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Maryland: no small-job exemption from the contractor license
Maryland has no small-job exemption: every paid job needs its contractor license. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC: state license. Read from Maryland's own pages, checked November 6, 2026.
The limit in Maryland
The limit: none. No dollar exemption: any paid home improvement work for an owner needs an MHIC license.
What the law covers: "a person must have a contractor license whenever the person acts as a contractor in the State"; "Contractor" means a person, other than an employee of an owner, who performs or offers or agrees to perform a home improvement for an owner." The definitions contain no dollar amount.
Conditions: Not home improvement (no MHIC license needed): new home construction, apartment buildings with four or more units, condominium common areas, carpet installation/cleaning, demolition/clean-up, TV wall-mounting, interior window treatments; House painting, flooring, driveways and decks are home improvement and need the license; Licensed electricians, plumbers and HVACR contractors are exempt from MHIC for work within their own trade.
Licenses in Maryland
General contractors: State license, home improvement only · not fully confirmed. MHIC contractor license required for home improvement on existing residences at any value. No statewide general contractor license for commercial work found. New home construction is outside 'home improvement'; the separate new-home-builder registration was not verified. The separate registration for new-home builders, and whether commercial work needs a state license, were not confirmed.
Plumbing: State license. State Board of Plumbing: an individual must be licensed by the Board before providing plumbing, natural gas or propane services (exception for work in one's own residence).
Electrical: State license. State Board of Master Electricians: all electrical work must be done by a licensed Master, Journeyperson or Apprentice Electrician; some counties also require local registration of the state license.
HVAC: State license. State Board of HVACR Contractors: an individual must be licensed before providing or assisting in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning or refrigeration services.
Your license number in Maryland
Your license number: Home improvement contractors must show the number on contracts, advertising and vehicles. None of these rules names invoices.
In the rule's words: “Bus. Reg. § 8-501(c)(1): "each home improvement contract shall contain: (i) the name, address, telephone number, and license number of the contractor; (ii) the name and license number of each salesperson" | COMAR 09.08.01.09A(1): "...unless the name and license number of the contractor are stated in the advertisement." | COMAR 09.08.01.06A: "...display their home improvement license number preceded by the designation "MHIC #" on both sides of all vehicles..."” (Md. Code, Bus. Reg. § 8-501(c)(1); COMAR 09.08.01.06; COMAR 09.08.01.09)
Maryland's board, and when this was checked
The board: Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Maryland Department of Labor. As of November 6, 2026.
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 Maryland with every state's limit.
Next door to Maryland
- Delaware: no small-job exemption
- District of Columbia: under $300 per job, per homeowner a year
- Pennsylvania: under $5,000 a year
- Virginia: up to $1,000 per job
- West Virginia: under $5,000 per job
Official sources for Maryland
12 of Maryland's own pages, each quoted with its link:
- Md. Code, Business Regulation § 8-301 (Bus. Reg. § 8-301(a)): “(a) Except as otherwise provided in this title, a person must have a contractor license whenever the person acts as a contractor in the State.”
- Md. Code, Business Regulation § 8-301 (Bus. Reg. § 8-301(c)(4)): “(4) an architect, electrician, plumber, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, or refrigeration contractor, or other person who: ... (ii) currently is licensed in that occupation or profession under State or local law”
- Md. Code, Business Regulation § 8-101 - Definitions (Bus. Reg. § 8-101(c)): “(c) "Contractor" means a person, other than an employee of an owner, who performs or offers or agrees to perform a home improvement for an owner.”
- Md. Code, Business Regulation § 8-101 - Definitions (Bus. Reg. § 8-101(g)(3)): “(3) "Home improvement" does not include: (i) construction of a new home; ... (v) work done on apartment buildings that contain four or more single-family units; or (vi) work done on the commonly owned areas of condominiums.”
- MHIC FAQs - Do You Need a License to Do That?: “Painting of houses is included within the definition of "home improvement." ... No, demolition and clean-up work is not considered to be within the definition of "home improvement."”
- Md. Code, Business Regulation § 8-501 - Home improvement contracts (Bus. Reg. § 8-501(c)(1)(i)): “(c) (1) In addition to any other matters on which the parties lawfully agree, each home improvement contract shall contain: (i) the name, address, telephone number, and license number of the contractor;”
- COMAR 09.08 - Home Improvement Commission (COMAR 09.08.01.09A(1)): “A licensed home improvement contractor may not solicit home improvement business by way of advertisement in a newspaper, magazine, circular, or printed document, or by way of television or radio announcement, unless the name and license number of the contractor are stated in the advertisement.”
- COMAR 09.08 - Home Improvement Commission (COMAR 09.08.01.06A): “Licensed contractors and subcontractors shall conspicuously display their home improvement license number preceded by the designation "MHIC #' on both sides of all vehicles primarily used ... for the performance of home improvement work.”
- Md. Code, Business Occupations & Professions § 12-301 (Plumbing) (Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 12-301): “(a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this title, an individual shall be licensed by the Board to provide plumbing services before the individual may provide plumbing services in the State.”
- Maryland State Board of Master Electricians: “All electrical work in Maryland must be performed by a licensed Master, Journeyperson, or Apprentice Electrician.”
- Md. Code, Business Occupations & Professions § 6-601 (Electricians - local registration) (Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 6-601): “(b) Within 60 days after the issuance of a State license to an individual, the individual shall register locally with the local jurisdiction where the individual: (1) resides;”
- Md. Code, Business Regulation § 9A-301 (HVACR) (Bus. Reg. § 9A-301): “Except as otherwise provided in this title, an individual shall be licensed by the Board before the individual provides or assists in providing heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, or refrigeration services in the State.”
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