- No state license at any job size. Home construction or repair jobs over $3,000 need a written contract.
Do you need a state license in Maine?
Maine does not issue a statewide general contractor license. Any license you need comes from the city or county where the job is, so the rules can change from one town to the next.
No state license at any job size. Home construction or repair jobs over $3,000 need a written contract.
Towns with more than 4,000 residents must enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code. Check with the local code office about permits.
How to get set up in Maine, step by step
- Use a written contract for any home job over $3,000 with the terms state law requires.
- Use the Attorney General's model contract and change order, which meet the state requirements.
- Check with each town code office about permits and the state building code.
- Hire state licensed electricians, plumbers and fuel technicians for that work, or get those licenses yourself.
What it costs in Maine
There is no state license fee for general contractor work in Maine. Ask the city or county where you work about any local fees.
Good to know in Maine
- Under the Home Construction Contracts Act, the written contract must list the total price, estimated start and end dates, the work and materials, and a warranty of good workmanship.
- The down payment cannot be more than one third of the contract price unless the homeowner agrees in writing to waive that rule.
- Change orders that change the price must be in writing and signed by both sides.
- A bill to create a state residential contractor license (LD 1226) died when the Legislature adjourned in April 2026.
Once you are cleared to work
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for a contractor near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the Maine Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division (home construction contracts) and the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.