Maryland Handyman License Requirements
Maryland requires a state license with no small-job dollar exemption.
No small-job/dollar exemption in Bus. Reg. 8-301. Exemptions are by person/type only: employees on wages (not salespersons), telephone-only solicitors, state/locally licensed trades (electrician, plumber, HVACR, architect) acting within scope, licensed security systems technicians, marine contractors. Bus. Reg. 8-101(g)(3) excludes new-home construction, appliance hookups that require altering plumbing lines, materials-only sales, apartment buildings with 4 or more units, and condo common areas.
What counts toward it: other: no dollar threshold. The license applies to any home improvement for an owner regardless of price.
"Except as otherwise provided in this title, a person must have a contractor license whenever the person acts as a contractor in the State."
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · mgaleg.maryland.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · mgaleg.maryland.gov · mgaleg.maryland.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does Maryland license general and residential work?
Maryland requires a contractor license from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) whenever a person acts as a contractor performing a 'home improvement' (repair, replacement, remodeling, etc. of a residence or adjacent structure/land), Bus. Reg. 8-301. New-home construction is outside MHIC.
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · mgaleg.maryland.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
MHIC contractor license (and salesperson license for sellers).
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · mgaleg.maryland.gov · mgaleg.maryland.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Trade work
Bus. Reg. 8-301(c)(4) exempts electricians, plumbers and HVACR contractors licensed under state or local law while acting within scope.
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
Bus. Reg. 8-302.1: applicants and licensed contractors must maintain general liability insurance of at least $500,000 (raised from $50,000 by Ch. 529/530 of 2024, effective October 1, 2024).
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · checked November 2, 2026
City and county rules
Home improvement licensing is statewide (MHIC). Some trades (electrical, plumbing) can be licensed locally per 8-301(c)(4), and counties issue permits. Montgomery County and others may add their own requirements (not verified).
Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in Maryland
Statewide planning estimate: $77 to $105 an hour. It's an estimate from public data, not the market rate. City pages use local wages when we can match them.
| Step | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| Your pay (employee wage for this work in Maryland) | $51,490 median | $62,450 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 105.0) | $34,792 | $34,792 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $120,795 | $136,139 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $77 | $105 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Maryland (statewide figure, because we could not match a metro for this place). The top-quarter figure is in the BLS data file.
- Local prices: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, Maryland, all items index 105.0 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
Maryland places we cover (21)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.