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Contractor license · Maine

Maine contractor license requirements

By Oussama Chicha, EditorUpdated Checked against primary sources · not yet reviewed by a licensed professionalFact-checked
Quick answer

The Maine state government issues no general contractor license. The Office of the Maine Attorney General says that in Maine, general contractors, and trades such as roofing and framing, are not licensed or regulated, and that the State of Maine licenses plumbers and electricians. Maine's home construction contracts law sets terms for home construction contracts and their change orders.

Maine · Contractor licenseVerified 2026-10-08
State license
No state general contractor license
The Maine state government issues no general contractor license. The Maine Attorney General's Home Construction and Repair page says that in Maine, general contractors, and trades such as roofing and framing, are not licensed or regulated, and that the State of Maine licenses plumbers and electricians.
Agency
Office of the Maine Attorney General

What the state licenses

No state general contractor license. The Maine state government issues no general contractor license. The Maine Attorney General's Home Construction and Repair page says that in Maine, general contractors, and trades such as roofing and framing, are not licensed or regulated, and that the State of Maine licenses plumbers and electricians.

In Maine, general contractors - and trades such as roofing and framing - are not licensed or regulated.
Home Construction and Repair, Maine Attorney General · retrieved 2026-10-03
The State of Maine licenses plumbers and electricians, who are subject to disciplinary action by their licensing board if they violate Maine law or the board’s rules.
Home Construction and Repair, Maine Attorney General · retrieved 2026-10-03

Other state rules for contractors

  • What the law covers, 10 M.R.S. § 1486. Maine's home construction contracts law defines a home construction contract as a contract to build, remodel or repair a residence, including not only structural work but also electrical, plumbing and heating work, carpeting, window replacements and other nonstructural work. A residence is a dwelling with 3 or fewer living units and garages, if any. Buildings used for commercial or business purposes are not subject to the law. Source: 10 M.R.S. § 1486, sub-§ 4; 10 M.R.S. § 1486, sub-§ 5
  • Home construction contracts, 10 M.R.S. § 1487. A home construction contract for more than $3,000 in materials or labor must be in writing and signed by both the home construction contractor and the homeowner or lessee, and both must receive a copy of the executed contract before any work is performed. The contract must contain the entire agreement between the homeowner or lessee and the contractor and at least the parts the law lists, among them the method of payment, with the initial down payment limited to no more than 1/3 of the total contract price. The parties may exempt themselves from these terms only by informed agreement, as described under the exemption. Source: 10 M.R.S. § 1487; 10 M.R.S. § 1487, sub-§ 5
  • Change orders, 10 M.R.S. § 1488. Each change order to a home construction contract must be in writing and becomes part of the existing contract, and all work is performed under the terms and conditions of the original contract unless otherwise stipulated. The change order must detail all changes that revise the contract price, state the previous price and the revised price, and be signed by both parties. The parties may exempt themselves from these terms only by informed agreement, as described under the exemption. Source: 10 M.R.S. § 1488
  • Exemption by informed agreement, 10 M.R.S. § 1489. Parties to a home construction contract may exempt themselves from the law's requirements only if the contractor specifically informs the homeowner or lessee of their rights under the law and the parties then mutually agree to a contract or change order that does not contain the parts set forth in sections 1487 and 1488. Source: 10 M.R.S. § 1489
  • Violations, 10 M.R.S. § 1490. Any violation of the home construction contracts law is prima facie evidence of a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices Act, Title 5, chapter 10. Source: 10 M.R.S. § 1490, sub-§ 1
4. Home construction contract. "Home construction contract" means a contract to build, remodel or repair a residence, including not only structural work but also electrical, plumbing and heating work; carpeting; window replacements; and other nonstructural work.
10 M.R.S. § 1486, sub-§ 4 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
5. Residence. "Residence" means a dwelling with 3 or fewer living units and garages, if any. Buildings used for commercial or business purposes are not subject to this chapter.
10 M.R.S. § 1486, sub-§ 5 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
Any home construction contract for more than $3,000 in materials or labor must be in writing and must be signed by both the home construction contractor and the homeowner or lessee.
10 M.R.S. § 1487 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
Both the contractor and the homeowner or lessee must receive a copy of the executed contract prior to any work performance.
10 M.R.S. § 1487 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
This basic contract must contain the entire agreement between the homeowner or lessee and the home construction contractor and must contain at least the following parts:
10 M.R.S. § 1487 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
5. Payment. The method of payment, with the initial down payment being limited to no more than 1/3 of the total contract price;
10 M.R.S. § 1487, sub-§ 5 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
Each change order to a home construction contract must be in writing and becomes a part of and is in conformance with the existing contract. All work shall be performed under the same terms and conditions as specified in the original contract unless otherwise stipulated. The change order must detail all changes to the original contract that result in a revision of the contract price. The previous contract price must be stated and the revised price shall also be stated. Both parties must sign the change order.
10 M.R.S. § 1488 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
Parties to a home construction contract may exempt themselves from the requirements of this chapter only if the contractor specifically informs the homeowner or lessee of the homeowner's or lessee's rights under this chapter and the parties then mutually agree to a contract or change order that does not contain the parts set forth in sections 1487 and 1488.
10 M.R.S. § 1489 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08
1. Violation. Any violation of this chapter shall constitute prima facie evidence of a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices Act, Title 5, chapter 10.
10 M.R.S. § 1490, sub-§ 1 · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-08

Trade licenses

Where Maine stands on general contractors

The Maine state government issues no general contractor license. The Office of the Maine Attorney General addresses the subject on its Home Construction and Repair page, where it describes general contractors in Maine, together with trades such as roofing and framing, as "not licensed or regulated" [1].

Plumbers and electricians

Two trades are treated differently on the same Attorney General page: plumbers and electricians, it says, are licensed by the State of Maine [1]. The boards for these trades are the Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Electricians' Examining Board for electrical work and the Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Plumbers' Examining Board for plumbing.

Maine's home construction contracts law

Maine's home construction contracts law, in Title 10 of the Maine Revised Statutes, sets requirements for the contract itself [2]. It turns on what it calls a home construction contract: an agreement to build, remodel or repair a residence, where the work counted runs from structural work to nonstructural items such as electrical, plumbing and heating work [2]. The law treats a dwelling as a residence when it has 3 or fewer living units, counting any garages with it, and it does not apply to buildings used for commercial or business purposes [2].

When such a contract is for more than $3,000 in materials or labor, the law calls for a written contract bearing the signatures of both the home construction contractor and the homeowner or lessee, and each of them must get a copy of the executed contract before any work is performed [3]. The document has to hold the whole agreement between them and include the parts the statute lists, one of which is the method of payment; the initial down payment is capped at no more than 1/3 of the total contract price [3].

Under the law, a change order has to be in writing, and it becomes part of the existing contract. It must set out every change that revises the contract price, give the previous and the revised price, and carry the signatures of both parties [4].

Setting the contract terms aside

The parties to a home construction contract can exempt themselves from the law's requirements only by informed agreement: first the contractor specifically informs the homeowner or lessee of their rights under the law, and then the parties mutually agree to a contract or change order that leaves out the parts the law sets for contracts and change orders [5].

Under the law's Penalties section, any violation of the home construction contracts law counts as prima facie evidence of a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices Act [6].

Related

Contractor license: other states

Sources

  1. Home Construction and Repair, Maine Attorney General (retrieved 2026-10-03)
  2. Title 10, § 1486, Definitions, Home Construction Contracts, Maine Revised Statutes (retrieved 2026-10-08)
  3. Title 10, § 1487, Home construction contracts, Maine Revised Statutes (retrieved 2026-10-08)
  4. Title 10, § 1488, Change orders, Maine Revised Statutes (retrieved 2026-10-08)
  5. Title 10, § 1489, Exemption, Home Construction Contracts, Maine Revised Statutes (retrieved 2026-10-08)
  6. Title 10, § 1490, Penalties, Home Construction Contracts, Maine Revised Statutes (retrieved 2026-10-08)

Changelog

  1. : Page published.
  2. : 4 more jurisdictions published: Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
  3. : 2 more jurisdictions published: District of Columbia and Vermont.
  4. : 9 more jurisdictions published: Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
  5. : 9 more jurisdictions published: Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
  6. : 10 more jurisdictions published: Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia.
  7. : Dataset first published: 10 of 51 jurisdictions published.