Website Development Agreement
Customized Agreements
Website Development Agreement
Coordinate a website build from its existing-site and technology baseline through page and feature specifications, client inputs, milestones, revision and change control, deposit and milestone payments, objective testing and acceptance, launch authorization, ownership and license treatment, post-launch warranty, termination, and an asset-level transition through six substantive schedules.
Also called: web design contract, website project agreement, website developer agreement.
What you walk away with
A clean multi-page PDF and DOCX after you finish — not a web-form dump. Preview the document before you pay.
- PDF export
- DOCX export
- E-sign included
- No subscription
Electronic contracting, taxes, accessibility, privacy, data security, warranties, intellectual-property transfers, open-source obligations, indemnity, liability, automatic renewal, retention, and deletion requirements vary by governing law, parties, users, website functions, data, and locations.
Jurisdiction details
See how this document starts in your state
Choose the state where the document will be used. The state page shows the maintained coverage level, local-rule limits, and a builder link with the canonical state code already selected.
When this fits
Use this document when…
- New website design and development projects
- Existing-site redesigns, migrations, and rebuilds
- Agency or freelance builds with milestone payments
- Commerce, integration, content-migration, accessibility, privacy, or custom-feature implementations
Before you start
Information you will need
- Developer, client, project, website, domains, objectives, platform stack, existing assets, jurisdiction, term, contacts, and approvers
- Pages, templates, features, integrations, content, migration, environments, deliverables, measurable requirements, and exclusions
- Client inputs, feedback rules, credentials, domains, hosting, policy content, third parties, licenses, change authority, and responsibility assignments
- Milestones, dependencies, dates, revision rounds, change requests, launch prerequisites, deposit, milestone payments, rates, expenses, taxes, and invoices
- Testing, browsers, devices, defects, acceptance criteria, launch authorization, warranty, ownership, licenses, data, security, termination, training, documentation, and handoff
What you receive
- One customized Website Development Agreement
- Schedule A project specification
- Schedule B milestones, dependencies, reviews, changes, and launch
- Schedule C client, developer, hosting, content, policy, security, and third-party responsibility matrix
- Schedule D price, deposit, milestone payments, changes, expenses, and invoices
- Schedule E testing, acceptance, defects, launch authorization, and warranty
- Schedule F completion or termination, training, documentation, and handoff
- PDF and DOCX export with electronic signature capability
Document questions
Questions about this document
What is a Website Development Agreement?
Coordinate a website build from its existing-site and technology baseline through page and feature specifications, client inputs, milestones, revision and change control, deposit and milestone payments, objective testing and acceptance, launch authorization, ownership and license treatment, post-launch warranty, termination, and an asset-level transition through six substantive schedules.
How do I create a Website Development Agreement?
New website design and development projects; Existing-site redesigns, migrations, and rebuilds; Agency or freelance builds with milestone payments
What should a Website Development Agreement include?
Developer, client, project, website, domains, objectives, platform stack, existing assets, jurisdiction, term, contacts, and approvers; Pages, templates, features, integrations, content, migration, environments, deliverables, measurable requirements, and exclusions; Client inputs, feedback rules, credentials, domains, hosting, policy content, third parties, licenses, change authority, and responsibility assignments; Milestones, dependencies, dates, revision rounds, change requests, launch prerequisites, deposit, milestone payments, rates, expenses, taxes, and invoices; Testing, browsers, devices, defects, acceptance criteria, launch authorization, warranty, ownership, licenses, data, security, termination, training, documentation, and handoff
Special situations
- Design, commerce, integrations, migration, technical search work, accessibility implementation, privacy implementation, and post-launch maintenance appear only when selected.
- A change updates affected scope, estimate, price, dependencies, acceptance criteria, and schedule together.
- Custom-work rights follow the selected transfer or license and payment event; developer tools, client materials, and third-party components retain their stated treatment.
- Launch and handoff require named authority, operational accounts, source and design files, environments, data, credentials, licenses, documentation, tests, known issues, and access removal.
Frequently asked questions
What keeps the project from expanding informally?
The project specification fixes the build inventory, and each approved change records affected deliverables, estimates, fees, dependencies, criteria, and dates.
When is a deliverable accepted?
The acceptance schedule identifies objective criteria, test scope, review periods, rejection details, corrections, retesting, accepted exceptions, and launch authority.
Who owns the finished website?
The selected custom-work transfer or license applies at the stated payment event. Developer tools, client materials, and third-party components keep their separately stated rights.
Who supplies privacy and accessibility requirements?
The responsibility matrix records client decisions and content and the developer's selected implementation and testing tasks; the agreement does not invent unstated standards.
What is delivered at completion or termination?
The handoff schedule covers source and design files, domains, hosting, DNS, repositories, builds, data, credentials, licenses, documentation, training, tests, known defects, warranty contacts, and access removal.
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Not legal advice
Locke Direct helps structure documents and workflows. It does not replace a qualified lawyer for complex, unusual, or high-risk situations.
Last reviewed August 2, 2026.