Maryland · Concrete licensing · official-source guide
Maryland licenses residential concrete work through the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, part of the Maryland Department of Labor. There is no concrete or masonry classification. One home improvement contractor license covers driveways, patios, sidewalks, foundations and retaining walls. You need two years of trade experience, a passing exam score, and general liability insurance of at least $500,000.
Verified against agency sources on 2026-10-26. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Maryland regulates residential concrete work at the state level through the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, a unit of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing inside the Maryland Department of Labor. The Commission office is at 100 S. Charles Street, Tower I, Baltimore. It licenses home improvement contractors and salespersons, investigates homeowner complaints, awards monetary damages against licensed contractors, and prosecutes violators of the home improvement law and regulations. There is no separate Maryland concrete license, no flatwork classification and no masonry classification to pick from. One contractor license covers every residential trade the Commission regulates, and concrete sits inside that single license. The license is statewide, so the same number lets you pour a driveway in Hagerstown and footings in Salisbury. Counties and cities do not issue a competing concrete trade license. They issue building, grading and right of way permits, and Baltimore City tells permit applicants that construction work on one and two family dwellings requires an MHIC licensed contractor. Business Regulation Article 8-301 says a person must have a contractor license whenever the person acts as a contractor in the State. Walk-in help is not available at the Commission office. It works through online licensing, e-mail, telephone and scheduled in-person appointments between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. The Commission also runs a Guaranty Fund supported by assessments from licensed contractors, which compensates homeowners for actual losses caused by poor workmanship or failure to perform. That Fund is the reason the application asks about your personal finances.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1mgaleg.maryland.gov 2baltimorecity.gov 3
The Commission publishes a list of work that usually requires its license, and most of a concrete contractor's order book is on it. Under the exterior heading the Commission names driveways, gravel driveways, patios, sidewalks, paving, grading, excavating, bricklaying, masonry pointing, flagstone, stucco, stairs and railings. Under structures it names foundations, retaining walls, garages, carports, porches, piers that are not marine, and pole buildings. Under metal and stone it names masonry and stone or stone-cast. Under cleaning and treatments it names acid treatment, sandblasting, sealants and waterproofing. Terrazzo appears under floors and walls. The statutory hook is broader than the list: home improvement means alteration, remodeling, repair or replacement of a building or part of a building used or designed to be used as a residence, a structure adjacent to that building, or an improvement to land adjacent to the building. That last clause is what pulls a detached patio slab, a walkway and a retaining wall into the license even though you never touch the house. The Commission has also answered the edge cases in writing. Adding gravel and fixing potholes in a gravel driveway needs the license. Driveway sealcoating is home improvement, and the Commission calls unlicensed sealcoating one of the most common home improvement scams in Maryland. Demolition and clean-up work on its own is not home improvement, so a tear-out only job falls outside the license, but almost any tear-out followed by a pour does not.
The Commission's jurisdiction is residential. Home improvement covers a building used as a residence and individual condominium units. It does not cover commonly owned areas of condominiums, and it does not cover buildings that contain four or more single family units. The Commission states the license covers home improvement services on homes and apartment buildings that contain three or fewer units. A concrete contractor working on a twelve unit apartment building or a commercial pad is outside what the Commission licenses, and the Guaranty Fund does not reach that work either. New construction is a separate regime. The Commission says plainly that a home improvement license does not cover new home construction, and that builders who build homes in Maryland must register with the Home Builder Registration Unit of the Office of the Attorney General. Business Regulation Article 4.5-301 backs that up: a person may not act as a home builder in the State unless registered as a home builder. So footings and a basement slab for a house that does not yet exist are builder territory, not MHIC territory, and a concrete sub pouring for a registered builder should confirm who is carrying which credential before the first truck arrives. On the business license question the Commission is direct: a contractor who holds an MHIC license is not required to hold a business construction license under Title 17 of the Business Regulation Article. Out-of-state firms still register with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2mgaleg.maryland.gov 3
Two licenses exist. The contractor license goes to the business and to the individual who qualifies it. The salesperson license goes to anyone who sells home improvement work for that contractor. Business Regulation Article 8-301 requires a contractor license to act as a contractor and a salesperson or contractor license to sell a home improvement in the State. The same section lists who is outside it: an individual who works for a contractor for a salary or wages and is not a salesperson, a clerical employee or retail clerk handling a transaction on the contractor's premises, a solicitor who only calls owners by telephone, a person already licensed under state or local law in another occupation who acts only within that occupation's scope, a security systems technician, and a licensed marine contractor. That means your finishers and laborers do not each need a license, but your estimator who signs up homeowners does. Corporate structure changes nothing. The Commission says the requirements for a company are the same regardless of how long it has been in business, the individual takes the exam and meets the financial requirements, and each licensed business must have an individual who holds an MHIC license and meets the requirements. Subcontractors carry their own numbers; the vehicle rule tells contractors and subcontractors to display only their own license numbers while working as a subcontractor. A salesperson may represent at most two licensed contractors at a time and only one when negotiating with the same homeowner.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2regs.maryland.gov 3
An applicant for a home improvement contractor license needs at least two years of trade experience. The Commission's education page states it as two years of trade experience or comparable educational training. The regulation defines trade experience broadly, which matters for concrete crews whose work history is scattered across jobs. It counts participation in a registered apprenticeship program, employment performing home improvements, and employment performing commercial or residential construction, repairs or renovations. Commercial experience counts even though commercial work itself is outside the license, so years on tilt-up panels or warehouse slabs are usable. It also counts participation in a community service or charitable building or renovation program, and performing repairs and improvements that required a building permit on your own home or a family member's home. Two years as a licensed home improvement salesperson can be credited as trade experience if the Commission decides the applicant gained substantial knowledge of running a home improvement business. Substitutions exist. Experience as a supervisor, manager or owner of a business may be substituted for one year of the required trade experience after Commission review. An applicant may instead substitute educational training in vocational school training in a building trade, or participation in a building trade work-study program. Applicants with documented handicaps have their experience or educational qualifications considered on an individual basis. There is no apprenticeship card to produce and no concrete-specific hour count, so document the work with pay records, permit copies and employer letters before you apply.
The exam comes before the application. Business Regulation Article 8-302 says an applicant for a contractor or salesperson license must pass the examination prior to submitting an application, and may receive a license only by passing the examination the Commission requires. The contractor examination has 55 questions. The salesperson examination has 35. The questions are drawn from the laws and regulations that govern operating a home improvement business and selling home improvement work, not from mix design or finishing technique, so a 20-year concrete finisher still has to study. A candidate must answer at least 70 percent correctly. The exam is delivered by computer and runs two hours. PSI Examination Services administers it for the Commission, with testing centers in Baltimore, College Park, Salisbury, Frederick, Hagerstown, Lanham and Crofton, offered daily Monday through Friday by appointment confirmed in writing. The standard exam fee is $63.00, paid to the testing service rather than to the Commission. Content is based on the 5th edition of the Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management. The Commission schedules an applicant for examination within 45 days after it receives an application for examination, at a location in the general geographic area where the applicant lives if the applicant lives in Maryland. Pass it and you must apply for licensure within two years or the score expires and the exam must be retaken. Fail it and you wait 30 days to reapply, then 60 days for any later attempt, paying the fee each time. No prep course is required.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1mgaleg.maryland.gov 2regs.maryland.gov 3
The fee schedule is set by regulation, not by notice, so it is worth reading the regulation rather than a forum post. Under COMAR 09.08.07.02 the contractor license application fee is $281.25 for each place of business of the contractor. A salesperson license application is $112.50. A separate application processing fee of $22.50 applies. Renewal matches the application: $281.25 for each place of business for a contractor and $112.50 for a salesperson. The per place of business wording matters to a concrete outfit running more than one yard, because each location is charged. Inactive status costs $56.25 to apply for. While a license sits inactive, renewal is $126.75 for a contractor and $42.25 for a salesperson, and reactivating an inactive license carries an $11.25 reissuance fee. A certification of license status costs $1.25 and document copies are $1.25 per page. On top of the license fee sits the Guaranty Fund assessment. The Commission states the two year assessment stays at $100.00 for an original contractor license and is $175.00 every two years at renewal. The Commission raised its application and licensing fees effective August 1, 2024. Examination fees are not in this schedule; the regulation says an applicant pays the examination or reexamination fee directly to the testing service at the rate the testing service sets, which is the $63.00 PSI charge. Budget the exam fee, the application fee, the processing fee and the Fund assessment together before you start.
Sourcesregs.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Maryland screens a concrete contractor's personal finances, which surprises applicants more than the exam does. The regulation requires an applicant for an original contractor license to submit a credit report from an approved credit reporting agency plus a statement of all outstanding judgments and pending civil actions. The Commission weighs that material in deciding whether the applicant has demonstrated financial solvency. The Commission evaluates personal assets and states that it does not consider business assets. An applicant who cannot show a net worth equal to the maximum Fund award available to one claimant for the acts of one contractor must obtain a two year surety bond for that amount, and must keep a bond in force until the Commission authorizes cancellation on proof of sufficient net worth. Business Regulation Article 8-405 sets that ceiling: the Commission may not award more than $30,000 to one claimant for acts or omissions of one contractor, and not more than $250,000 to all claimants for one contractor unless the contractor reimburses $250,000 to the Fund. The Commission posts surety bond forms for $30,000 and $100,000, a sample list of bonding agencies, and an indemnitor option for applicants who do not meet the solvency guidelines. The Fund pays actual loss only. It excludes attorney fees, consequential damages, court costs, interest, personal injury damages and punitive damages, pays nothing on a default judgment, and never exceeds what the claimant paid the contractor. A claimant who signed an arbitration clause must arbitrate first.
Sourcesregs.maryland.gov 1mgaleg.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3labor.maryland.gov 4
Maryland now puts a number on contractor insurance. Business Regulation Article 8-302.1 states that an applicant for a contractor license shall maintain general liability insurance in the amount of at least $500,000, and that a licensed contractor shall maintain general liability insurance in the amount of at least $500,000. The Commission notified all home improvement contractors that this requirement took effect June 1, 2024. For concrete work the exposure that drives claims is rarely the slab itself. It is the saw-cut utility, the pump line failure, the washout into a storm drain and the damaged driveway apron next door, so the statutory floor is a floor and not a target. Workers compensation is separate and comes from the labor code rather than the Commission. Labor and Employment Article 9-402 requires each employer to secure compensation for all covered employees, by maintaining insurance with an authorized insurer, by participating in a governmental self-insurance group, by participating in a self-insurance group of private employers, or by maintaining approved self-insurance for an individual employer. The Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission administers that system and runs an Employer Coverage Verification tool, which general contractors and homeowners can use on a sub before work starts. Carry both and keep certificates current, because a lapse in general liability now reaches your license and not just your next contract. Ask your carrier to list the Commission requirement by statute so the certificate reads cleanly to a general contractor's compliance desk.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2mgaleg.maryland.gov 3wcc.state.md.us 4
The MHIC license runs on a two year cycle with a personal renewal date rather than a common statewide expiration. The renewal regulation says a renewed license takes effect on the date the applicant fulfills the Commission's requirements and expires two years from the date the previous license expired, and that a renewal is never backdated to cover the gap. An application for a previously issued license received within two years of its expiration is presumed to be a renewal. One received more than two years after expiration is presumed to be an application for a new license, though the Commission can treat either differently on a showing of good cause. Before the Commission renews a contractor license, the contractor pays a fee of $175 credited to the Guaranty Fund. The Commission mails notice of expiration and renewal instructions roughly 60 days before each license expires and asks licensees who have not received a notice within 30 days of expiration to contact it. Renewal is available online with payment by credit card, or by returning the form with a check or money order. There is no continuing education requirement to renew an MHIC license, which is unusual and worth knowing before you buy a course someone sells you as mandatory. A license can be moved between active and inactive status, but not within 60 days of the renewal date; inside that window you change status by renewing instead. Inactive renewal fees are lower than active ones.
Sourcesregs.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3labor.maryland.gov 4regs.maryland.gov 5
There is no shortcut in from another state. The Commission states that it does not offer reciprocity with any other state, because each licensee must demonstrate knowledge of Maryland laws and regulations. A contractor licensed in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware or West Virginia sits the Maryland exam like anyone else. The obligation does not depend on having a Maryland address either. The Commission's answer to out-of-state firms is that each contractor who solicits or performs home improvement services in Maryland must hold an MHIC license, that this is true regardless of a license held in another state, and that it is true even if the contractor has no office in Maryland. Out-of-state contractors must also register with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. A post office box will not satisfy the Commission. The regulation requires an applicant for a contractor license to provide the actual street address of the contractor's principal business office and bars a post office box or private mail drop as the business address of record. Trade name clearance is a second trap for a firm expanding into Maryland: the Commission will not accept a name that is the same as, or so similar to, a name used by an existing licensee that it would confuse the public, so clear the name with the Commission before registering it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Application review runs roughly two to three weeks, and the paper license arrives about 10 days after approval.
Business Regulation Article 8-601 makes the prohibition explicit and wide. A person may not act or offer to act as a contractor in the State without a contractor license, and may not sell or offer to sell a home improvement without a contractor or salesperson license. The phrase to notice is offer to act. Running an ad for residential driveway work without a license is already a violation, before a single yard is placed. A person who violates the section is guilty of a misdemeanor. On a first conviction the penalty is a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or both. On a second or subsequent conviction it is a fine not exceeding $5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 2 years or both. The Commission investigates homeowner complaints and prosecutes violators of the home improvement law and regulations, so the complaint path and the enforcement path are the same office. Section 8-607 adds the conduct rules that get licensed contractors in trouble: no substantial misrepresentation when obtaining a home improvement contract, no false promise likely to influence or induce, no misrepresentation of a material fact on a license application, and no failure to give the written notices required for contracts secured by an interest in residential real estate. There is a road back. The Commission may license an individual found guilty of acting without a license once all outstanding obligations are settled and one year has passed since the conviction.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov 1mgaleg.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3labor.maryland.gov 4
Maryland tells you where the license number has to appear, and the rules bite hardest on the marketing a concrete contractor actually runs. The advertising regulation says a licensed home improvement contractor may not solicit home improvement business by advertisement in a newspaper, magazine, circular or printed document, or by television or radio announcement, unless the name and license number of the contractor are stated in the advertisement. The same regulation bars any advertisement containing an assertion, representation or statement of fact that is false, deceptive or misleading. It bans phrases such as Factory to You, Direct to You, Buy from the Manufacturer and Save the Middleman's Profit unless the advertiser really is the maker of the product. A discount coupon offer may not require the coupon to be presented before you give an estimate or proposal. If an ad says guarantied or warranted, the terms, conditions, limitations and time period must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, including whether labor and material only, repair, replacement or full refund is offered. Price claims that leave out items needed for proper function and appearance must be qualified in conjunction with the stated price. Vehicles carry the number too. Licensed contractors and subcontractors must conspicuously display the license number preceded by the designation MHIC # on both sides of all vehicles primarily used for performing home improvement work, in letters at least 3 inches high, including trucks hauling material to and from the jobsite. Sales vehicles are excluded, and subcontractors display only their own numbers.
The contract itself is regulated, and the license number belongs in it. Business Regulation Article 8-501 requires every home improvement contract to be in writing and legible, to describe clearly each document it incorporates, and to be signed by each party. It must contain the name, address, telephone number and license number of the contractor, and the name and license number of each salesperson who solicited the contract or sold the home improvement. It must give approximate start and substantial completion dates, a description of the work to be performed and the materials to be used, the agreed consideration, the number and amount of monthly payments including any finance charge, and a description of any collateral security. It must carry a notice with the Commission's telephone number and website stating that each contractor must be licensed by the Commission and that anyone may ask the Commission about a contractor, plus a Commission-set notice describing consumer protections and the right to buy a performance bond. If payment will be secured by an interest in residential real estate, a notice in at least 10 point bold type on the first page must warn that the contract creates a mortgage or lien, state the right to consult an attorney, and state a right to rescind within 3 business days. Door to door sales carry their own clock: the Commission says the Maryland Door-to-Door Sales Act gives the buyer until midnight of the fifth business day, or the seventh day if the buyer is at least 65, to cancel.
No Maryland county issues a concrete trade license, but every one of them issues the permits that let you work, and the local rules reach back to your MHIC number. In Baltimore City, permits run through the Department of Housing and Community Development on the E-Permits online system, with an in-person kiosk at 417 E Fayette Street. The city says you need a permit to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, rehabilitate, demolish or move any structure, and specifically to perform any grading or excavating, which covers most driveway and footing work. The city also states which jobs require a credentialed contractor: construction work on one and two family dwellings requires a Maryland Home Improvement License contractor, underpinning for both residential and commercial permits requires an MHIC licensed contractor, and demolition or razing permits require a Baltimore City licensed contractor. In Montgomery County, the Department of Permitting Services handles permits, inspections, licenses and certificates from 2425 Reedie Drive, 7th floor, Wheaton, open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., reachable at 240-777-0311. Its online services include Apply and ePay, ePlans upload, inspection scheduling, permit status checks and a records request path, and it publishes dashboards showing permitting turnaround times. Build the permit step into your schedule rather than your excuse, because a residential slab in either jurisdiction can wait on plan review. Check the county for right of way work: a driveway apron or public sidewalk tie-in usually needs a separate permit from the road authority.
Maryland runs a free public lookup, and you should expect customers to use it. The Home Improvement Public Query lets anyone search active licensees practicing in Maryland by contractor personal name, by contractor trade name, by contractor location using city name or zip code, by salesperson personal name, or by contractor license registration number. The query returns active licensees; the Commission asks anyone who needs information about disciplinary actions against a licensee to contact it directly, by telephone at 1-888-218-5925 toll free or 410-230-6231 in the Baltimore area, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The database behind the query updates each night, so a newly approved licensee appears the following day and a status change is visible quickly. That lag is worth knowing if you are bidding in the week your license is approved. The statute pushes homeowners toward the lookup from inside your own paperwork, because every home improvement contract must carry a notice with the Commission's telephone number and website stating that each contractor must be licensed and that anyone may ask the Commission about a contractor. Two practical consequences follow. First, put the license number where a buyer searching your trade name can match it to the record, on the website, the estimate and the truck. Second, make sure your registered trade name on the Commission record matches the name you advertise under, because a mismatch reads to a homeowner as an unlicensed contractor.
Sourcesdllr.state.md.us 1labor.maryland.gov 2mgaleg.maryland.gov 3
These are common details other guides publish about Maryland, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
No. Maryland has no concrete, flatwork or masonry classification. The Maryland Home Improvement Commission issues one home improvement contractor license that covers residential concrete alongside the other trades it regulates. Its published list of work requiring the license names driveways, patios, sidewalks, paving, foundations, retaining walls and masonry, so a concrete contractor applies for that single license.
Yes. The Commission lists driveways, patios, sidewalks and paving as work usually requiring its license. The statutory definition reaches an improvement to land adjacent to a residence, so a detached patio slab or walkway counts even when you never touch the house. Business Regulation Article 8-301 requires a contractor license to act as a contractor in Maryland.
The contractor exam has 55 questions drawn from the laws and regulations governing the operation of a home improvement business and the sale of home improvement work, not from concrete technique. You need 70 percent to pass. It is computer delivered, runs two hours, and PSI charges a standard exam fee of $63.00 at its Maryland testing centers.
At least two years of trade experience. The regulation counts a registered apprenticeship, employment performing home improvements, and employment performing commercial or residential construction, repairs or renovations, so commercial slab years count. Supervisor, manager or owner experience can substitute for one year, and vocational building trade training or a work study program can substitute for the trade experience.
At least $500,000. Business Regulation Article 8-302.1 requires both an applicant for a contractor license and a licensed contractor to maintain general liability insurance of at least that amount, and the Commission notified contractors the requirement took effect June 1, 2024. Workers compensation is separate: Labor and Employment Article 9-402 requires employers to secure compensation for covered employees.
No. The Commission states that a home improvement license does not cover new home construction, and that builders who build homes in Maryland must register with the Home Builder Registration Unit at the Office of the Attorney General. Business Regulation Article 4.5-301 bars acting as a home builder without that registration, so confirm who holds what before pouring.
Business Regulation Article 8-601 makes it a misdemeanor to act or offer to act as a contractor without a license. A first conviction carries a fine up to $1,000 or up to 6 months in jail or both. A second or later conviction carries up to $5,000 or up to 2 years or both. Advertising alone can violate it.
Yes. The regulation requires licensed contractors and subcontractors to conspicuously display the license number preceded by the designation MHIC # on both sides of all vehicles primarily used to perform home improvement work, in characters at least 3 inches high. Hauling material to and from the jobsite counts. Sales vehicles are excluded, and subcontractors display only their own numbers.
No. The Commission states it offers no reciprocity with any other state, because each licensee must demonstrate knowledge of Maryland law and regulation. Any contractor who solicits or performs home improvement services in Maryland needs an MHIC license even with no Maryland office. Out-of-state firms must also register with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation.
The license runs two years on your own renewal date, and the Commission states there is no continuing education requirement to renew. Before renewing a contractor license the Commission collects a $175 Guaranty Fund fee. Renewal notices go out about 60 days before expiration, and a renewal takes effect when you meet the requirements rather than retroactively.
Because of the Guaranty Fund. The regulation requires a credit report and a statement of outstanding judgments and pending civil actions, and an applicant who cannot show net worth equal to the maximum Fund award to one claimant must carry a two year surety bond for that amount. Statute caps that award at $30,000 per claimant against one contractor.
Yes to both. The Commission answered the gravel question directly: driveways, including gravel driveways, fall within home improvement, so adding gravel and fixing potholes requires a licensed contractor. It also treats driveway sealcoating as home improvement and warns that unlicensed sealcoating is one of the most common home improvement scams in the state.
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