Garage door rules & licensing in Maryland

Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC), Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor — official site

Md. Code, Business Regulation s.8-601(a): "Except as otherwise provided in this title, a person may not act or offer to act as a contractor in the State unless the person has a contractor license." Violation is a misdemeanor - up to a $1,000 fine or 6 months imprisonment on first conviction, up to $5,000 or 2 years on a second or subsequent conviction. "Home improvement" is defined at s.8-101(g) as "the addition to or alteration, conversion, improvement, modernization, remodeling, repair, or replacement of a building or part of a building that is used or designed to be used as a residence or dwelling place or a structure adjacent to that building", and expressly includes "construction, improvement, or replacement, on land adjacent to the building, of a driveway, fall-out shelter, fence, garage, landscaping, deck, pier, porch, or swimming pool." It excludes construction of a new home and work on apartment buildings of four or more units.

No dollar threshold. The statutory definition of "home improvement" at Md. Code, Business Regulation s.8-101(g) contains no minimum contract value - the licence requirement turns on the type of work, not its price.

No mandatory surety bond, but "Proof of current $50,000 liability insurance must be filed with the application" for both original and renewal licences. Applicants must also prove financial solvency based on assets, liabilities, a full credit report and net worth; an applicant who cannot may instead obtain a surety bond or an indemnitor. The licence period is two years.

The Maryland Building Performance Standards incorporate by reference the 2021 International Building Code, the 2021 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, and the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (COMAR 09.12.51.04). Local jurisdictions implement and enforce. Separately, MHIC requires that the prime contractor on a home improvement project either obtain all required building permits or make sure that all required permits have been obtained, and "Permits issued to a home improvement contractor must include the contractor's license number" (https://labor.maryland.gov/license/mhic/mhicpermits.shtml).

Wind-load requirements come from the 2021 International Residential Code, incorporated by reference into the Maryland Building Performance Standards at COMAR 09.12.51.04. Maryland-specific wind-speed values and the garage-door design-pressure / windborne-debris opening-protection sections were NOT independently verified in this session.