Maryland

General construction contractors don't need a license to work in Maryland. You will need a license to do electrical, plumbing or HVACR contracting, or work on home improvement projects.

To find out if an electrician, plumber, HVACR contractor or home improvement contractor is licensed to do work in Maryland, go to http://www.dllr.state.md.us/query/ or call 410-230-6231.

• Electrician's Licenses

• Plumber's Licenses

• HVACR Licenses

• Home Improvement Licenses

• Department of Transportation (DOT)

• Out-of-State Corporations

Electrician's Licenses

To do electrical work you must get a master electrician license from the Maryland Board of Master Electricians. Unless you qualify for a waiver, you must pass an exam given by PSI Examination Services before you can get an application from the Board. You'll find information on exam waivers later in this section. To get an application for the exam, contact:

PSI Examination Services 100 West Broadway, Suite 1100 Glendale, CA 91210-1202 (800) 733-9267 Fax: (818) 247-3853 http://www.psiexams.com

To qualify for the exam you must have seven years of work experience under the supervision of a master electrician or similarly-qualified person. If you have Board-approved professional training, you can apply up to three years of it toward the experience requirement.

The exam is open book and lasts four hours. It has 50 one-point questions, 10 two-point questions, and 6 five-point questions. Here's a table that shows the subjects on the exam and the approximate number of questions on each subject:

The reference for the exam is the National Electric Code.

After you pass the exam you can apply to the Board for your license. Here's their address:

State of Maryland Board of Master Electricians 500 North Calvert Street Rm. 302 Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 230-6270 http://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/master_elec/master_elecintro.html

Electrician's license fees: It will cost you $40 for the exam and $20 for a master license. The license is good for two years. Renewal will cost $25.

If you have a local or out-of-state master electrician's license, you may be able to get a master's license from the Board without taking the exam. Your license must be active and in good standing. The requirements you filled to get it must be essentially equal to those required to get a Maryland license. You'll still have to pay the license fee but you can apply directly to the Board for your license.

The Board doesn't have any reciprocity agreements with other states at this time.

Plumber's Licenses

To do plumbing work you must get a master or journey license from the Maryland State Board of Plumbing. Unless you qualify for a waiver, you've got to pass an exam given by PSI Examination Services before you can get an application from the Board. To get an application for the exam contact:

PSI Examination Services 100 West Broadway, Suite 1100 Glendale, CA 91210-1202 (800) 733-9267 Fax: (818) 247-3853 http://www.psiexams.com

To qualify for the master or journey exam you must have completed a Board-approved 32-hour course in Backflow Prevention Devices.

The Board has different requirements for the master license, depending on whether your work experience was in Maryland or not. For work experience in Maryland you need two years Board-approved work experience under a licensed Maryland master plumber, including at least 3,750 hours in the plumbing trade as a licensed Maryland journey plumber.

For work experience outside Maryland, you need:

• two years of Board-approved work experience including at least 3,750 hours in the plumbing trade as a licensed journey plumber
• four years of Board-approved work experience including at least 7,500 hours under the supervision of a licensed master plumber before getting your journey plumber license
• proof that you got your journey plumber license by passing a written exam
• 11,250 hours of Board-approved work experience under the supervision of a licensed master plumber who got his license by passing a written exam

The requirements for taking the journey plumbing licensing exam are also different depending on whether your work experience was in Maryland or not. For work experience in Maryland you need four years of Board-approved work experience under a licensed Maryland master plumbing, including at least 7,500 hours under the supervision of a licensed Maryland master plumber.

You can apply up to 1,500 hours of Board-approved education to the 7,500-hour requirement. You must also list any hours you've worked as an apprentice plumber. Any hours you work as an unlicensed apprentice plumber will be subtracted from your hours worked as an apprentice plumber. An unlicensed apprentice plumber must register with the Board before applying for the journey plumber exam.

For work experience outside Maryland, you need:

• four years of Board-approved work experience including at least 7,500 hours under the supervision of a licensed master plumber who got his license by passing a written exam

You can apply up to 1,500 hours of Board-approved education to the 7,500-hour requirement.

The exam is open book on the Maryland State Plumbing Code and the National Fuel Gas Code. Here are the subjects on each exam and their approximate number of questions:

After you pass the exam you can apply to the Board for your license. Their address is:

Maryland State Board of Plumbing 500 North Calvert Street Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 230-6270 http://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/plumb/plumbintro.html

Plumber's license fees: It will cost you $50 nonrefundable to apply for the exam. A master license costs $70 and a journeyman license is $35. Apprentice licenses cost $15. Propane gas fitter's license application fee is $25 and the license is $35. Licenses expire on May 1 each odd-numbered year.

The Board may issue a reciprocal master or journeyman license to plumbers who are currently licensed in Baltimore County or WSSC (Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission). The Board also issues reciprocal licenses to individuals who hold a current master's license in the state of Delaware and has presented evidence of an approved 32 hour course in backflow preventer device testing. Individuals who hold a current journeyman or master gas fitter license from Baltimore City, Baltimore County or WSSC may obtain a like State Natural Gas Fitter's license.

HVACR Licenses

To do HVACR work you must get a license from the Maryland State Board of HVACR Contractors. The Board issues master, master restricted, limited contractor, and journeyman licenses. To get an application, contact:

State Board of HVACR Contractors 500 North Calvert Street Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 230-6270 http://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/hvacr/hvacrintro.html

Exams are given by:

PSI Examination Services 100 West Broadway, Suite 1100 Glendale, CA 91210-1202 (800) 733-9267 Fax: (818) 247-3853 http://www.psiexams.com

HVACR license fees: You must pass an exam to get a license. The master or limited contractor exam costs $132. The fee for the master restricted exam is $44 for one area (forced air heating, hydronic heating, ventilation, air conditioning or refrigeration), and $88 for two or more areas. The journeyman exam costs $44. The master license costs $75, limited contractor costs $75, master restricted is $25-$75, and the journeyman license costs $20.

Home Improvement Licenses

To work on home improvement projects you must get a contractor or subcontractor license from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission. But before you can get the application, you must pass an exam given by PSI. To get an application for the exam, contact PSI at:

PSI Examination Services 100 West Broadway, Suite 1100 Glendale, CA 91210-1202 (800) 733-9267 Fax: (818) 247-3853 http://www.psiexams.com

 For an application, contact:

State of Maryland Home Improvement Commission 500 North Calvert Street Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 230-6176 http://www.dllr.state.md.us/license/home_imprv/hicintro.html

Home improvement license fees: It will cost you $54 nonrefundable to apply for an exam and $325 (includes Home Improvement Guaranty Fund fee) for a contractor license. A subcontractor license costs $125. The license is good for two years.

Department of Transportation (DOT)

You don't need to be prequalified to bid on Maryland Department of Transportation projects. However you do need an appropriate contractor's license. If you're the probable low bidder on a project, the Department will ask you about your organization, personnel, financial condition, equipment, and experience at that time. For information, contact:

Department of Transportation State Highway Administration 707 North Calvert Street, Room 507 Baltimore, MD 21203 (410) 545-0433 http://www.sha.state.md.us

Out-of-State Corporations

Out-of-state corporations must file a Foreign Qualification form. To get this form, contact:

State Department of Assessments and Taxation 301 W. Preston Street, Room 809 Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 767-1006 Fax: (410) 333-7097 http://www.dat.state.md.us

You will be required to pay a $50 filing fee with your application. Click here for the online application.

Many questions about how to start a business in Maryland can be answered by using the Department of Business and Economic Development's Business Licensing and Information System (BLIS), at http://www.blis.state.md.us. BLIS has information on how to form a business, apply for state and local permits, and comply with tax laws and other regulations.

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