General Contracting Companies in Maryland

Short answer: Exchange lists 15 general contractors and builders in Maryland, with the largest cluster in Baltimore (3 listings), four in Montgomery County (Rockville, Bethesda and Gaithersburg), and the rest spread from Frederick to Annapolis and Ocean City. Maryland has no statewide license for commercial general contractors. Home improvement work on existing homes requires a Maryland Home Improvement Commission license, which carries at least $500,000 of general liability insurance and a Guaranty Fund that pays homeowners up to $30,000 per claim. Builders of new homes must instead register with the Attorney General's Home Builder Registration Unit, and buyers' deposits must be escrowed, bonded or backed by a letter of credit.

Licensing agencies

Maryland Home Improvement Commission (Maryland Department of Labor) for home improvement; Home Builder Registration Unit of the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division for new homes; counties and Baltimore City for permits.

Governing law

Business Regulation Article Title 8 (home improvement) and Title 4.5 (home builder registration); Real Property Article Title 9 (mechanics' liens and prompt payment) and Title 10 (new home deposits).

Who needs a license

Anyone acting as a contractor or selling a home improvement for an owner of an existing residence; new home builders and their sales representatives must register. No state license for commercial general contracting.

Insurance and funds

$500,000 general liability for MHIC contractors since June 1, 2024; MHIC Guaranty Fund up to $30,000 per claimant; Home Builder Guaranty Fund up to $50,000 per claim.

Deposit limit

No payment before a home improvement contract is signed, and no deposit above one-third of the contract price.

Codes in force

Maryland Building Performance Standards based on the 2021 IBC, IRC and IECC; a 2024-code proposal was withdrawn on October 16, 2026.

Lien deadline

Subcontractors give the owner notice within 120 days; petitions to establish a lien are filed in circuit court within 180 days of finishing work.

Who licenses general contractors and builders in Maryland?

Maryland splits the job between two state consumer-protection programs and leaves commercial general contracting to local permit offices. There is no statewide license for a firm that builds offices, warehouses, schools or apartment buildings as a general contractor or construction manager. What applies instead is the local building permit, the trade licenses of the electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors on the job, and the statewide building code that local officials enforce.

Residential work is where the state steps in. The MHIC, part of the Maryland Department of Labor and based at 100 S. Charles Street in Baltimore, licenses contractors and salespersons under Title 8 of the Business Regulation Article. Under §8-101, a home improvement is the addition to, alteration, conversion, improvement, modernization, remodeling, repair or replacement of a building or part of a building used or designed as a residence, or of an adjacent structure or the land around it.

The same definition draws three lines that matter to anyone hiring a builder. It excludes construction of a new home, work on apartment buildings with four or more single-family units, and work on condominium common areas. A remodeler adding a kitchen to a rowhouse in Dundalk needs an MHIC license, while the same firm building a new house in Frederick must register as a home builder instead.

New home construction is regulated by the Home Builder Registration Unit of the Consumer Protection Division in the Office of the Attorney General, at 200 St. Paul Place in Baltimore. Under Business Regulation §4.5-301, a person must be registered to act as a home builder or as a home builder sales representative in the state. Builders who build only in Montgomery County are exempt from state registration because the county runs its own program under Chapter 31C of the Montgomery County Code, administered by the county's Office of Consumer Protection with the Board of Registration for Building Contractors.

What does an MHIC home improvement license require?

An MHIC contractor license requires a passed examination, proof of $500,000 in general liability insurance, the license fee and a Guaranty Fund assessment. Under Business Regulation §8-302, the Commission's examination, administered by PSI Exams, covers Maryland home improvement law and trade competency. Since June 1, 2024, §8-302.1 has required every applicant and every licensed contractor to maintain general liability insurance of at least $500,000.

Fees rose on August 1, 2024. Under COMAR 09.08.07.02, a contractor license costs $281.25 for each place of business, a salesperson license costs $112.50, and there is a $22.50 application processing fee. Contractors also pay a Guaranty Fund assessment every two years: $100 with an original license and $175 at each renewal.

Under §8-301, a person must hold a contractor license to act as a contractor and a contractor or salesperson license to sell a home improvement. Licensed architects, electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors working in their own field are exempt. Maryland eliminated the separate subcontractor license on July 1, 2016. Under §8-101, a subcontractor is a person, other than a laborer or material supplier, who agrees with a contractor or another subcontractor to perform all or part of a home improvement contract. Subcontractors may work unlicensed for an MHIC-licensed contractor, but only a licensed contractor may contract directly with a homeowner.

Acting as a contractor without a license, or selling a home improvement without one, is a misdemeanor under §8-601: up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail for a first conviction, and up to $5,000 and two years for a later one. Section 8-504 adds a practical check: a county or municipal permit office may not issue a home improvement permit unless the application lists a licensed contractor's number, except for work an owner performs on their own property.

The contract itself is regulated. Under §8-501, a home improvement contract must be written and signed by every party, and must include the contractor's and each salesperson's license numbers, approximate start and completion dates, a description of the work and materials, the price and any finance charge, and a notice giving the Commission's phone number and website. If payment is secured by a mortgage or lien on the home, the first page must carry a bold notice of the owner's right to consult an attorney and to rescind within three business days, which the owner initials separately. The owner must receive a signed copy before work starts.

Section 8-617 sets the payment rules: a contractor may not demand or accept any payment before the contract is signed, and may not accept a deposit of more than one-third of the contract price. On a $60,000 basement finish, the most a contractor can take up front is $20,000.

Which licenses, registrations and permits apply in Maryland?

How do I check a general contractor or builder in Maryland before I sign?

8 checks, in order, using the Maryland registers and rules described on this page:

1. Decide which program covers the job: remodeling an existing home is MHIC work, a new house is home builder work, and commercial or large multifamily work is governed by the local permit office.
2. For a remodeler, search the MHIC License Search on the Maryland Department of Labor site and confirm the contractor license is active, and that any salesperson you deal with holds a salesperson license.
3. For a new home builder, find the firm on the Attorney General's list of registered home builders and match the “MHBR No.” shown in its advertising; in Montgomery County, confirm the builder's county registration instead.
4. Ask for a certificate of insurance showing at least $500,000 of general liability coverage, the minimum §8-302.1 requires for MHIC contractors.
5. Read the contract against §8-501: license numbers, start and completion dates, a description of materials, the price and payment schedule, and the Commission's contact notice.
6. Pay nothing before signing and no more than one-third of the price as a deposit, as §8-617 requires; on a new home, ask how the deposit will be escrowed, bonded or covered by a letter of credit.
7. Confirm who is pulling the permit and that it lists the contractor's MHIC or Montgomery County builder number; an owner who signs as owner-builder takes on responsibility for code compliance.
8. Collect signed lien releases from the contractor and its major subcontractors and suppliers at each payment, and keep any 120-day notice you receive under Real Property §9-104.

What protects buyers of a newly built home in Maryland?

Buyers of new homes are protected by builder registration, deposit security rules and the Home Builder Guaranty Fund. Registration costs a builder $800 initially, and renewals are tiered by volume: $400 for builders with 10 or fewer building permits in the previous year, $800 for 11 to 74, and $1,200 for 75 or more. Advertising must show the number as “Maryland Home Builder Registration No.” or “MHBR No.”, and contracts outside Montgomery County must print it conspicuously.

Deposits are the main financial risk on a new home. Under the New Homes Deposit Act at Real Property §10-301, a builder or vendor that takes money from the buyer of a new single-family unit before completion and settlement must either hold it in an escrow account segregated from all other funds, obtain a corporate surety bond, or obtain an irrevocable letter of credit from a Maryland bank. Under §10-302, a builder holding more than $10,000 of deposits may use a blanket bond instead of individual bonds, sized to deposits held on May 31 each year: the full amount up to $75,000, then $75,000, $200,000 or a $500,000 cap as deposits rise.

If a registered builder fails to finish a home, breaches a warranty, fails to meet building standards or does not return a deposit, the Home Builder Guaranty Fund pays up to $50,000 per claim, and generally no more than $500,000 against a single builder. It covers contracts signed with a registered builder on or after January 1, 2009, and claims must be filed within two years after the loss was or should have been discovered, or two years after the new home warranty expires, whichever comes first.

Montgomery County sets its own warranty under Chapter 31C. New homes there carry a one-year warranty on materials and workmanship, a two-year warranty on electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, ventilating and mechanical systems, and a five-year warranty on major structural defects. Owners must give the builder written notice of a defect within 30 days after the relevant warranty period ends, and the builder must disclose in writing before signing whether any bond, insurance or other security backs the warranty.

How do building permits work in Baltimore City and Montgomery County?

Each jurisdiction runs its own online permit system, fee schedule and inspections. Three of the 15 Exchange listings are in Baltimore and four are in Montgomery County, so these two offices handle permits for nearly half of the firms listed here.

Baltimore City

Baltimore City's DHCD requires a permit to build, alter, repair, demolish or move a structure, to change electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, to change a building's use, and to grade or excavate. Minor repairs usually need no permit unless an item is completely replaced or significantly changed, and renovations always need one. DHCD requires an MHIC-licensed contractor for construction on one- and two-family dwellings and for underpinning, a City-licensed contractor for demolition, and licensed trade contractors for electrical, mechanical, gas and plumbing work.

Applications go through the City's E-Permits portal, or a kiosk at the One Stop Shop, 417 E. Fayette Street, Room 100. The applicant adds the contractor by license number, pays fees, receives the permit by email and schedules inspections online. Larger projects go through ePlans review, and work in historic districts or floodplains is referred to other agencies. Fees are set by Building Code §109 and include an application fee, any plan review fee and a 5 percent Building Code permit tax; DHCD's own worked example puts a 1,400-square-foot rowhouse renovation at about $737.

Montgomery County

In Montgomery County, the Department of Permitting Services at 2425 Reedie Drive in Wheaton issues building permits through its Apply & ePay and ePlans Upload services. The residential permit application asks for one license number, labeled “MHIC or Montgomery County Builders License.” A homeowner who acts as owner-builder signs a statement that they are not a licensed new home builder, that the house is for their own family, and that they will serve as general contractor and take responsibility for code compliance.

Plumbing and gas work is not permitted by DPS at all. The WSSC issues those permits and performs those inspections, and DPS will not perform a close-in or final inspection until WSSC has approved its rough-in or final. DPS's residential alterations sequence runs from footings and foundation through slab, framing close-in, insulation and the final, with a duct pressure test where new ductwork sits outside the thermal envelope.

Which building codes apply in Maryland right now?

Maryland builds to the 2021 International codes. The Maryland Building Performance Standards (MBPS) are the statewide minimum building code that the Maryland Department of Labor adopts under Public Safety Article §12-503 and that counties and municipalities enforce. COMAR 09.12.51.04 incorporates the 2021 IBC, the 2021 IRC and the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, and the Department lists May 29, 2023 as the state effective date for the 2021 edition.

The Department must adopt each new edition within 18 months after it is issued, and its energy requirements may be stricter, never weaker, than the IECC. Local jurisdictions may amend the standards as allowed by Public Safety §12-504 and must enforce each update within 12 months after the state modifications take effect.

The two largest permit offices have their own adoptions. Baltimore City's Building, Fire and Related Codes, 2024 Edition, adopted by Ordinance 24-341, applies the 2021 IBC, IRC and IECC to permit applications filed on or after May 22, 2024. Montgomery County adopted the 2021 ICC codes with local amendments in Executive Regulation 13-24, effective December 10, 2024; after a grace period, applications filed on or after March 31, 2025 must comply, together with the 2021 NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 fire codes under Executive Regulation 14-24.

The move to the 2024 editions has stalled. On June 26, 2026 the Department published a proposal to adopt the 2024 IBC, IRC and IECC, but it withdrew the whole proposal while it addresses public comments and concerns about the energy provisions, with a notice of withdrawal published in the Maryland Register on October 16, 2026. For now, bids and drawings should be prepared to the 2021 codes plus the local amendments of the county or city issuing the permit.

What mechanics' lien and prompt payment rules apply in Maryland?

Maryland lets unpaid contractors, subcontractors and suppliers place a lien on the building they improved, but only through a court petition filed within 180 days. Under Real Property §9-102, a new building is subject to a lien for unpaid work or materials regardless of amount, while a repair, rebuilding or improvement of an existing building qualifies only if the work amounts to at least 15 percent of the building's value.

A subcontractor has an extra step. Under §9-104, it must give the owner a sworn “Notice to Owner or Owner's Agent of Intention to Claim a Lien” within 120 days after doing the work or furnishing the materials, by certified or registered mail or personal delivery, stating the amount earned and the amount unpaid. On a single-family dwelling built for the owner's own residence, the requirement applies only if the owner has not fully paid the contractor before receiving the notice, and the lien is capped at what the owner still owes. After notice, the owner may withhold the subcontractor's amount from the contractor.

Under §9-105, the claimant files a petition to establish the lien, with a supporting affidavit and documents, in the circuit court for the county where the land lies within 180 days after the work is finished or the materials furnished. Under §9-109, the right to enforce the lien expires one year after the petition was first filed.

Prompt payment on private projects is governed by Real Property §9-302. If the contract names payment dates, the owner must pay undisputed amounts within seven days after each date; if it does not, within 30 days after the occupancy permit is granted or the owner takes possession, whichever comes first. A contractor or subcontractor must pay its own subcontractors undisputed amounts within seven days after receiving payment for their work. The owner rule does not apply to contracts with the state, counties, municipalities or boards of education. Bills to add a 45-day owner payment deadline and withholding notices, House Bill 1365 in 2024 and House Bill 451 in 2025, were not enacted.

How does the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area affect building near the water?

Any project within 1,000 feet of tidal water in Maryland is subject to extra limits that can require a variance and replanting. The Critical Area is all land within 1,000 feet of Maryland's tidal waters and tidal wetlands, covering the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Coastal Bays and their tidal tributaries. Several of the listed firms work from Bay and coastal towns, including Annapolis, Edgewater, Pasadena, Crofton and Ocean City, where many residential lots fall inside it.

Within the Critical Area, the Buffer is a protected strip at least 100 feet wide measured from tidal waters, tidal wetlands and tributary streams, and it can be wider where there are steep slopes, wetlands or sensitive soils. Structures in the Buffer generally need a variance from the local approving authority, and construction or land disturbance there requires mitigation, usually replacing removed vegetation.

Most residential permits in the Critical Area are reviewed by the county or town, while the state Critical Area Commission staff review variances, special exceptions, conditional uses and larger disturbances. Before signing for a waterfront addition, deck, pool or pier, ask the contractor whether the lot is in the Critical Area, who will apply for any variance, and whether mitigation planting is priced into the bid. Residential shore erosion control is a home improvement under §8-101, so a contractor doing it for a homeowner needs an MHIC license or, for marine work, a marine contractor license.

What do Exchange listings show about general contractors in Maryland?

Exchange lists 15 general contractors and builders in Maryland as of November 2, 2026, spread across 12 cities and suburbs. The largest cluster is Baltimore with 3 of the 15 listings. 15 of the 15 listings link to a company website. Across every trade, Exchange holds 81 live listings in Maryland, and general contracting is the number 2 trade by listing count there.

Source: Exchange directory data, counted from live published listings on November 2, 2026. Counts include firms that list general contracting as a secondary category. Counts change as firms join or update their listings; the live list below this guide is always current.

What has changed recently, or is about to change, for general contractors in Maryland?

Last reviewed November 2, 2026 against the primary sources listed below. Dates are effective dates unless marked otherwise.

• October 16, 2026 — In force: The Maryland Department of Labor published a notice withdrawing its entire proposal to adopt the 2024 IBC, IRC and IECC into the Maryland Building Performance Standards, citing public comments and concerns about energy provisions. The 2021 codes remain the state baseline.
• June 26, 2026 — Proposed: The Department published the 2024 code proposal in the Maryland Register, with comments due July 27, 2026. It was later withdrawn.
• March 11, 2026 — Proposed: House Bill 1351, which would bring certain disaster mitigation services under the home improvement law and let owners rescind those contracts in some cases, passed the House 99-37. It was referred to a Senate committee and has not been enacted.
• October 1, 2025 — In force: Chapter 295 of 2025 (Senate Bill 522) requires registered home builders to give buyers information on the registration of appliance warranties, including the HVAC system, on the initial sale of a new home.
• March 31, 2025 — In force: Montgomery County permit applications filed on or after this date must comply with the 2021 ICC building codes and 2021 NFPA fire codes adopted in Executive Regulations 13-24 and 14-24.

Where can I verify a license and check the source in Maryland?

Every figure and rule on this page can be checked against the primary source. These are the offices that publish them. Confirm current requirements directly before you rely on any of them:

Maryland Department of Labor — Maryland Home Improvement Commission (license search, insurance and Guaranty Fund); Maryland General Assembly — Business Regulation §8-617 Home improvement deposits; Office of the Attorney General of Maryland — New Home Builder Registration; Maryland General Assembly — Real Property §9-104 Subcontractor notice to owner; Maryland Department of Labor — Building Codes Administration: What's New; Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development — Building Permits; Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services — Administrative Bulletin 2025-01 Code Adoption.

Nearby regions and related trades

General Contracting contractors in other regions: Alabama, Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New South Wales, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Victoria, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

Other trades in Maryland: HVAC, Mechanical, Renovation & Remodeling, Roofing & Waterproofing.

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