What does Maryland law tell a homeowner before a home job?

Maryland earns a A+ in the 2026 Home Job Readiness Grade, with 8 of 8 possible points on 4 scored measures. The grade covers what state law and official state pages tell a homeowner about deposits, written contracts, cancelling and an online contractor record.

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.

Reviewed 24 October 2026. Researched by the InstaBids editorial team.

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

For your AI assistant

MCP connector · REST API · plain HTML

Hand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.

MCP connector URLhttps://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp
Agent API (OpenAPI)https://instabids.ai/openapi.json
Start-request linkhttps://instabids.ai/intake?from=us-home-job-readiness-grade-maryland&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=home-job-readiness-grade
Prompt for any AI, with your job

Open it in your assistant

Add InstaBids as a connector

Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.

Maryland Home Job Readiness Grade 2026: A+ (8 of 8 points)

This grade is a compilation of statute text and official state pages, reviewed 24 October 2026. It is not legal advice.

How did each measure score?

Statutory deposit limit: 2 of 2 points

A state statute sets a maximum deposit for home-improvement or residential contracts. The statute's own words, conditions included, are quoted below.

(b) A person may not receive a deposit of more than one-third of the home improvement contract price before or at the time of execution of the home improvement contract.

Source: Md. Code, Bus. Reg. § 8-617(b), read 22 October 2026

Written-contract rule for home-improvement work: 2 of 2 points

A state statute or regulation requires a written contract for home-improvement or residential work within its scope, and lists what it must contain. The scope, including any dollar threshold or licence condition, is in the quoted words below.

(b) Each home improvement contract shall: (1) be in writing and legible; (2) describe clearly each document that it incorporates; and (3) be signed by each party to the home improvement contract.

Source: Md. Code, Bus. Reg. § 8-501(b), read 14 October 2026

(c) (1) In addition to any other matters on which the parties lawfully agree, each home improvement contract shall contain: (i) the name, address, telephone number, and license number of the contractor; (ii) the name and license number of each salesperson who solicited the home improvement contract or sold the home improvement; (iii) the approximate dates when the performance of the home improvement will begin and when it will be substantially completed; (iv) a description of the home improvement to be performed and the materials to be used; (v) the agreed consideration;

Source: Md. Code, Bus. Reg. § 8-501(c)(1)(i)-(v), read 14 October 2026

Statutory right to cancel: 2 of 2 points

A state statute gives a right to cancel that reaches home-improvement contracts or sales made at the home within the scope and dollar limits in the quoted words below.

(ii) A statement which is in immediate proximity to the space reserved in the contract for the signature of the buyer or, if a contract is not used, is on the front page of the receipt and which, in boldface type of a minimum size of 10 points, is in substantially the following form: “You, the buyer, may cancel this transaction at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of this transaction. See the attached notice of cancellation form for an explanation of this right”;

Source: Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-302(1)(ii) (door-to-door sales), read 14 October 2026

Online public record of the state's home-contractor credential: 2 of 2 points

The state publishes an online public record of its statewide home-contractor credential. A lookup is an optional public-record step.

You may search for active licensees practicing in the State of Maryland as follows:

Source: dllr.state.md.us, read 22 October 2026

Is there a federal rule too?

Federal rule, not scored here: 16 CFR 429.1(a), the FTC door-to-door sales rule, covers a sale the seller personally solicits that is agreed at a place other than the seller's place of business, for $25 or more at the buyer's home or $130 or more elsewhere, with exceptions in 16 CFR 429.0. For those sales it requires this statement in the buyer's contract or receipt:

You, the buyer, may cancel this transaction at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of this transaction.

Source: 16 CFR 429.1(a), eCFR, read 22 October 2026

What can a homeowner check in Maryland before hiring?

The state agency page that leads to the public licence or registration lookup: dllr.state.md.us, read 22 October 2026. A lookup is an optional public-record step.
Ask for the job scope, the deposit and the cancel terms in writing before you sign, and keep a copy.

How can I embed this chart?

Maryland Home Job Readiness Grade 2026: A+, points by measure

Anyone may embed this chart or reuse the data. A credit link to this page is welcome; nothing is required in return.

<figure><img src="https://instabids.ai/fl/data/home-job-readiness-grade/maryland.svg" alt="Maryland Home Job Readiness Grade 2026: A+, points by measure" width="640"><figcaption><a href="https://instabids.ai/us/home-job-readiness-grade/maryland">InstaBids</a></figcaption></figure>

All 50 states and the District of Columbia, and how the grade works