you to pay for everything up front, or accepting only cash.
• Asking you to get any required permits yourself.
• Suggesting you borrow from a lender they know.

Before hiring anyone who approaches you, the FTC suggests checking with consumer protection officials for complaints and searching online for the company's name together with words such as "scam", "review" or "complaint".

The leftover-materials line appears both in the FTC's list and in the Pennsylvania case above.

What bad practice should you watch for?

Some of the most costly mistakes are not scams at all, but methods that the people behind a material warn against. A company proposing any of these is worth questioning.

• Pressure washing an asphalt roof. The shingle makers' trade association, ARMA, says not to use a power washer or any brush or broom on shingles, and that high-pressure systems are likely to damage asphalt roofing.
• Washing old paint without lead-safe certification. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces on a pre-1978 home to be certified in lead-safe work. Suspected violations can be reported to the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-5323.
• Spraying pesticides without a license. Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture requires a commercial applicator license to use pesticides on another person's property.
• Sending dirty water into the street. The Philadelphia Water Department says only rain should go in storm drains, because they lead to streams and rivers.

How do you protect yourself?

• Do not decide at the door. Take the company's name and registration number, and check it in the Attorney General's contractor search before you agree to anything.
• Get the price in writing. For home improvements over $500, Pennsylvania requires a signed, written contract with the total price. Read every term, and do not sign a page with blanks.
• Do not pay it all up front. The FTC says not to pay the full amount in advance and never to make the final payment until the work is done and you are satisfied.
• Know your right to cancel. The Attorney General reported in May 2026 that you can cancel a home improvement contract within three business days of signing, by phone or any other means, as long as the contractor receives notice.

Questions to ask before you hire gives a full checklist, and what Pennsylvania requires covers registration.

Where do you report a problem?

The Attorney General asks consumers to file complaints online, by calling 1-800-441-2555 or by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov, and takes reports of unregistered contractors on 1-888-520-6680. In Bucks County, the county's consumer protection office mediates complaints, including false statements that services are needed and incomplete home repairs, and Delaware County's Office of Consumer Affairs offers voluntary mediation of home repair complaints. Legitimate businesses offering the service are on the pressure washing directory page.

Sources

1. How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission
2. Bureau of Consumer Protection Files Complaint Against NE Pa. Contractor Who Failed to Complete Work or Issue Refunds, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
3. Officials Remind Consumers to be Cautious Before Beginning Home Improvement, Driveway Resealing Projects, Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection
4. PA Supreme Court Upholds Consumer Right-to-Cancel Home Improvement Contracts Within Three Days Regardless of Medium, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
5. Submit a Complaint, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
6. Consumer Protection/ Weights & Measures, Bucks County
7. Algae Discoloration of Roofs, Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA)
8. Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
9. Pesticide Applicators, Registered Technicians, and Certification Exams, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
10. Taking Care of Storm Drains, Philadelphia Water Department
11. Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
12. Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
13. Pressure Washing Prices, HomeGuide
14. Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County