Requirements by state
Maryland contractor license requirements
Quick answer
Maryland contractor license requirements
Maryland licenses residential contractors through the Home Improvement Commission (MHIC). You need 2 years of verifiable experience, must pass a PSI exam at 70 percent ($63 fee), pay a $281.25 application fee, and meet a financial solvency review, with a $30,000 to $100,000 bond available for applicants who cannot meet the solvency guideline directly.
At a glance
- Agency
- Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing
- Exam
- Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing exam (PSI)
- Vendor
- PSI
- Fees
- Application fee $281.25; PSI exam fee $63; Guaranty Fund assessment, new applicants $100; Guaranty Fund assessment, renewal (biennial) $175
- NASCLA accepted
- No
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-28
Maryland regulates contracting through a state contractor registration (bond and insurance based, not a competency exam). This page lays out exactly what Maryland requires: the licensing agency, who must be licensed, experience, exams, fees, the financial responsibility mechanism, and reciprocity, every figure sourced and dated below.
Who must be licensed in Maryland
Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing is the licensing authority. State license required for residential home improvement contracting.
Experience and qualification
2 years of verifiable residential home improvement experience within the past 5 years.
Exam
A written PSI exam, 70% passing score, $63 exam fee paid to PSI on test day.
Fees
- Application fee: $281.25
- PSI exam fee: $63
- Guaranty Fund assessment, new applicants: $100
- Guaranty Fund assessment, renewal (biennial): $175
Financial responsibility
Maryland uses net worth / financial statement as its financial-responsibility mechanism. Maryland uses financial solvency review (assets, liabilities, credit report, net worth) rather than a flat bond. Applicants who cannot meet the solvency guideline can instead post a $30,000 bond with financial statements, or a $100,000 bond without them.
Reciprocity and the NASCLA exam
Maryland is not on NASCLA’s participating-agencies list, confirmed directly against NASCLA’s own page, so a NASCLA Accredited Examination credential from another state does not by itself satisfy Maryland’s requirements. See contractor license reciprocity for what does carry over, and the 50-state comparison for which states do accept the NASCLA exam.
Official source
Verify everything at the source: Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, labor.maryland.gov. The NASCLA participating-agencies determination above is drawn from NASCLA’s own list, nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24.
Sources: Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (labor.maryland.gov, reviewed 2026-07-28); NASCLA participating state agencies list (nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24). Fee, bond, and experience figures are compiled from the agency's published requirements and current industry compliance guides as of 2026-07-28; treat any figure not independently reconfirmed against a fetched primary-source page as reported pending the next freshness review, per this site's standard practice.