Most "questions to ask a contractor" lists are filler. This one is built around what Maryland law actually requires, so the answers are checkable rather than reassuring.
About the license
1. What is your MHIC license number?
Ask for it in writing, then run it yourself at the Maryland Department of Labor's Home Improvement Public Query. Remember the lookup only returns active licensees, so no result is a red flag rather than an error. Our step-by-step walkthrough is here: how to check a Maryland contractor's license.
2. Has the Commission ever taken disciplinary action against you?
The public lookup does not show disciplinary history. You have to call MHIC at 410-230-6231 and ask. Most homeowners never do.
3. Can your insurer send me a certificate of insurance directly?
Since October 1, 2024, Maryland requires at least $500,000 in general liability coverage for a contractor license. Ask for the certificate from the insurance company rather than a forwarded PDF.
About the contract
Maryland Business Regulation § 8-501 requires that every home improvement contract be in writing, legible, and signed by each party. It must contain specific things, and a contract missing them is a signal about how the rest of the job will go.
4. Does the written contract include your license number?
Required. So are your contractor's name, address, and phone number, and the license number of any salesperson who sold you the job.
5. What are the approximate start and substantial completion dates?
Required in writing. "We will get to it in the spring" does not satisfy this.
6. Does the contract describe the materials, not just the work?
Required. A description of the work and the materials to be used. This is where cost creep hides.
7. Will I get a signed copy before work begins?
Required by § 8-501(d). Not after the first payment. Before work starts.
About the money
8. What deposit are you asking for?
Maryland Business Regulation § 8-617 sets two hard limits. A contractor may not demand or receive any payment before the contract is signed, and may not receive a deposit of more than one third of the contract price before or at the time the contract is signed. That cap is about the deposit, not about every payment across the job, but a demand for half up front before anything is in writing is worth walking away from.
9. Is any payment secured against my house?
If it is, Maryland requires a bold notice on the first page of the contract telling you so, and gives you the right to rescind within three business days of signing by notifying the contractor in writing. You have to initial that notice separately. If a contract creates a lien against your home and nobody walked you through that paragraph, slow down.
10. If this was sold to me at my kitchen table, what is my cancellation window?
For contracts solicited at your home, Maryland Commercial Law § 14-302.1 gives you until midnight of the fifth business day to cancel, or the seventh business day if you are at least 65 years old. The Notice of Cancellation has to be given to you on a separate form that is not part of the contract. If someone hands you a single stapled packet and points at a paragraph inside it, that does not meet the requirement. Ask for the separate form.
About permits and the actual work
11. Who is pulling the permit?
The correct answer is the contractor. COMAR 09.08.01.08 makes securing permits the non-delegable duty of the prime contractor. If a contractor asks you to pull it in your own name, they are handing you the liability for their work. Also ask to see the permit before work starts. That is MHIC's own advice to consumers. For what actually needs one locally, see our Harford County permit guide.
12. Who is actually doing the work, and are they employees or subs?
Not a trick question and not a wrong answer either way. Maryland eliminated the subcontractor license category in 2016, so subs can legally work unlicensed for a licensed contractor. But you want to know who will be in your house, and who is responsible if something goes wrong. Only the licensed contractor can hold the contract with you.
One question not to bother asking
"Are you licensed and insured?" Everybody says yes. The three questions at the top of this list are the same question, asked in a form where the answer can be checked. If the answers do not hold up, the Maryland Guaranty Fund will not be there for you either.
If you want ours in advance
Allkin Home & Property Services, MHIC #117774. We carry general liability coverage and will have the certificate sent to you from our insurer. We pull our own permits. Our contracts include the license number, dates, scope, and materials, and you get a signed copy before we start. We serve Bel Air, Edgewood, Aberdeen, Abingdon, Fallston, Joppa, Havre de Grace, and Forest Hill.
Sources: Md. Code, Business Regulation §§ 8-405, 8-501, 8-601, 8-617; Md. Code, Commercial Law § 14-302.1; COMAR 09.08.01.08, .25, .26; Maryland Department of Labor, Maryland Home Improvement Commission consumer advice and contracts guidance; 2024 Md. Laws ch. 530.