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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Maryland

How to become a general contractor in Maryland

Most general contractors in Maryland start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

20registered apprenticeship programs$37.87median an hour in Maryland

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In MD
20 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In MD
12 schools with programs
Compare 12 schools
Helper

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
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Maryland is $37.87 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Maryland
  3. Run your own shop

    At least two years of home improvement or construction experience, or related education, plus proof of financial solvency from a credit report and net worth.

    Issued by
    Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC)
    Maryland contractor license
Pay once you're working

$78,760

a year is the median for general contractors in Maryland ($37.87 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Baltimore–Columbia$37.35
  2. Salisbury$37.07
  3. Lexington Park$35.78
  4. Hagerstown–Martinsburg$35.28
Maryland median $37.87 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Maryland?

Yes. Maryland licenses general contractors through the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC).1

Are general contractors in demand in Maryland?

Projections Central expects about 1,460 general contractor openings a year in Maryland through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

20 registered programs in Maryland. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Maryland

Sources

  1. Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) contractor licensing (labor.maryland.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Maryland, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)