How do I look up an MHIC license?

Use the free MHIC licence search on the Maryland Department of Labor website and search by the contractor name or licence number. Confirm the licence is active and the name matches your contract.

Does a contractor need a license for home improvement in Maryland?

Yes. Home-improvement work for a homeowner in Maryland requires a Maryland Home Improvement Commission licence, and the number must appear on the written contract.

What happens if I hire an unlicensed contractor in Maryland?

You lose access to the Maryland Home Improvement Guaranty Fund, which is the claim route homeowners have when a licensed contractor abandons or botches a job.

What is the United Developers license number?

MHIC #111971 in Maryland and Virginia DPOR Class A #2705183185.

How Do I Check a Contractor License in Maryland?

Short answer: Use the free MHIC licence search on the Maryland Department of Labor website. Enter the contractor’s name or licence number and confirm three things: the licence is active, the business name matches the one on your contract, and the number on the contract is the same number. Ours is MHIC #111971.

Why it matters

Maryland requires anyone who does home-improvement work for a homeowner to hold a Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) licence. Hiring a licensed contractor is what gives you access to the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund if the work is abandoned or done badly. Hire an unlicensed one and that protection is gone.

Maryland also requires the licence number to appear on the written contract, so a missing number is itself a warning.

The three other checks worth doing

Insurance. Ask for a certificate of liability insurance, sent from the insurer, naming you as the certificate holder. A photo of a card is not the same thing.

Reviews you can verify. Read the Google reviews and look at the dates and the detail. Fifty five-star reviews posted in one week are not the same signal as years of steady, specific ones.

A local address. A company that will still be there when the warranty matters. Storm-chasing crews from out of state are the classic case of a licence borrowed for the season.

Virginia

In Virginia the licensing board is DPOR, the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, and its online search works the same way. Our Virginia Class A licence is #2705183185.

About us

MHIC #111971 in Maryland, Virginia Class A #2705183185, family-owned since 2005. Office in Bethesda. Free in-home estimates with a written, line-item price.

Get it looked at, free

We inspect across Maryland — Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Carroll and Baltimore counties. Free inspection, photo report within 24 hours, and the report is yours to keep whether or not you hire us.