What can a handyman do in Saint Mary S, MD?
Maryland requires a state license with no small-job dollar exemption.
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No small-job/dollar exemption in Bus. 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. 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
What Saint Mary S adds
In St. Mary's County, construction, food and retail businesses get a county business license from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Leonardtown (301-475-7844 ext. 74563); the State Department of Assessments office sets the fee. Home improvement work also needs the state Maryland Home Improvement Commission license.
Source: stmaryscountymd.gov · checked November 12, 2026
Local business license
Depends
- Name: St. Mary's County business license (Trader's License if reselling goods)
- Applies when: Apply at the Clerk; the application goes to the State Department of Assessments office in Leonardtown, which assigns the fee, then return to the Clerk to pay. Guide does not say whether it applies to businesses based outside the county. The item name is garbled ("Saint Mary S") and has no county; it is read here as St. Mary's County, Maryland, which has no city government of that name (county seat Leonardtown, county commissioner government). The county guide is an older document (it still links the old dllr.state.md.us site), so fees and phone extensions should be confirmed with the Clerk.
- Trigger: Business in the construction, food service or retail field
- Office: Clerk of the Circuit Court, 41605 Courthouse Drive, Leonardtown, 301-475-7844 ext. 74563
- Fee: Set by the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation office when it reviews the application
"County licenses apply to those businesses in the construction, food service* and retail-related fields. To obtain a St. Mary’s County-issued business license, call or visit the St. Mary’s County Clerk of the Circuit Court."
Source: stmaryscountymd.gov · checked November 12, 2026
Local contractor or handyman license
Depends
- Name: Maryland Home Improvement Commission license (state); county general construction license for non-home-improvement construction
- Applies when: The county flowchart: home renovation or improvement goes to the Home Improvement Commission; otherwise you may need a general construction license. The item name is garbled ("Saint Mary S") and has no county; it is read here as St. Mary's County, Maryland, which has no city government of that name (county seat Leonardtown, county commissioner government). The county guide is an older document (it still links the old dllr.state.md.us site), so fees and phone extensions should be confirmed with the Clerk. The quote is one box of the guide's flowchart, where the YES branch of "WILL YOU BE DOING HOME RENOVATION OR IMPROVEMENT?" leads.
- Trigger: Home renovation or improvement work
- Office: Maryland Home Improvement Commission (state); Clerk of the Circuit Court for the county license
"CONTACT THE HOME IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION"
Source: stmaryscountymd.gov · checked November 12, 2026
Jobs a handyman usually takes
Everyday jobs handymen take. In Maryland, read the rule above first, because paid work may need registration whatever the job size:
- Mounting TVs, shelves, mirrors and pictures
- Assembling furniture and flat-pack cabinets
- Patching drywall and interior painting
- Caulking, weatherstripping and sealing
- Repairing doors, locks, screens and windows
- Basic carpentry, trim and small repairs
- Pressure washing and gutter cleaning
Trade work in Maryland
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
Nearby places
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice, so confirm with the office named before you take the job.
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