Home / General Contractors / Maine
Home / General Contractors / Maine
How to become a general contractor in Maine
Most general contractors in Maine start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.
Pick your way in
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In ME
- 17 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In ME
- 5 schools with programs
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Get hired or start training
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
Work as a general contractor
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a general contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Electricians' Examining Board (OPOR)
$77,290
a year is the median for general contractors in Maine ($37.16 an hour, May 2025).3
Pay by city and percentile- Portland–South Portland$38.12
- Lewiston–Auburn$37.88
- Bangor$35.19
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Maine?
Maine has no state general contractor license.1
Are general contractors in demand in Maine?
Projections Central expects about 270 general contractor openings a year in Maine through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2
Find an apprenticeship near you
17 registered programs in Maine. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for general contractors in Maine
Sources
- Electricians' Examining Board (OPOR) contractor licensing (maine.gov, 2026-10-27)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Maine, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)