A new law that requires home improvement contractors to register with the state attorney general's office goes into effect Wednesday. It's about time.

The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, passed by the state Legislature last year, requires contractors who do $5,000 or more in home improvements or repairs in a year to register with the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

They also must maintain minimum insurance coverage -- at least $50,000 in property damage and at least $50,000 in personal injury liability -- and show proof that they have it.

And they must use contracts that contain important information about home projects, including the start and completion dates, a complete description of the work and consumers' rights under the law.

The registration is valid for two years and costs $50. Because the law pre-empts registration requirements imposed by some communities, it will save money for contractors who have had to pay multiple fees to multiple municipalities.

Attorney General Tom Corbett said the law is intended to protect consumers from unscrupulous contractors, provide new protection for consumers and authorize criminal penalties for home improvement fraud.

The penalties for contractors engaged in fraud up to $2,000 include fines of up to $10,000 and prison terms of up to five years. If the fraud exceeds $2,000, the penalties increase to a maximum of a $15,000 fine and seven years in prison.

And, if the case involves victims 60 or older, the fine jumps to $25,000 and the maximum prison term extends to 10 years.

Mr. Corbett said his office received more than 2,100 complaints last year from consumers "struggling with problems involving home improvement and repair projects."

"This will give us new tools to identify and prosecute problem contractors, while also helping consumers avoid frustrating and potentially expensive problems in the future."

Consumers can verify a contractor's registration by visiting www.attorneygeneral.gov or, beginning Wednesday, by calling toll-free 1-888-520-6680.

Mr. Corbett urged consumers to hire only registered contractors. He also advised them to interview prospective contractors, obtain current references and visit those work sites and get at least three bids.

Contractors can register online at www.attorneygeneral.gov or may obtain a form by calling toll-free 1-800-441-2555.

Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for Mr. Corbett, said more than 19,000 contractors already have registered.

"We can deny registration to anyone for cause, including those who are in bankruptcy or have criminal or civil issues, and we also can go to court to revoke a contractor's registration," Mr. Frederiksen said.

"We also will cross-check registration information with our courts and those in other states. It will be much harder for contractors to hide or walk away from problems."

A free clinic, "The Truth about Probate and Living Trusts," will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North at 910 Sheraton Drive, Cranberry.

The clinic will discuss issues and questions about revocable living trusts and probate, "including misinformation that is being distributed about these subjects," said attorney Christine Kornosky, who chairs the Probate and Trust Law section of the Allegheny County Bar Association. It also will advise attendees "how to guard against living-trust scams targeting senior citizens."

Probate deals with the administration of an individual's estate and usually involves a will.

A living trust is a legal entity to which an individual's assets (bank accounts, securities, house, etc.) can be transferred and managed by a person, including the individual, or a corporation, such as a bank or a trust company. That individual or corporation is known as a trustee. The trustee manages the individual's assets in accordance with instructions in a trust document.

The clinic is sponsored by the bar association, the law firm of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott and PNC Bank. Serving on the panel will be Common Pleas Judge Frank Lucchino, administrative head of the court's division that handles wills, trusts and estates; state Senior Deputy Attorney General John Abel; Ms. Kornosky; and attorneys Scott Magnuson, Raymond Vogliano and Thomas Crowley.

Because of the "overwhelming response" to the first clinic that was held March 31 in Bethel Park, Mr. Magnuson said Judge Lucchino urged the bar association to hold another one as soon as possible. Additional clinics are being considered for the eastern and western suburbs.

Monday's clinic will be limited to 250 people. Reservations are required. Call 412-402-6651.

If you cannot attend but would like to receive a copy of the bar association's pamphlet on "The Truth about Probate and Living Trusts," call the association at 412-261-6161. For more information, go to www.acba.org and click on "For the Public."