Maine: no state contractor license, but the trades are licensed

The limit in Maine

The limit: there is no state license for general or handyman work, so there is no state dollar limit. No state license for handymen or general contractors at any job size; plumbing, electrical and fuel-burning heating work need a trade license.

Licenses in Maine

General contractors: No state license. No state general contractor license, residential or commercial. LD 1226 (Maine Home Contractor Licensing Act, license for residential work over $15,000 from 2027-01-01) passed the House but died in the Senate on adjournment, 2026-04-29.

Plumbing: State license. State license required for anyone doing plumbing (Plumbers' Examining Board), except activity that needs no permit under 30-A M.R.S. § 4215.

Electrical: State license. An electrical installation may only be made by an electrician licensed by the Electricians' Examining Board, with the chapter's exceptions.

HVAC: State license · not fully confirmed. Maine Fuel Board licenses anyone who installs or services oil, solid fuel, propane or natural gas burning equipment (heating side). No official source found on a state license for air conditioning/refrigeration-only work. Whether air-conditioning-only work needs a state license was not found on the state's pages.

Your license number in Maine

Your license number: Maine's own pages show no state rule that puts it on paperwork. The trade boards' advertising rules could not be read.

Maine's board, and when this was checked

The board: No state contractor board. Trades: Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Electricians' Examining Board, Plumbers' Examining Board, Maine Fuel Board). As of November 6, 2026. Dates on the state's pages: LD 1226 died 2026-04-29 and 10 M.R.S. § 1487 history through RR 2025, c. 2.

This is a summary of each state's own pages as of November 6, 2026, not legal advice. Rules change, and cities and counties add licenses of their own. Check with your state's board, linked on this page, before you rely on it.

Compare Maine with every state's limit.

Next door to Maine

• New Hampshire: not confirmed

Official sources for Maine

6 of Maine's own pages, each quoted with its link:

• Maine Attorney General - Home Construction Contracts: “Contractors Are Not Licensed. Maine does not license or regulate home contractors.”
• 10 M.R.S. § 1487 - Home construction contracts (10 M.R.S. § 1487): “Any home construction contract for more than $3,000 in materials or labor must be in writing and must be signed by both the home construction contractor and the homeowner or lessee.”
• LD 1226 / HP 801 (132nd Legislature) - bill status (LD 1226 (not enacted)): “Died in Possession of the Senate when the Legislature adjourned Sine Die and was PLACED IN THE LEGISLATIVE FILES. (DEAD)”
• 32 M.R.S. § 3302 - Applicability (Plumbers) (32 M.R.S. § 3302(1)): “A license is required for any individual who is engaged in plumbing or performing plumbing installations. A license is not required for any activity for which a permit is not required under Title 30-A, section 4215.”
• 32 M.R.S. § 1201 - License required (Electricians) (32 M.R.S. § 1201): “An electrical installation may not be made unless by an electrician licensed by the board except as provided in this chapter.”
• 32 M.R.S. § 18102 - License required (Maine Fuel Board) (32 M.R.S. § 18102): “A person who installs or services solid fuel burning equipment, including pellet-fired central heating appliances, or oil, propane or natural gas burning equipment and a facility where propane or natural gas is dispensed must be licensed under this chapter, except as provided under section 18104.”

Every state in one file: Excel and CSV downloads

Where our data comes from