Maryland · Roofing licensing · official-source guide
Maryland has no roofing-specific license. Roofing on existing homes and buildings of three or fewer units is regulated as home improvement work by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, part of the Maryland Department of Labor. A Contractor license requires two years of experience, a passing exam score, financial solvency or a bond, and general liability insurance. Commercial buildings, larger apartment buildings, and new-home construction fall outside this license.
State-level license
Yes
Public lookup
Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-18. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Maryland does not issue a separate roofing license. Roofing work performed on an existing residence is regulated under the state's Home Improvement Law, Title 8 of the Business Regulation Article, and administered by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), a unit of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing inside the Maryland Department of Labor. The Home Improvement Law defines home improvement broadly as the addition, alteration, conversion, improvement, modernization, remodeling, repair, or replacement of a building or part of a building used or designed to be used as a residence or dwelling, a structure adjacent to that building, or an improvement to land adjacent to the building. MHIC's own list of work typically requiring a license names roofs specifically under exterior-of-residence work, alongside siding, gutters and downspouts, and chimney repairs. That means a contractor who tears off and replaces a roof, repairs storm or hail damage, or installs gutters and downspouts on an existing house, townhouse, or individual condominium unit in Maryland must hold an MHIC Contractor license, and a person who sells that work on behalf of a contractor must hold an MHIC Salesperson license. MHIC investigates homeowner complaints, administers a Guaranty Fund that can compensate homeowners for certain losses caused by licensed contractors, and refers unlicensed activity for criminal prosecution. Because the license is issued at the state level, it covers a roofing contractor's work anywhere in Maryland; a separate license is not issued county by county for this trade. Roofing contractors should treat the MHIC Contractor license as the baseline credential for any reroofing, repair, or storm-damage restoration job performed on a covered residential structure, and should confirm separately whether a given job (new construction, a large apartment building, or a purely commercial structure) falls under a different program described later in this guide.
MHIC issues two license categories that cover roofing work: the Contractor license and the Salesperson license. A Contractor license is required for any business or individual that performs or agrees to perform a home improvement, including roofing installation, repair, or replacement, for a homeowner in exchange for payment. This is the license a roofing company itself must hold, and it must be renewed by the company or the individual named on the license regardless of how long the business has operated or what other credentials, insurance, or accounting resources it already has in place. A Salesperson license is required for an individual who solicits or sells home improvement work, including roofing jobs, on behalf of a licensed contractor without being the contractor of record. A salesperson may represent up to two licensed contractors at a time, but may only represent one of those contractors at a time when actually negotiating a contract with a specific homeowner. To obtain a salesperson license, the applicant must pass the salesperson exam and submit written notice, signed by both the licensed contractor and the applicant, confirming an employment or other contractual relationship between them. A company using door-knockers, canvassers, or estimators to sign homeowners to roofing contracts after a storm should confirm each of those individuals holds a salesperson license tied to the licensed contractor, since the salesperson requirement applies to anyone soliciting or selling the work, not only to the crew that performs it. Holding a contractor license does not automatically license a company's sales staff, and holding a salesperson license does not authorize that individual to contract or perform roofing work in their own name.
The MHIC license only reaches work on a residence, meaning a building or part of a building used or designed to be used as a dwelling, including an individual condominium unit. MHIC's home page states directly that home improvement does not include work performed on the commonly owned areas of condominiums or on buildings that contain four or more single-family units. In practice, this means reroofing or repairing a single-family house, a townhouse, a duplex or triplex, or one owner's individual condominium unit falls under the MHIC Contractor license, while roofing work on a larger apartment building, a condominium association's shared roof, or a purely commercial building such as a warehouse, office, or retail structure falls outside the Home Improvement Law's definition of a residence and outside MHIC's licensing jurisdiction. Maryland has no single statewide commercial roofing or general commercial-contractor license to fill that gap; a roofing company working strictly on non-residential or large multifamily buildings should still expect to carry standard business registration, workers compensation, and liability coverage, and should confirm local permit requirements, but is not required to hold the MHIC Contractor license for that specific work. New home construction is also outside MHIC's authority even when the work is residential: MHIC has confirmed that a home improvement license does not cover building a new home, and that all builders constructing new homes in Maryland must instead register with the Home Builder Registration Unit of the Consumer Protection Division in the Office of the Attorney General. A roofing subcontractor installing the original roof on new-home construction as part of that registered builder's project is working under the builder registration framework rather than the MHIC home improvement license, though the same subcontractor still needs an MHIC license for any later repair or reroofing of an existing home.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
An applicant for an original MHIC Contractor license must show at least two years of trade experience in home improvement work, construction, or comparable education before the Commission will issue the license. There is no classroom-hour or credit-hour minimum published by MHIC beyond this two-year experience-or-education standard, and no particular roofing specialty credential is required to qualify. Alongside experience, every contractor applicant must demonstrate financial solvency based on the scope and size of the business in relation to total assets, liabilities, a full credit report, and net worth; the Commission evaluates personal assets for this purpose rather than business assets alone. An applicant who does not meet MHIC's financial solvency guidelines has two alternatives: purchase a surety bond, using either the Commission's $30,000 bond form or its $100,000 bond form depending on the license sought, or obtain an indemnitor who agrees to answer for the applicant's obligations. If the contractor operates as a corporation, the application must include articles of incorporation and a Certificate of Good Standing from the Department of Assessments and Taxation. A contractor that operates under a trade name must first confirm with MHIC that the name is available, then register that trade name with the Department of Assessments and Taxation, and submit the certificate of trade name registration with the license application. Applicants with a prior misdemeanor conviction connected to a home improvement transaction, or a felony conviction, must submit certified copies of the conviction records; MHIC weighs the nature of the crime, its relationship to home improvement work, how long ago it occurred, and the applicant's conduct before and after the conviction when deciding whether to issue a license.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Every applicant for an MHIC Contractor or Salesperson license must pass a licensing exam before applying for the license itself. PSI Examination Services administers the exam on the Commission's behalf. The Contractor exam contains 55 questions; the Salesperson exam contains 35 questions. Both exams are based on Maryland law and regulation covering the operation of a home improvement business and the sale of home improvement work, and both are delivered by computer over a two-hour session. A candidate must answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly to pass. The standard exam fee is $63.00, paid directly to PSI. Exams are offered daily, Monday through Friday, at PSI testing centers in Baltimore, College Park, Salisbury, Frederick, Hagerstown, Lanham, and Crofton, by appointment, with the date confirmed in writing. Candidates register through PSI's website by selecting Maryland as the jurisdiction and MD Home Improvement as the account, then downloading PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin, which contains the study-guide order form and exam registration form; the exam content is based on the fifth edition of the Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management. No prep course is required to sit for the exam, although MHIC notes that many community colleges offer an exam-preparation course and that Montgomery College offers one in Spanish. A candidate who does not pass must wait 30 days before the first retake and 60 days before any later retake, paying the exam fee again each time. Once an applicant passes, PSI forwards the license application to the applicant, but the applicant must file that license application within two years of the passing score or the score expires and the exam must be retaken.
MHIC's fee schedule is set in regulation under Business Regulation Article Section 8-213 and published at COMAR 09.08.07.02. A Contractor license application costs $281.25 for each place of business the contractor operates, plus a $22.50 application processing fee. A Salesperson license application costs $112.50, also plus the $22.50 processing fee. License renewal fees mirror the original application fees: $281.25 per place of business for a Contractor renewal and $112.50 for a Salesperson renewal. A licensee who wants to place a license on inactive status pays a $56.25 inactive-status application fee, and while the license remains inactive the renewal fee drops to $126.75 for a Contractor or $42.25 for a Salesperson; reactivating an inactive license carries an $11.25 reissuance fee. MHIC also charges $1.25 for a certification of license status and $1.25 per page for document copies. These regulatory fees are separate from the PSI exam fee and from the Guaranty Fund assessment described elsewhere in this guide, so a first-time roofing contractor applicant should budget for the exam fee, the license application fee, the processing fee, and the Guaranty Fund assessment together, not any single figure alone. Fees are paid to MHIC as part of the license application or renewal process, and the Commission has stated that these application and licensing fees were increased effective August 1, 2024, so contractors relying on older cost estimates from before that date should confirm the current amount against the regulation before budgeting a new application or renewal.
In addition to the license fee, every MHIC Contractor pays into the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund, which compensates homeowners for certain actual monetary losses caused by a licensed contractor's poor workmanship or failure to complete a home improvement contract, including a roofing contract. MHIC's published assessment is $100 for an original Contractor license and $175 for a Contractor renewal, each covering a two-year license period; the renewal amount reflects an increase MHIC has noted alongside its August 1, 2024 fee change. The Fund applies only to work performed by a licensee, so a homeowner has no Guaranty Fund recourse against an unlicensed roofer. Recovery from the Fund is capped at the amount the homeowner actually paid the contractor, up to a maximum of $30,000 per homeowner. If total approved claims against one contractor exceed $250,000, MHIC pro-rates payouts so each claimant receives a share of the total amount awarded rather than the full amount of their individual claim. Because the Fund is capped and pro-rated, it supplements rather than replaces a contractor's own liability insurance and any bond posted at licensure; homeowners with large roofing losses, such as extensive storm damage from a contractor who abandoned a job, may not be made whole by the Fund alone if other claims against the same contractor are pending. MHIC also allows a homeowner to purchase a separate performance bond for additional protection beyond what the Guaranty Fund covers, and Maryland's standard home improvement contract language must disclose both the existence of the Guaranty Fund and the homeowner's right to buy that additional performance bond.
Maryland law requires MHIC-licensed home improvement contractors, including roofing contractors, to carry general liability insurance. Effective June 1, 2024, Section 8-302.1 of the Business Regulation Article requires every Maryland home improvement contractor to maintain general liability insurance in the amount of at least $500,000; MHIC published this change as a distinct notice to all licensees alongside its other 2024 program updates. This figure supersedes the older $50,000 minimum liability insurance amount that MHIC's own license-requirements page has historically described for both original and renewal applicants, so a contractor budgeting insurance coverage for a new or renewed license should rely on the $500,000 statutory minimum rather than any older reference to $50,000. Proof of current liability insurance must be filed with the license application, and the coverage must remain in effect for the entire license period, not only at the moment of application; a contractor must notify MHIC of any cancellation of that liability insurance at least ten days before the cancellation takes effect. Liability insurance is separate from, and in addition to, the financial-solvency showing, the optional surety bond, and the Guaranty Fund assessment described elsewhere in this guide; a contractor cannot substitute one for another. Roofing work carries particular liability exposure from fall hazards, torch-down or open-flame roofing methods, and storm-damage claims, so a contractor should confirm with its insurer that its policy meets or exceeds the current statutory minimum before relying on it to satisfy MHIC's licensing requirement, rather than assuming an older policy limit still qualifies.
An MHIC Contractor or Salesperson license runs for a license period of two years from the date the original license was issued, and each licensee has an individual, personal renewal date rather than a single statewide renewal date shared by every contractor. MHIC mails a notice of license expiration and renewal instructions approximately 60 days before a license expires; a licensee who has not received that notice within 30 days of the expiration date is instructed to contact the Commission directly rather than assume the license will lapse automatically. Renewal can be completed online, with fees payable by credit card, or by mailing the renewal form back to the Commission with a check or money order. Renewal requires payment of the regulatory renewal fee described earlier in this guide plus the Guaranty Fund renewal assessment, and requires that the contractor's liability insurance remain current. Unlike many other Maryland trade licenses, MHIC does not impose a continuing education requirement to renew a Contractor or Salesperson license; MHIC's own education page states plainly that there is no continuing education requirement to renew an MHIC license, so a roofing contractor does not need to complete any course hours between license periods. Temporary licenses are no longer available in Maryland; MHIC's licensing requirements page notes that the provision allowing temporary licenses was removed from the law in 1999, so an applicant cannot begin roofing work under a provisional or temporary credential while a full application is pending. A contractor who wants to change an active license to inactive status, or reactivate an inactive license, can do so through MHIC as long as the request is not made within 60 days of the license's renewal date, in which case the licensee must renew the license on its normal schedule instead.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Maryland does not offer license reciprocity to roofing or home improvement contractors licensed in another state. MHIC has stated directly that it does not offer reciprocity with any other state because every applicant, regardless of where else they are licensed, must demonstrate knowledge of Maryland's own home improvement laws and regulations by passing the Maryland exam. A roofing contractor who already holds a license, registration, or certification from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington D.C., or any other jurisdiction must still take and pass the Maryland Contractor exam and complete the full Maryland application before performing or selling home improvement work, including roofing, in Maryland. This requirement applies regardless of whether the out-of-state contractor maintains a physical office in Maryland; MHIC's guidance is explicit that a contractor who solicits or performs home improvement services in Maryland needs an MHIC license even without a Maryland office, and even if already licensed elsewhere. Out-of-state contractors doing business under a company name in Maryland must also register that business with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, separate from the MHIC license itself. This matters particularly for roofing companies that expand into Maryland after a regional storm event, since a company that is properly licensed in a neighboring state and sends crews into Maryland to solicit storm-damage repair work is not permitted to rely on that neighboring license; each individual performing contractor-level work, and each salesperson soliciting homeowners, needs its own Maryland credential before doing so, and MHIC and local authorities have specifically warned homeowners to check licensure status before hiring crews that appear in a neighborhood shortly after a storm.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov
Maryland's Home Improvement Law makes it unlawful to act as a home improvement contractor, or to sell or offer to sell home improvement work such as roofing, without holding an MHIC license. Business Regulation Article Section 8-601 states that, except as otherwise provided in Title 8, a person may not act or offer to act as a contractor in Maryland without a contractor license, and separately may not sell or offer to sell a home improvement in the state without the required license. A related provision, Section 8-612, separately bars a licensed contractor or salesperson from performing or selling a home improvement through another person who is required to be licensed but is not, closing off the common workaround of routing unlicensed labor through a licensed company's paperwork. MHIC enforces these provisions in coordination with local prosecutors' offices across the state; the Commission's own guidance to consumers states that MHIC investigators make approximately 75 appearances per month at criminal trials against unlicensed contractors statewide, reflecting active, ongoing criminal enforcement rather than a purely civil penalty. MHIC depends on both licensed contractors and homeowners to file written complaints against unlicensed activity, and provides a specific complaint form for reporting a contractor working without an MHIC license. Separately, a person convicted of acting as a contractor or salesperson without a license is not automatically barred from ever holding an MHIC license: the Home Improvement Law allows the Commission to issue a license to such a person once all outstanding obligations from that conviction have been settled and at least one year has passed since the conviction date. This guide does not state a specific misdemeanor fine or jail term for unlicensed contracting, because that figure could not be confirmed from a primary Maryland source at the time of writing; see the unsourced list.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Maryland regulates how a roofing or home improvement contractor may advertise and what a home improvement contract must contain. Every home improvement advertisement must include the name and MHIC license number of the contractor placing it; advertisements cannot be false, deceptive, or misleading, and any ad offering a discount coupon may not require that the coupon be presented before the contractor gives an estimate or proposal. If an advertised price does not include all costs necessary for the proper function or appearance of the installed product, or omits a delivery or installation charge, the ad must clearly and conspicuously disclose that. Business Regulation Section 8-503(b) separately bars a contractor or salesperson from offering, giving, or paying a homeowner a gift, bonus, award, merchandise, trading stamps, or a cash loan as an inducement to sign a home improvement contract, though MHIC treats an ordinary sale or price reduction as distinct from a prohibited gift or bonus. The written contract itself must be legible, describe every document it incorporates, and be signed by both parties, with the homeowner receiving a signed copy before work begins. It must state the contractor's name, address, and MHIC license number, and, if a salesperson sold the job, that salesperson's name and license number as well. Every contract must also carry a notice giving MHIC's phone number and website and stating that each contractor must hold a current MHIC license and that anyone can ask MHIC about a contractor, along with a disclosure of the Guaranty Fund and the homeowner's right to purchase an additional performance bond. The contract must state approximate start and substantial-completion dates, and describe the work and materials involved, so a roofing contract should specify the roofing system, materials, and scope rather than a vague description of repair work.
Maryland caps how much a roofing contractor can collect upfront and gives homeowners specific cancellation rights that matter most in storm-damage and door-to-door situations. A contractor may not accept more than one third of the contract price as a deposit, and may not accept any payment at all until the contract has been signed; beyond that initial deposit cap, the Home Improvement Law does not otherwise control the payment schedule, so the remaining payment terms are negotiated between the homeowner and the contractor. When payment for a roofing contract is secured by an interest in the homeowner's real estate, such as a mortgage or lien used to finance the job, the contract must carry a first-page notice warning that the contract creates a mortgage or lien against the property, that the homeowner has the right to consult an attorney, and that the homeowner has the right to rescind the contract within three business days of signing by notifying the contractor in writing. Many roofing contracts, particularly those solicited at the homeowner's door after a storm, are also covered by the Maryland Door-to-Door Sales Act; when that Act applies, the contract must give the homeowner the right to cancel at any time before midnight of the fifth business day after the transaction, extended to the seventh day if the homeowner is at least 65 years old, and must include a separate Notice of Cancellation form the homeowner can use. Contracts with a mandatory arbitration clause carry their own disclosure duties: the clause must name the person or organization conducting the arbitration, disclose any mandatory fees and the fee schedule, state whether the arbitrator's findings are binding, and disclose that a Guaranty Fund claim will be stayed until the arbitration concludes, with the homeowner initialing and dating the contract next to that clause.
Sourceslabor.maryland.gov
Roofing work in Maryland is frequently tied to homeowner insurance claims after hail or wind damage, and Maryland law draws a firm line between a licensed roofing contractor and a licensed public adjuster. Insurance Article Section 10-403 requires a person to obtain a license from the Maryland Insurance Administration before acting as a public adjuster in the state, and makes a violation a misdemeanor punishable, on conviction, by a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both, for each violation. Insurance Article Section 10-402 lists narrow exemptions from the public-adjuster license requirement, covering categories such as an insurer's own employees, certain insurance producers, attorneys who do not regularly act as adjusters, and people hired only to gather facts or provide technical assistance to a licensed public adjuster; a roofing contractor negotiating, appraising, or settling a homeowner's property claim for compensation is not among the exempted categories. This means a roofing contractor may inspect storm damage, prepare an estimate for repair or replacement, and submit that estimate to the homeowner's insurer as part of performing the work, but crosses into public adjusting, and needs a separate MIA public adjuster license, if it takes on the role of negotiating or settling the claim itself on the homeowner's behalf for a fee or a share of the proceeds. The Maryland Home Improvement Commission and the Maryland Insurance Administration have jointly warned consumers about this distinction, co-hosting a public webinar, Public Adjusters and Contractors: What You Need to Know Before You Sign on the Dotted Line, in December 2020, which MHIC continues to reference on its consumer information page alongside its general advice to verify a contractor's license before signing any storm-repair agreement.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov 1mgaleg.maryland.gov 2labor.maryland.gov 3
Roofing contractors working in Baltimore City, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Baltimore County do not face a separate local contractor license layered on top of the MHIC Contractor license for home improvement work. Business Regulation Article Section 8-102(b) expressly prohibits a county or municipal corporation in Maryland from requiring a person to obtain authorization to do business performing or selling a home improvement, or from regulating the qualifications needed to do that business; state law occupies that field. Section 8-102(c) preserves a narrower local authority: a county or municipality may still operate its own system of inspections and permits to enforce applicable state and local building laws and other public health and safety laws, and may require submission and approval of plans and specifications before construction begins, along with inspection of completed work. In practical terms for a roofing contractor, this means an MHIC Contractor license is the credential that authorizes the business itself to perform or sell roofing work anywhere in Maryland, while a separate local building permit, and any related plan review or inspection, is still typically required before tearing off and replacing a roof in a given jurisdiction, because that permit process falls under the building-safety authority the statute leaves in place rather than under contractor licensing. This guide does not list the specific permit fees, application steps, or inspection timelines each individual city or county uses for roof-replacement permits, because those figures could not be confirmed from each jurisdiction's own primary source in this session; a roofing contractor should confirm the current local permit process directly with the building or permits department in the city or county where the job is located before starting work, in addition to holding the required MHIC license.
Sourcesmgaleg.maryland.gov
Maryland maintains a free, public online lookup that lets a homeowner confirm whether a roofing contractor or salesperson holds a current MHIC license before signing a contract. The tool, titled the Home Improvement Public Query, is hosted on the Maryland Department of Labor's electronic licensing system and lets a user search by contractor name, trade name, or license number to see whether a license is active, and to see basic license information tied to that contractor. MHIC's own guidance to applicants notes that the public query database is updated nightly, so a newly approved license typically appears in the public search the day after MHIC approves the application, even though the applicant's paper license arrives by mail roughly ten days after approval. Beyond the online lookup, MHIC encourages homeowners to call the Commission directly, at 410-230-6231, to verify a contractor's license status before hiring, particularly after storm damage, when door-to-door solicitors sometimes approach homeowners before their license status can be checked online. Every home improvement contract in Maryland is separately required to carry a notice giving MHIC's phone number and website and stating plainly that each contractor must hold a current MHIC license and that anyone can ask MHIC about a contractor, which gives a homeowner a second, contract-based prompt to verify licensure even if they do not think to check before a contractor arrives. Because MHIC's Guaranty Fund and performance-bond protections apply only to licensed contractors, confirming an active license before signing is also the step that preserves a homeowner's ability to file a Guaranty Fund claim later if the roofing work is abandoned, incomplete, or performed in an unworkmanlike manner.
Sourcesdllr.state.md.us 1labor.maryland.gov 2labor.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. Roofing on an existing home or building of three or fewer units is licensed as home improvement work by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), part of the Maryland Department of Labor, rather than under a roofing-specific license.
The business performing the roofing work needs an MHIC Contractor license, and anyone who solicits or sells the job on the contractor's behalf, rather than performing it, needs an MHIC Salesperson license tied to that contractor.
No. MHIC's home improvement definition excludes buildings with four or more single-family units and the commonly owned areas of condominiums, and it does not reach non-residential commercial buildings, so Maryland has no state license requirement for that work.
No. MHIC has confirmed its license does not cover new home construction; builders constructing new homes, and by extension the roofing installed as part of that construction, register instead with the Home Builder Registration Unit in the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.
At least two years of trade experience in home improvement work, construction, or comparable education is required before MHIC will issue an original Contractor license, in addition to passing the licensing exam.
The Contractor exam has 55 questions on Maryland home improvement law and business practice, administered by PSI Examination Services by computer over two hours, with a 70 percent passing score and a standard $63.00 exam fee.
The regulatory application fee is $281.25 per place of business plus a $22.50 processing fee, renewal is $281.25 per place of business, and the Guaranty Fund assessment adds $100 at original licensure or $175 at renewal, each for a two-year period.
A bond is not required for every applicant, but an applicant who cannot meet MHIC's financial solvency guidelines must purchase a surety bond, using MHIC's $30,000 or $100,000 bond form, or obtain an indemnitor instead.
Effective June 1, 2024, Business Regulation Section 8-302.1 requires MHIC-licensed home improvement contractors to carry general liability insurance of at least $500,000, and proof of current coverage must be filed with the license application and kept in force.
No. MHIC states there is no continuing education requirement to renew a Contractor or Salesperson license; the license simply runs for a two-year period from issuance and is renewed online or by mail.
Not without a separate license. Insurance Article Section 10-403 requires a Maryland Insurance Administration public adjuster license before anyone, including a roofing contractor, negotiates or settles a homeowner's property insurance claim for compensation.
Use MHIC's Home Improvement Public Query, the Department of Labor's free online license lookup, which is updated nightly and lets you search by contractor name or license number, or call MHIC directly at 410-230-6231.
We can review the local market, your current search visibility, and paid-search fit before recommending any marketing work.