Maryland Contractor License: Requirements, Cost and Exams

License classes

MHIC classifications and monetary tiers

MHIC issues two license types, Contractor and Salesperson, and there are no monetary or job size tiers within the Contractor license the way some states run Class A, B, C systems (Maryland DLLR website, License Categories and Requirements page, checked August 17, 2026). A salesperson license allows someone to represent up to two licensed contractors at a time, but only one of those two when actually negotiating a home improvement contract with a given homeowner (Maryland DLLR website, MHIC FAQ for Applicants). There is no dollar ceiling that changes which MHIC license a contractor needs; one Contractor license covers home improvement work of any size.

The qualifier rule

Replacement rules and deadlines when a qualifier leaves

MHIC regulation requires licensees to notify the Executive Director of any change of control in ownership or management, which includes a qualifying agent's departure, within 10 days of the change, by certified mail return receipt requested (Maryland Department of Labor, MHIC License Status Changes page). The change is processed through MHIC's Electronic Licensing System under Change Control of Ownership or Management of Home Improvement Contractor. Maryland's civil citation regulation, COMAR 09.08.06.02, Violation, was amended effective June 23, 2025, and its current text lists failure of a contractor to notify the Commission within 10 days of a change of ownership, management, address, or trade name as a specifically citable violation, carrying a 500 dollar penalty for a first violation and a 1,000 dollar penalty for a second or subsequent violation (Code of Maryland Regulations, COMAR 09.08.06.02). This is a civil citation penalty for the late notice itself; COMAR 09.08.06.02 does not additionally spell out whether the underlying license is suspended or work must stop while a replacement qualifier is found, so treat any consequence beyond the 500 or 1,000 dollar citation exposure as unconfirmed and worth a call to MHIC, 410 230 6231, to confirm directly.

Exams

Exam requirements and current vendor

PSI Services LLC (PSI Exams) is the exam vendor for every Maryland construction credential covered on this page, MHIC, electrical, plumbing, and HVACR alike (confirmed on each board's own exam page, checked August 17, 2026). For MHIC, there are two separate exams, a 55 question Contractor exam and a 35 question Salesperson exam, both computer based, roughly two hours, covering home improvement business law and practice, with a 70 percent passing score and a roughly 63 dollar exam fee (Maryland DLLR website, MHIC Taking the Exam page). A passed exam is only good for two years; if licensure is not obtained within that window, the exam must be retaken.

NASCLA acceptance

Maryland does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Commercial Building Contractor exam for the MHIC license, and it is not on NASCLA's list of participating jurisdictions (checked August 17, 2026 on the live NASCLA participating agencies page). The current list runs Alabama (two boards), Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina (two boards), Tennessee, Utah, the US Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia. This list moves periodically on NASCLA's own site, so confirm there before relying on it for any state other than Maryland. A NASCLA pass does not shortcut any part of Maryland licensing.

Testing and exams (from the candidate bulletins)

This section goes deeper on the four exams that matter most for a Maryland license, MHIC Contractor, Master Electrician, Master Plumber/Gas Fitter, and HVACR Master Contractor, based on PSI's own candidate information bulletins. All four run through PSI Services LLC (PSI candidate portal); Maryland does not route any of these four credentials through Prov, Pearson VUE, or ICC. No PSI bulletin for any of the four programs mentions a remote or online proctoring option; all four describe computer based testing at a physical PSI or PSI subcontracted center only, which matters for anyone asking about testing from home.

MHIC Contractor exam

To sit for the exam, an applicant must first get PSI's approval: PSI reviews the applicant's trade experience documentation, uploaded through an online account created at PSI Maryland home improvement exams, before the exam can be paid for and scheduled. PSI stopped accepting mailed, faxed, or emailed applications as of March 31, 2025. Once approved, scheduling runs online 24 hours a day or by phone at 855 898 0715. The Contractor exam is 55 items and 150 minutes (two hours 30 minutes); the companion Salesperson exam, covered by the same bulletin, is 35 items and 90 minutes. Passing score is 39 of 55 for Contractor and 25 of 35 for Salesperson, both stated by PSI as 70 percent. The exam is open book. The bulletin names the approved references directly: the NASCLA Contractor's Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Maryland Home Improvement Commission edition, 7th Edition as of the bulletin last read (updated October 10, 2025). Also approved are the NASCLA Home Improvement Salesperson Reference Guide, Maryland Home Improvement Commission, 6th Edition, for the Salesperson exam, and Maryland's own Title 14, Subtitle 3 Door to Door Sales Act text, which PSI provides at the test site rather than requiring the candidate to bring it. The Contractor content outline runs Home Improvement Law 41 items, Door to Door Sales Act 4 items, Labor Laws 3 items, Safety Regulations 4 items, and Estimating 3 items; the Salesperson outline runs Home Improvement Law 25 items and Door to Door Sales Act 10 items. Reference books may be highlighted, underlined, and indexed but not written in, and may carry no loose inserted papers; sample examinations are not allowed in the room. Acceptable tabs are Avery Swift Tabs and Redi Tag Self Stick permanent adhesive index tabs; Post-it Index Flags and Post-it Flags are not acceptable, and any tab a proctor can remove without tearing the page will be removed before testing begins. Maryland test centers run Baltimore, College Park, Crofton, and Hagerstown, plus a Salisbury center (Brainseed Testing) and a Laurel center (Mid Atlantic Testing Company). A candidate may test at any PSI center nationwide once paid, though the bulletin does not name a specific neighboring state center, and no remote or online proctoring option appears anywhere in this bulletin. A failed candidate waits 30 days before the first retake and 60 days before each subsequent retake. The exam fee is 63 dollars, nonrefundable and nontransferable, valid for one year from the date of payment; a passing score stays valid for 2 years toward licensure.

Master Electrician exam

This bulletin, from the State Board of Electricians, covers both Master and Journeyperson Electrician; Master is the exam that matters most for a company's qualifying seat. Scheduling works the same way as MHIC: PSI approval first at PSI Maryland electrical exams, then online or phone scheduling at 855 898 0715, with no mail, fax, or email applications accepted since March 31, 2025. This bulletin was last confirmed updated September 1, 2024 (checked August 17, 2026); confirm directly with PSI's site for anything newer before relying on it for a high value decision. The Master exam is 90 questions worth 100 points total, 240 minutes (four hours), 70 percent (70 of 100 points) to pass. The content outline shows why questions and points differ: Electrical Theory is 10 items worth 2 points each (20 points), and Wiring and Protection 14, Wiring Methods and Materials 13, Equipment for General Use 9, Special Occupancies 8, Special Equipment 4, Special Communications 2, and Calculations 30 are worth 1 point each (80 items, 80 points). The topic areas are Electrical Theory (Ohm's Law, definitions, techniques, troubleshooting, equipment, instruments, materials, math, conversions, diagrams, symbols), Wiring and Protection (NEC Articles 100 through 285), Wiring Methods and Materials (NEC 300 through 398), Equipment for General Use (NEC 400 through 490), Special Occupancies (NEC 500 through 590), Special Equipment (NEC 600 through 695), Special Communications (NEC 700 through 830), and Calculations. The Journeyperson exam, from the same bulletin, is 70 questions, 210 minutes (three hours 30 minutes), 49 of 70 (70 percent) to pass, over a similar but smaller set of the same topic areas. The exam is open book; no study guides are allowed, and the only reference permitted in the room is the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, 2020 Edition. PSI does not supply a copy at the center; the candidate must bring their own. Tabbing rules match MHIC's: Avery Swift Tabs and Redi Tag Self Stick tabs acceptable, Post-it products not, and no tab a proctor can pull off cleanly is allowed. Test centers are the Baltimore Falls Road Center (Mount Washington), College Park, Crofton, and Hagerstown, plus Laurel (Mid Atlantic Testing Company) and Salisbury (Brainseed Testing Services); no remote or online proctoring option is mentioned. A failed candidate waits 30 days before retaking either the Master or Journeyperson exam. The fee is 65 dollars, nonrefundable, nontransferable, valid one year. On reciprocity, which lives in this same bulletin, Maryland waives the Master written exam for a currently licensed, good standing Master Electrician from West Virginia (minimum 2 years, and only because West Virginia reciprocates back to Maryland licensees), from Virginia or Washington DC (no minimum years stated in the bulletin), and from Delaware (minimum 5 years). There is currently no out of state waiver path for Journeyperson; the bulletin flags this as a temporary gap.

Master Plumber/Gas Fitter exam

This single bulletin, from the State Board of Plumbing, covers four separate credentials: Master Plumber/Gas Fitter, Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter, Master Natural Gas Fitter, and Journey Natural Gas Fitter. Master Plumber/Gas Fitter is the one most relevant to a qualifying seat. Scheduling again runs through PSI approval first at PSI Maryland plumbing exams, phone 855 746 8173, then online or phone scheduling once approved, with no mail, fax, or email applications since March 31, 2025. One set of board materials records the Master and Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter exam as 100 questions, 240 minutes (four hours), 70 percent to pass, with the Master and Journey Natural Gas Fitter exams each 40 questions, 90 minutes, 70 percent to pass, while other materials show different figures for the same exams. Confirm the exact passing score and time limit for this credential directly with the Board of Plumbing, 410 230 6379, before relying on them. The bulletin names the references directly: International Plumbing Code, 2018 Edition (International Code Council), International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 Edition (International Code Council), Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters by Lee Smith, 8th Edition, 2013 (Cengage), any standard backflow text, and the Code of Federal Regulations 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA), latest amendments, either the government printed version or PSI's own "29 CFR Part 1926 Selections" excerpt sold through PSI Online Store. The Master/Journey Natural Gas Fitter exams drop the Plumbing Code and instead lean on Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters, the International Fuel Gas Code, and The Pipe Fitters and Pipe Welders Handbook, Revised Edition, Thomas Frankland, 1984. The Master Plumber/Gas Fitter content outline runs Plumbing Fundamentals and Safety 5 items, Materials Uses and Specifications 6 items, Traps Interceptors and Backwater Valves 4 items, Plumbing Fixtures Fixture Fittings and Plumbing Appliances 4 items, Water Supply Systems 8 items, Backflow Prevention 10 items, Drain Waste and Vent Systems 13 items, Special Topics 3 items, Gas Appliances and Piping 40 items, and Plumbing Mathematics 7 items. Tabbing rules match the other programs: Avery Swift Tabs and Redi Tag acceptable, Post-it products not. Test centers are Baltimore, College Park, Crofton, and Hagerstown, plus Laurel (Mid Atlantic Testing Company) and Salisbury (Brainseed Testing Services); the bulletin flags that Baltimore County, Prince George's County, and Montgomery County, through WSSC, may layer an additional local exam on top of the state one, which matters for anyone working in those three counties. No remote or online proctoring option is mentioned anywhere in this bulletin. A candidate may not retake any of these four exams more often than every 30 days. Fees are 65 dollars for Master Plumber/Gas Fitter, 65 dollars for Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter, 65 dollars for Master Natural Gas Fitter, and 25 dollars for Journey Natural Gas Fitter, all nonrefundable, nontransferable, valid one year; these fee figures can be treated with more confidence than the question count and passing score figures above, last confirmed updated September 1, 2024.

HVACR Master Contractor exam

This bulletin, from the State Board of HVACR Contractors, covers the full HVACR ladder: Apprentice, Journeyman, Journeyman Restricted, Limited Contractor, Master Restricted, and Master Contractor. Master Contractor is the top credential and the one closest to a full qualifying seat. Scheduling follows the same PSI approval first pattern at PSI Maryland HVACR exams, phone 855 898 0715. This bulletin was last confirmed updated September 1, 2024. The Master Contractor exam is 100 questions, 240 minutes (four hours), 70 percent (70 points) to pass. It is open book; no study guides allowed. Named references are the International Mechanical Code, 2012 or 2018 Edition (International Code Council), Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 19th, 20th, or 21st Edition (Goodheart Willcox), Manual J, Residential Load Calculation, 2006, 8th Edition (Air Conditioning Contractors of America), the Code of Federal Regulations 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA) or PSI's own excerpt, and the ACCA Ductulator, a duct slide rule also sold by ACCA. The content outline runs Electrical Knowledge, Motors, and Controls 20 items, Piping 15 items (blueprints and schematics, materials, joints and connections, hangers and supports, valves and fittings, testing and troubleshooting, piping insulation), Refrigeration and Air Conditioning 25 items (theory, refrigerants, equipment sizing and design, equipment and components, installation, operation and maintenance), Heating Systems 20 items (heating theory and types, combustion air, equipment sizing and installation, steam and hydronics, vents and chimneys, fuel oil systems), Air Distribution Systems 15 items (duct sizing and design, assembly and installation, materials, insulation, fire and smoke control, hoods and exhaust, testing and balancing, plans and symbols), and Safety 5 items (scaffolds, PPE, safety training, toxic materials, signage, material safety data sheets, trench and excavation safety, fall protection, and related items). Tabbing rules match the other three programs. Test centers are the Baltimore Falls Road Center, College Park, Crofton, and Hagerstown, plus Laurel (Mid Atlantic Testing Company) and Salisbury (Brainseed Testing Services). This is the one bulletin of the four that offers an Out of State Testing Form for Maryland applicants who live outside the state and want to test at a center outside Maryland, giving anyone who has moved but is still pursuing a Maryland license a documented path. Confirm the current page number for this form directly with PSI. No remote or online proctoring option is mentioned. A candidate may not retake the exam more often than every 30 days. The fee is 150 dollars, and this is the one program of the four where the fee is valid for only 90 days rather than one year, nonrefundable and nontransferable either way, so a passed payment should not sit too long before scheduling. Insurance also lives in this same bulletin: a Master, Master Restricted, or Limited Contractor who owns the business, can approve HVACR contracts, or pulls permits needs 300,000 dollars personal liability and 100,000 dollars property damage coverage, 400,000 dollars combined per occurrence, filed with the Board only after the exam is passed.

Bulletins referenced in this section: Maryland Home Improvement Commission, Home Improvement Contractor and Salesperson Candidate Information Bulletin, PSI Services LLC, updated October 10, 2025; Maryland State Board of Electricians, Master and Journeyperson Electrician Qualification Information Bulletin, PSI Services LLC, last confirmed update September 1, 2024; Maryland State Board of Plumbing, Master/Journey Plumber Gas Fitter and Natural Gas Fitter Qualification Information Bulletin, PSI Services LLC, last confirmed update September 1, 2024; Maryland State Board of HVACR Contractors Qualification Information Bulletin, PSI Services LLC, last confirmed update September 1, 2024.

Bond and insurance

Experience and financial requirements

An MHIC Contractor applicant needs at least two years of experience in home improvement work, construction, or related education (Maryland DLLR website, License Categories and Requirements). Financial solvency is assessed case by case: net worth equals assets minus liabilities, scaled to the size and scope of the business, backed by a credit report dated within 90 days of application (Maryland MHIC requirements sheet). Under Maryland COMAR 09.08.01.19 and Business Regulation section 8-405, the financial requirement runs as follows: net worth assessed case by case with a credit report within 90 days, otherwise a two year 30,000 dollar surety bond or an indemnitor; general liability 500,000 dollars per the 2024 statute. General liability insurance follows the statutory minimum. The underlying statute, Business Regulation Article section 8-302.1, was amended in 2024 (Chapter 530, House Bill 738) to raise the minimum to 500,000 dollars, confirmed on the Maryland General Assembly's own statute text database and against Justia's mirror of the current statute. Sources on the effective date of the 500,000 dollar figure point to June 1, 2024, though an October 1, 2024 effective date has also appeared; treat June 1, 2024 as the working answer but confirm directly with MHIC if a specific timeline turns on the exact date. Confirm 500,000 dollars as the current minimum directly with MHIC, 410 230 6231, before binding a policy off this page.

How Maryland licenses the company, and the qualifying agent question

MHIC licenses corporations and LLCs directly, but every licensed business must designate a qualifying agent: an individual who personally passes the Contractor exam and meets the experience and financial tests on the entity's behalf. Maryland requires that person to be the sole proprietor, a partner, an officer, or a full time employee of that specific licensed business; an outside or borrowed qualifier is not allowed. This is the same qualifier seat The Licensing Company fills in every other state. On the question of whether one individual can be the qualifying agent for more than one MHIC license, the governing regulation, COMAR 09.08.01.04, Corporate or Partnership Licensure, requires a corporation or partnership to employ one individual licensed contractor in responsible charge, makes that individual and the entity jointly and severally liable for fees, bond obligations, and Guaranty Fund repayment, and caps their combined liability in the aggregate, but does not state anywhere that the individual may not simultaneously be the qualifying individual for a second, third, or further licensed entity (COMAR 09.08.01.04, checked August 17, 2026). This is reasonably strong evidence there is no numeric cap in Maryland's own home improvement regulations, though not a certainty, since a policy position enforced informally by MHIC staff would not necessarily show up in the regulation text. The Licensing Company confirms the current posture with MHIC for each specific situation before it becomes a signed commitment.

Fees and timeline

Application and processing timelines

Once a complete MHIC application is submitted, the published path runs roughly two to three weeks: about a week to process the application fee payment, about five days for application review, same day database approval once cleared, then a paper license mailed within 10 days of approval (Maryland DLLR website, MHIC FAQ for Applicants). Incomplete applications take longer, with no fixed cap given. The current official Forms and Fees page (Maryland MHIC forms and fees, checked August 17, 2026) totals 403.75 dollars for an original two year Contractor license, made up of a 281.25 dollar application fee, a 100 dollar Guaranty Fund assessment, and a 22.50 dollar processing fee; renewal totals 456.25 dollars, the same 281.25 dollar application fee plus a 175 dollar Guaranty Fund assessment. The MHIC Contractor license, once issued, is valid for two years.

Reciprocity

Reciprocity and exam waivers

MHIC does not offer reciprocity with any other state. Its own FAQ language states every licensee must demonstrate knowledge of Maryland's specific laws and regulations, so an out of state home improvement license, however strong, does not waive Maryland's own exam (Maryland DLLR website, MHIC FAQ for Applicants). This is a sharp contrast with Maryland's trade boards. The State Board of Electricians has reciprocal exam waiver agreements with Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia for anyone already licensed and in good standing there, confirmed from the PSI Master Electrician bulletin; the Board's own elecexam.shtml page describes the PSI registration process but does not itself restate the reciprocity list, so the bulletin remains the primary source for the exact state list and terms. The HVACR Board has a similar reciprocal path with Virginia and Delaware, contingent on the other state's license being judged equivalent to Maryland's, including matching Maryland's required years of experience (Maryland Department of Labor, HVACR licensing FAQ page). Confirm plumbing reciprocity directly with the Board of Plumbing rather than assuming there is no reciprocity.

Trades

Trades overlay

Electrical work statewide requires a Maryland State Board of Electricians license, apprentice, journeyperson, or master. This is a relatively recent and easily misunderstood change: before 2021, Maryland licensed master electricians only at the state level and left journeyperson and apprentice licensing to individual counties, and a person holding only a local county electrical license became ineligible to work unless they obtained the State license by July 1, 2022 (Maryland Department of Labor, Board of Electricians Act summary and FAQ). Locally licensed electricians who had already passed a local exam generally qualified for a grandfathered State license without retesting. The Master Electrician exam is 90 questions, four hours, open book with permanent NEC tabs allowed, 70 percent to pass, and the license requires 300,000 dollars general liability and 100,000 dollars property damage insurance, plus 10 hours of continuing education at renewal (Maryland Department of Labor, Maryland DLLR website Board of Electricians pages). Plumbing runs through the separate State Board of Plumbing, with Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber/Gas Fitter, Master Plumber/Gas Fitter, Journey and Master Natural Gas Fitter, Propane Gas Fitter certification, and Plumbing Inspector certification tiers; Journeyman requires four years as an apprentice plus 7,500 training hours, Master requires two years as a journeyman plus roughly 3,700 to 3,750 training hours depending on the source (Maryland Department of Labor, Board of Plumbing pages). See the testing section above for a discrepancy on the Master Plumber/Gas Fitter passing score. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, WSSC, runs its own separate plumber licensing and permitting layer covering Montgomery and Prince George's counties; a Maryland state plumbing license alone is not always the full answer for anyone working the DC suburbs (WSSC Water). HVACR work runs through the Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, with Apprentice, Journey, Journey Restricted, Limited Contractor, Master Restricted, and Master Contractor levels; Master requires three years as a journeyman with at least 1,875 hours worked in the year before applying, Limited Contractor requires two years as a journeyman with at least 1,000 hours in the prior year, and all classifications except Journeyman carry a 300,000 dollar general liability insurance requirement (Maryland Department of Labor, HVACR Board licensing requirements page).

What changed

Recent regulatory updates

Two points on this page have newer answers than earlier versions left open. Maryland's civil citation regulation, COMAR 09.08.06.02, was amended effective June 23, 2025 (52:12 Md. R. 585 to 642), and the current text, read directly from the state's own regulations portal, sets a specific penalty for missing the 10 day change of control notice: 500 dollars for a first violation and 1,000 dollars for a second or subsequent violation (Code of Maryland Regulations, COMAR 09.08.06.02, current version).

The regulation that would govern a qualifying individual holding more than one MHIC license, COMAR 09.08.01.04, Corporate or Partnership Licensure, has been read and confirmed to be silent on exclusivity. It requires only that each licensed corporation or partnership employ one individual in responsible charge, and it says nothing limiting that individual to a single company (Code of Maryland Regulations, COMAR 09.08.01.04). This does not guarantee there is no cap anywhere in Maryland law, but the specific section where a cap would be expected does not contain one.

A discrepancy on the plumbing exam passing score is noted in the testing section below rather than resolved here.

The board

Who licenses general contractors

Maryland has no statewide general contractor license, and that distinction matters. Three separate systems cover construction work in Maryland, and which one applies depends on the type of job. Home improvement work, meaning repair, replacement, remodeling, or improvement of an existing residential structure, is licensed statewide by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), part of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing inside the Maryland Department of Labor (Maryland Department of Labor, Maryland DLLR website). New home construction is not covered by MHIC; builders of new homes instead register, not license, with the Home Builder Registration Unit, which sits inside the Office of the Attorney General, not the Department of Labor (Maryland Attorney General). Before assuming which Maryland license applies, confirm whether the work is home improvement on an existing house, new construction, or commercial.