Roofing & Waterproofing Companies in Maryland

Short answer: Exchange lists 9 roofing and waterproofing companies in Maryland. Residential roof work in Maryland is home improvement, so contractors need a Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) license, at least $500,000 of general liability insurance, and must not take a deposit above one-third of the contract price. Homeowners can recover up to $30,000 from the MHIC Guaranty Fund for losses caused by a licensed contractor, and door-to-door sales can be cancelled until midnight of the fifth business day, or the seventh for buyers 65 and older.

Who licenses

The Maryland Home Improvement Commission, part of the Maryland Department of Labor, licenses contractors and salespersons who contract with homeowners for roof repair or replacement.

Insurance minimum

Maryland Business Regulation Article 8-302.1 requires MHIC contractors to carry general liability insurance of at least $500,000.

Deposit cap

Under Business Regulation 8-617 a Maryland home improvement contractor may not take a deposit of more than one-third of the contract price at or before signing.

Guaranty Fund

A Maryland homeowner can recover up to $30,000 per claim from the MHIC Guaranty Fund, capped at the amount paid to the licensed contractor.

Deductible rebates

Maryland Insurance Article 27-407.2 makes it a fraudulent insurance act for a home repair contractor to pay part of an insured homeowner deductible with intent to defraud the insurer.

Code update pending

Maryland proposed adopting the 2024 IBC, IRC and IECC into the Maryland Building Performance Standards in June 2026; the 2021 editions remain in force until a final rule takes effect.

Do roofing contractors need a license in Maryland?

Yes. In Maryland, anyone who contracts with a homeowner to repair or replace a roof needs a contractor license from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, and anyone selling that work needs an MHIC salesperson license.

The Commission defines home improvement broadly as the alteration, remodeling, repair or replacement of a residence or part of one, and that includes individual condominium units. Roof tear-offs, overlays, flashing repairs, gutter work and waterproofing on an owner-occupied house all fall inside it. Two notable carve-outs matter for roofers: work on the commonly owned areas of a condominium, and work on buildings with four or more single-family units, sit outside MHIC jurisdiction. Building a brand-new house is also not MHIC work; new home builders register separately with the Attorney General Home Builder Registration Unit. The separate MHIC subcontractor license was abolished on July 1, 2016, so a roofing crew working under a licensed prime contractor does not need its own MHIC license, but the company that signs the homeowner contract must hold one.

Commercial roofing on offices, warehouses and larger apartment buildings is not MHIC work, and Maryland has no statewide commercial roofing license. Those projects are governed instead by county permits, the Maryland Building Performance Standards and the owner contract. Because the MHIC line is drawn by building type rather than by trade, a roofing firm that works across both markets should confirm, job by job, whether the property is a residence covered by the Commission before signing. Homeowners can check any company or salesperson through the Commission online license status search, and the license number must appear on the written contract, so a mismatch between the two is an easy early warning sign.

How does a roofer qualify for an MHIC contractor license in Maryland?

A Maryland MHIC contractor applicant must show at least two years of home improvement, construction or related education, pass the PSI licensing exam, prove financial solvency, and carry at least $500,000 of general liability insurance.

The exam is taken before the application is filed and is administered by PSI Exams; the Commission also runs free licensing workshops for first-time applicants. Financial solvency is judged on the size and scope of the business, using total assets, liabilities, a full credit report and net worth, and applicants who fall short can use a surety bond or an indemnitor. Corporations and LLCs submit their articles and a Certificate of Good Standing from the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, and trade names must be registered there too. Applicants with a felony or a misdemeanor tied to a home improvement transaction must disclose the conviction record.

Licenses run for two years. Every original license carries a $100 Guaranty Fund assessment and every renewal a $175 assessment, on top of application and license fees that rose on August 1, 2024 under COMAR 09.08.07.02. The insurance minimum climbed from $50,000 to $500,000 on June 1, 2024, and the policy must stay in force for the life of the license, so roofers renewing older policies should check that the certificate on file reflects the higher figure. Some older Commission pages still show the earlier $50,000 amount; the statute controls.

Which licenses, permits and registrations apply in Maryland?

How do I check a roofing contractor in Maryland before I sign?

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

1. Look up the company and salesperson on the MHIC license status search at the Maryland Department of Labor and confirm the license number matches the one printed on the contract.
2. Ask for a certificate showing at least $500,000 of general liability insurance, the minimum Maryland Business Regulation 8-302.1 requires of every MHIC contractor.
3. Check that the contract contains every item Business Regulation 8-501 lists, including start and completion dates, materials, salesperson license numbers and the Commission notice and website.
4. Pay no more than one-third of the price as a deposit and nothing before signing, as Business Regulation 8-617 requires of Maryland home improvement contractors.
5. If you signed at home, confirm a Notice of Cancellation is attached giving you five business days to cancel, or seven business days if you are 65 or older.
6. On an insurance job, refuse any offer to cover your deductible, which Insurance Article 27-407.2 treats as fraud, and keep claim negotiation with your insurer or a licensed public adjuster.
7. Ask your county permit office whether sheathing or structural repairs need a permit under the Maryland Building Performance Standards, and collect supplier lien waivers before each payment.

What must a Maryland roofing contract include?

Maryland Business Regulation Article 8-501 requires every home improvement contract, including a roofing contract, to be written, legible, signed by both parties and delivered to the homeowner before any work starts.

The contract must list the contractor name, address, telephone number and MHIC license number, plus the name and license number of each salesperson who solicited or sold the job. It must give approximate start and substantial completion dates, describe the work and the materials, such as shingle line, underlayment and flashing, and state the agreed price, the number and amount of any monthly payments and any finance charge. It must also carry the Commission telephone number and website with a notice that contractors must be licensed, plus a regulatory notice about the Guaranty Fund and the owner right to buy a performance bond. A salesperson or employee may not alter the contract for the homeowner.

If payment is secured by the house, the first page must carry a 10-point bold notice that the contract creates a mortgage or lien, which the homeowner initials, and the owner may rescind within three business days. For roofs carrying solar, contracts for rooftop solar systems must include a wildlife barrier unless the customer waives it after being told its cost and the risks. Separately, Business Regulation 8-617 bars collecting any payment before the contract is signed and caps the deposit at one-third of the price. On a typical shingle replacement that means the balance is paid as materials arrive and the work progresses, which keeps the homeowner from carrying the whole risk if the job stalls.

Can Maryland homeowners cancel a roofing contract signed at home?

Yes. When a Maryland roofing contract is signed at the homeowner residence, the Maryland Door-to-Door Sales Act lets the buyer cancel until midnight of the fifth business day, or the seventh business day if the buyer is 65 or older.

This matters for roofing more than for most trades because so much residential roofing is sold at the kitchen table after a storm or a free inspection. The MHIC explains that each covered contract must carry an attached Notice of Cancellation telling the buyer where to send it and by what date, plus a bold statement of at least 10-point type next to the buyer signature line. The copy given to the buyer must be in the same language as the oral sales pitch and show the transaction date and the seller name and address. If the notice is missing, the buyer may cancel by any means at all.

After a valid cancellation, the contractor must return the deposit within 10 business days. There are narrow exceptions: agreed written change orders where the buyer signs a separate, dated, handwritten waiver; sales concluded after negotiations at a permanent retail location; and genuine personal emergencies, such as an actively leaking roof, where the buyer gives a dated handwritten waiver and the contractor substantially begins work in good faith. The Attorney General Consumer Protection Division enforces the Act, and Howard and Montgomery County residents can also complain to their county consumer offices.

What Maryland rules apply when a roof is paid for by insurance?

In Maryland, a roofer may estimate storm damage and answer an insurer questions, but may not negotiate the claim without a public adjuster license and may not rebate the homeowner deductible to defraud the insurer.

Maryland Insurance Article 27-407.2, added by Senate Bill 736 in 2013, makes it a fraudulent insurance act for a contractor offering home repair or remodeling services for damage to a private residence to pay or otherwise compensate the insured for any part of the property or casualty deductible, with intent to defraud the insurer, when the work will be paid from the policy proceeds. Offers to waive the deductible, to fold it into inflated line items, or to hand back a cash allowance all sit squarely inside that language. Because the offense is framed as insurance fraud rather than a licensing violation, it is pursued under the Insurance Article, and a homeowner who knowingly goes along with the arrangement can also be drawn into the investigation.

The MHIC has also warned that a home improvement license does not authorize a contractor to act as a public adjuster. Roofers may inspect, write an estimate of repairs and respond to questions from the insurer, but preparing, presenting or negotiating the claim on the homeowner behalf requires a separate license from the Maryland Insurance Administration. Homeowners comparing storm-damage bids should treat any contractor who promises to handle the whole claim, or to make the deductible go away, as a red flag, and confirm the MHIC number before signing anything.

Which building code applies to roofing permits in Maryland?

Maryland roofing work is governed by the Maryland Building Performance Standards, which currently adopt the 2021 International Building Code, International Residential Code and International Energy Conservation Code with state amendments, enforced by each county or municipality.

The 2021 codes took effect statewide on May 29, 2023, and local jurisdictions had to enforce them by May 29, 2024. The Department of Labor Building Codes Administration has now proposed moving the MBPS to the 2024 editions of the IBC, IRC and IECC: the proposal was published in the Maryland Register on June 26, 2026, a public hearing was held on July 16, 2026, and comments closed on July 27, 2026. No effective date had been published as of October 2026, so roofers should watch for the final rule and the local enforcement deadline that follows it. The energy code matters for roofing because reroofing and roof insulation upgrades are judged against the IECC requirements in force locally, and the IRC sets underlayment, ice barrier, flashing and reroof layer limits for one- and two-family houses.

Permit triggers for roofing are set locally. Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, for example, lists a residential roof covering replacement as work that does not need a building permit, although the work must still meet the code and municipalities or homeowners associations can impose their own rules. Structural work such as sheathing or rafter replacement is a different matter and should be confirmed with the local permit office before the job starts. Baltimore City, Baltimore County and other counties publish their own permit lists, and properties in designated historic districts can need a separate historic review before any change to roofing materials.

How long does a roofer have to file a mechanics lien in Maryland?

A Maryland roofing contractor must file a petition to establish a mechanics lien in the circuit court for the county where the property sits within 180 days after the work is finished or the materials are furnished.

Maryland is unusual in that a mechanics lien is established through a court petition under Real Property Article 9-105 rather than a simple recorded form, so the 180-day window needs to account for preparing pleadings, supporting affidavits and exhibits. Subcontractors and suppliers working under a prime roofing contractor face an earlier step under Real Property 9-104: they must give the owner written notice of intent to claim a lien within 120 days after doing the work or furnishing the materials. Missing either deadline generally ends the lien claim, although the contractor may still sue on the contract itself. Because a roof is often the last trade on a renovation, roofers should track their own final day on site carefully and document it with photos, delivery tickets and inspection records.

Homeowners get extra protection. For a single-family dwelling being built on the owner land for the owner residence, a subcontractor lien is available only if the owner had not already paid the prime contractor in full before receiving the notice, and the lien cannot exceed what the owner still owes under the contract at that time. In practice, owners who pay a roofer in stages should ask for lien waivers from suppliers before each payment, and roofing subcontractors should send notices early rather than waiting for the 120-day limit. Asking the prime roofing contractor for a list of suppliers at signing makes it easier for an owner to track who could later assert a claim against the house.

What drives roofing and waterproofing demand in Maryland?

Maryland roofing demand is driven by an aging housing stock with many low-slope rowhouse roofs, storm damage from coastal and Chesapeake Bay weather, rooftop solar installations, and regulatory changes such as the 2024 insurance increase and the pending 2024 code adoption.

Baltimore and many older Maryland towns are dominated by attached rowhouses with low-slope roofs that rely on membrane systems, coatings and careful parapet and flashing details rather than steep-slope shingles, so waterproofing skills are as important as shingle work. Suburban counties carry large stocks of 1970s to 1990s detached houses now on their second or third roof. Storms that track up the Atlantic coast and across the Chesapeake Bay bring wind and wind-driven rain, which in turn bring waves of insurance-funded replacements and door-to-door solicitation that the Door-to-Door Sales Act and Insurance Article 27-407.2 are designed to police.

Solar is another driver. Because rooftop solar contracts are home improvement contracts, the 2024 wildlife barrier rule in Business Regulation 8-501 now shapes how solar installers and roofers price and document work on the same roof, and a licensed master electrician is still needed to connect panels to the electrical system. For contractors, the regulatory cost of entry has also risen: the $500,000 liability minimum and higher Commission fees push smaller crews either to formalize under their own MHIC license or to work as unlicensed subcontractors under a licensed prime.

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 Home Improvement Commission, Maryland Department of Labor; Business Regulation Article 8-501, Maryland General Assembly; Maryland Door-to-Door Sales Act, Maryland Home Improvement Commission; Insurance Article 27-407.2, Maryland General Assembly; Real Property Article 9-105, Maryland General Assembly; Building Codes News, Maryland Department of Labor.

Nearby regions and related trades

Roofing & Waterproofing contractors in other regions: Alabama, Alberta, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New South Wales, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington.

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

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