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How do you check a contractor license in Maine?

The Maine Attorney General says the state does not license or regulate general contractors, or trades such as roofing and framing. Maine does license plumbers and electricians, and its professional licensing office offers an online lookup. For larger home construction or repair jobs, the Attorney General explains the written contract rules.

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.
Source: Maine Electricians' Examining Board, online services, read 22 October 2026.

The license lookup is yours to run on the state's site.

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Sources last read: 22 October 2026

InstaBids assistantAI · builds your written scope with you

What home job do you need done in Maine? Describe it once to start your written scope.

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  1. Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
  2. Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
  3. Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
  4. You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
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Key facts

Does Maine issue a license to general contractors?

No. The Attorney General's page on home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026, says: "In Maine, general contractors - and trades such as roofing and framing - are not licensed or regulated."

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

So for a builder, remodeler or roofer there is no state license record to look up. The same page gives this advice instead: "We urge consumers to do a lot of research before choosing a contractor to build or repair your home."

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

Which home trades does Maine license, and where is the lookup?

Plumbing and electrical work. The Attorney General's page says: "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."

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

Septic work is split. On site evaluators the page says: "Site evaluators, who design septic systems, must be licensed by the Division of Environmental and Community Health in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services"

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

On the crews who put the system in, it adds: "Septic system installers, however, don’t have to be licensed."

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

For plumbers and electricians, the lookup sits on the online services of Maine's Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, which runs both examining boards. The Electricians' Examining Board's online services page says: "You have the ability to look up information pertaining to many of the licenses, registrations and permits managed by the State of Maine."

Source: Maine Electricians' Examining Board, online services, read 22 October 2026.

The Plumbers' Examining Board answers the homeowner's question on its consumer page. It asks: "How can I find out if a Plumber I want to hire is licensed?" Its answer is a link to search for a licensee.

Source: Maine Plumbers' Examining Board, consumer questions, read 22 October 2026.

What must a Maine home construction contract include?

The Attorney General's page puts the threshold this way: "Maine law requires a written contract between a contractor and homeowner or lessee for any home construction or repair work that costs more than $3,000."

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

The Maine Legislature's text of section 1487 of Title 10 opens: "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."

Source: Maine Legislature, Maine Revised Statutes Title 10 section 1487, read 22 October 2026.

On payment, one of the parts the contract must contain reads: "The method of payment, with the initial down payment being limited to no more than 1/3 of the total contract price;"

Source: Maine Legislature, Maine Revised Statutes Title 10 section 1487, read 22 October 2026.

The Attorney General also offers a model to work from: "You’re free to copy and use the Attorney General’s model home construction contract and model change order for your home construction project."

Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

How do change orders and exemptions work in Maine?

The Legislature's text of section 1488 starts: "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."

Source: Maine Legislature, Maine Revised Statutes Title 10 section 1488, read 22 October 2026.

It ends: "Both parties must sign the change order."

Source: Maine Legislature, Maine Revised Statutes Title 10 section 1488, read 22 October 2026.

On when the parties may opt out, the Legislature's text of section 1489 reads: "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."

Source: Maine Legislature, Maine Revised Statutes Title 10 section 1489, read 22 October 2026.

On penalties, the Legislature's text of section 1490, subsection 1, reads: "A violation of this chapter constitutes prima facie evidence of a violation of Title 5, chapter 10."

Source: Maine Legislature, Maine Revised Statutes Title 10 section 1490, read 22 October 2026.

What can you do before you hire in Maine?

With no state record for most home trades, the work happens in the contract and your own research. These are practical suggestions, not agency rules; the lookup itself is an optional public-record step.

  1. For plumbing or electrical work, use the state's online lookup for the person who will do the work.

    Source: Maine Electricians' Examining Board, online services, read 22 October 2026.
    Source: Maine Plumbers' Examining Board, consumer questions, read 22 October 2026.

  2. If the job is above the amount in section 1487, quoted above, ask for a written contract signed by both of you, with a copy for each before work starts.

    Source: Maine Legislature, Maine Revised Statutes Title 10 section 1487, read 22 October 2026.

  3. Compare the contract with the Attorney General's model contract.

    Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

  4. Ask whether your town enforces the state building code. The Attorney General's page says: "Any municipality that has more than 4,000 residents must enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code"

    Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

  5. Follow the Attorney General's contract tip: "When you hire a contractor for any home construction or repair work, insist that the contract have a provision that the work shall be done in accordance with the MUBEC."

    Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

  6. Keep lien waivers with your payment records. The same page advises: "To avoid a mechanic’s lien on your property, you should ask for a lien waiver when you make a payment to contractors or subcontractors."

    Source: Office of the Maine Attorney General, home construction and repair, read 22 October 2026.

Who sees your contact details when you post a job on InstaBids?

One point about InstaBids follows. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, live-page excerpts, read 22 October 2026.

Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.

Homeowners anywhere in the US can post a job; once you send it, InstaBids finds contractors to bid on it.

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