Planning to work out of state? Here are some tips to avoid surprises when you perform a construction or design contract outside your home state. 1. Become authorized to do business. Whether you want to do business in another state as an existing construction or design firm or create a new entity to do business in the other state, you need to get a certificate of authority from the state agency that regulates business entities—usually the secretary of state or the department of commerce.One reason for registering in each state where you do business is that many states prohibit an