How to check an MHIC license for solar in Maryland

Look up the contractor’s MHIC license in the Maryland Home Improvement Commission lookup and match the business name and license number to your contract. Then get the name and State Board of Electricians license of whoever will connect the system. Maryland has no separate solar license yet; the October 16, 2026 Register lists the proposal as not adopted.^1,2,3

This guide covers Maryland credentials only. For Washington, DC or Virginia, check with those jurisdictions’ licensing agencies.

Which licenses can a Maryland solar job involve?

A solar job can involve three layers of oversight. The company that signs your contract needs an MHIC contractor license.⁴ The State Board of Electricians says electrical work must be done by a licensed Master, Journeyperson or Apprentice Electrician.⁵ Your county or city may add a local registration and an electrical permit.^6,7,8

How do you verify a contractor license in Maryland, step by step?

Copy the exact company name and MHIC license number from your contract, open the Department of Labor’s licensing queries page, choose Home Improvement, and search by license number or business name. Then compare the result with the contract. If nothing matches, or you want disciplinary information, call the Commission.^11,9,2

1. Read the contract or proposal first. Business Regulation Article §8-501 requires a home improvement contract to show the contractor’s name, address, telephone number and license number, plus the name and license number of each salesperson who sold the job.¹¹ For a rooftop system, the same section requires a wildlife barrier in the contract unless you waive it after being told the cost and the risks.¹¹ A proposal with no license number needs one in writing before you sign. Our guide to solar scams and door-to-door pitches covers other contract red flags.
2. Open the licensing queries page. The Department’s page says to check whether an individual or business is licensed before doing business with them. Pick Home Improvement from the list.²
3. Choose the search that fits what you have. The lookup offers contractor name, trade name, location, salesperson name and license registration number.⁹
4. Enter the number without its suffix. If a registration number ends in a dash and two digits, leave that part out.¹⁵ A business-name search needs at least three characters.¹⁶ Each search page also asks you to tick a verification box before you press Search.¹⁵
5. Compare. Match the business name and license number to the contract. The lookup searches active licensees, so a missing result needs a follow-up.⁹
6. Call if anything is off. The search page says to contact the Commission about disciplinary actions and prints a toll-free number and a Baltimore-area number. Use the numbers printed there.⁹

Example (hypothetical, not a real business). Your proposal names “Example Solar LLC” and lists a license number. You search that number without any dash suffix, and the lookup returns a different business name. That mismatch is worth a written question to the contractor, and a call to the Commission, before you sign anything.

Common mistake: looking up the person at your door and stopping there. Section 8-301(b) lets a person who sells home improvements hold either a salesperson license or a contractor license, so a clean salesperson result doesn’t tell you the company on the contract is licensed.¹⁰ Look up both names.

The signature line matters most. The Commission says only MHIC licensed contractors may contract with homeowners for home improvement work, though subcontractors may work without a license when doing home improvements for an MHIC licensed contractor.¹ So the license you need to confirm is the one belonging to whoever signs your contract.

What does an MHIC license cover, and what does it leave out?

An MHIC license lets a business contract with homeowners for home improvement, which the Commission says includes installing solar panels. The license does not authorize electrical work. State law also leaves new-home construction and some apartment and condominium work outside the home improvement definition.^17,4,18

Here are the limits that matter for a solar buyer:

• The Commission says installing solar panels for a homeowner takes a home improvement contractor license, whether the panels go on the house, an outbuilding or adjacent land.⁴
• That license doesn’t authorize electric, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR), or plumbing work.¹⁸
• Section 8-301(c)(4) says the contractor license requirement doesn’t apply to an electrician with a current license who acts only within that occupation.¹⁰
• The definition excludes construction of a new home, work on apartment buildings with four or more single-family units, and work on the commonly owned areas of condominiums.¹⁷
• A licensed contractor must carry general liability insurance of at least $500,000, a minimum raised by a 2024 law.^19,20 Ask for a current certificate of insurance.
• The lookup shows active licensees only. Disciplinary history comes from a call to the Commission.⁹

How do you check the electrician who connects the system?

Get the name and license number of the electrician who will connect the system, ideally in writing before you sign. Then search the State Board of Electricians’ public query by name, location or license number. Also ask your permit office whether it registers electricians.^12,6,7

The Board’s query page is titled for master-level electricians and doesn’t say whether journeyperson or apprentice licensees appear, so ask the Board about those. Its public notice says all electrical work in Maryland must be done by a licensed master, journeyperson or apprentice electrician, and that unlicensed electrical work is illegal. Apprentices must be supervised at all times by a licensed Master or Journeyperson and may not work independently.⁵

The agencies’ pages word the electrician requirement differently:

• MHIC frequently asked questions, solar panels: a master-level electrician license is required to hook the panels to the electric system.⁴
• MHIC page on green technology: the person who connects the panels “is required to hold an electrician’s license issued by the local jurisdiction where the property is located.”¹⁸
• State Board of Electricians, public notice: “All electrical work in Maryland must be performed by a licensed Master, Journeyperson, or Apprentice Electrician.”⁵
• State Board licensing FAQ: “A state-issued license is required to provide electrical services. Local jurisdictions may also require a registration in order to provide electrical services.”²¹
• Business Occupations and Professions §6-302: where a local jurisdiction requires local registration and has qualified to register electricians under state law, the State license serves only as a mechanism that helps the licensee obtain that registration.⁶

Three questions settle it for your job. Which electrician, holding a State Board license, is responsible, and can you have the name and number in writing? Does the local office require a local registration for that person? And who pulls the electrical permit? Section 6-603 says an electrician may obtain a local electrical permit by holding a State license, being actively registered locally if required, showing proof of the State license and of insurance, and paying the permit fee.²²

Two more details come from state electrician law. Section 6-301(c) says each licensed or registered master-level electrician shall display the State license number or the local registration number on each vehicle used on the job.²³ And the Board lists minimum insurance for an electrician’s license of $300,000 general liability and $100,000 property damage.⁵

Where does the county or city permit office fit?

Local permit offices issue the permits and, in some places, register electricians. Montgomery County’s solar page lists a building permit and a separate electrical permit, and its eSolar expedited permit is for contractors with a valid MHIC license who completed required training.^6,22,7,8

The State Board’s directory is the place to start for permit, inspection and code questions. It tells you to “locate the board in the area in which the work will be performed, not your home address, unless the work will be done at your house.”⁷ The directory names the Board of Electrical Examiners of Montgomery County, the Howard County Board of Electrical Examiners & Inspections and, for Prince George’s County, a county department’s business license section.⁷

Montgomery County says applicants must submit a separate electrical permit even when they use eSolar.⁸ That’s one county’s process. Another office may split building and electrical permits differently, so ask yours which permits the job needs and who applies for each. For the full sequence from contract to switch-on, see the solar installation process in Maryland.

What does the Guaranty Fund cover, and why does license status matter?

The Guaranty Fund compensates homeowners for actual monetary losses from poor workmanship or failure to perform a home improvement contract, and only for work by licensed contractors.¹ Awards are capped at $30,000 per claimant, and a claim must be filed within three years of discovering the loss.²⁴

That’s the practical reason to check before you sign: the Commission states that the Fund doesn’t apply to unlicensed contractors.²⁵ If your contractor closes before finishing, our guide on what to do when a solar installer goes out of business covers the other steps.

Amount

• Most the Commission may award one claimant for one contractor's acts$30,000
• Contractor's general liability insurance$500,000 minimum
• Electrician's general liability insurance$300,000 minimum
• Electrician's property damage insurance$100,000 minimum

View the data as a table

Limit	Amount
Most the Commission may award one claimant for one contractor's acts	$30,000
Contractor's general liability insurance	$500,000 minimum
Electrician's general liability insurance	$300,000 minimum
Electrician's property damage insurance	$100,000 minimum

Rows without a single number are not drawn: Most the Commission may award all claimants for one contractor's acts.

A few more §8-405 rules from the statute’s current text:²⁴

• The Commission may not award an amount for attorney fees, consequential damages, court costs, interest, personal injury damages or punitive damages.
• Section 8-405(c) says a claimant shall comply with a written agreement to submit a dispute to arbitration before seeking recovery from the Fund.
• An owner may make a claim only if the owner resides in the home the claim concerns or does not own more than three residences or dwelling places.

A complaint and a Fund claim are separate filings. The Commission says a complaint carries no monetary award, and a Fund claim uses a separate form.²⁵ For deadlines and eligibility on a real dispute, contact the Commission or a lawyer.

Is there a separate solar contractor license yet?

Not yet. A 2025 law told the Maryland Department of Labor to develop a special solar contractor license. The Department proposed a rule with a July 1, 2026 start date. That date has passed, and the Maryland Register’s October 16, 2026 table still lists the proposal as pending, not adopted.^13,26,14,3

1. 1May 20, 2025Governor approves the Renewable Energy Certainty Act; the law takes effect July 1, 2025
2. 2December 17, 2025Department files the proposed regulations
3. 3January 23, 2026Maryland Register publishes them
4. 4February 23, 2026Comment period ends
5. 5July 1, 2026Proposed start date, now past
6. 6October 16, 2026Register's table still lists the proposal; "None of the proposals listed in this table have been adopted."

Public Utilities Article §7-320(c) says the Department “shall: (1) develop a special solar contractor license for the installation and maintenance of residential rooftop solar energy generating systems.”¹³ The Department’s licensing queries page lists no solar contractor category.²

As proposed, anyone acting as a solar contractor would need a solar contractor license. Applicants would need an active contractor license and would certify under oath that they will employ electricians who hold Board licenses for the electrical components.¹⁴ The final rule may differ, and a proposal isn’t law. Until the Department adopts a rule, the MHIC and State Board lookups above are the license checks the State publishes. For other recent rule changes, see our guide to Maryland solar panel laws.

What can’t a license check tell you?

A lookup confirms that a person or business holds the license it claims, and nothing more. It can’t show disciplinary history, whether insurance is in force, or what your county requires locally. Each gap has its own fix, and none of them comes from the lookup itself:

• Disciplinary history. The lookup page tells you to contact the Commission.⁹
• Insurance in force. The search options cover names, locations and numbers, not coverage, so ask the contractor for a certificate of insurance.⁹
• Local registration and permits. These vary by county, so confirm the steps with your local office.^21,7

Before you sign, have four things in hand: the contractor’s license number, a clean match in the lookup, the electrician’s name and license number, and a certificate of insurance.

Next step

Comparing contractors? Soleil Energy offers a free consultation through its residential solar service. Book a free consultation or call (301) 953-4140. Whichever company you choose, get its license number and the electrician’s name in writing before you sign. Common questions about how a project runs are in the frequently asked questions.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.

Sources (26)

1. Maryland Department of Labor, Maryland Home Improvement Commission home page, https://labor.maryland.gov/license/mhic/, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing Queries, https://labor.maryland.gov/pq/, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. Division of State Documents, Maryland Register, volume 53, issue 21, October 16, 2026, Table of Pending Proposals, https://dsd.maryland.gov/MDRIssues/5321/Assembled.aspx, read October 25, 2026. Issue 22 had not been published at that address when read. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Maryland Home Improvement Commission, FAQs: Do You Need a License to Do That? (Solar Panels), https://labor.maryland.gov/license/mhic/mhicfaq.shtml, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

5. Maryland State Board of Electricians, home page, https://labor.maryland.gov/license/elec/, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. Maryland General Assembly, Business Occupations and Professions Article §6-302, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbo&section=6-302&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

7. Maryland State Board of Electricians, File a Complaint and local jurisdictions directory, https://labor.maryland.gov/license/elec/eleccomp.shtml, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

8. Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, eSolar Residential Rooftop Solar Panels, https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/department-permitting-services/all-permits/residential-permits/esolar-residential-rooftop-solar-panels, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

9. Maryland Department of Labor, Home Improvement Public Query, https://www.dllr.state.md.us/cgi-bin/ElectronicLicensing/OP_search/OP_search.cgi?calling_app=HIC::HIC_qselect, page shows “Updated May 28, 2026”, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

10. Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article §8-301, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbr&section=8-301&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³

11. Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article §8-501, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbr&section=8-501&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. Maryland Department of Labor, Master Electricians Public Query, https://www.dllr.state.md.us/cgi-bin/ElectronicLicensing/OP_search/OP_search.cgi?calling_app=ME::ME_qselect, page shows “Updated May 28, 2026”, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

13. Maryland General Assembly, Public Utilities Article §7-320, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gpu&section=7-320&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³

14. Maryland Department of Labor, Notice of Proposed Action 25-312-P (Home Improvement Commission, solar contractor license), filed December 17, 2025, published in the Maryland Register, volume 53, issue 2, January 23, 2026, page 70, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs/committee/AELR/25-326P-Regulation.pdf, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

15. Maryland Department of Labor, Home Improvement license registration search, https://www.dllr.state.md.us/cgi-bin/ElectronicLicensing/OP_Search/OP_search.cgi?calling_app=HIC::HIC_registration_num, page undated, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

16. Maryland Department of Labor, Home Improvement business name search, https://www.dllr.state.md.us/cgi-bin/ElectronicLicensing/OP_Search/OP_search.cgi?calling_app=HIC::HIC_business_name, page undated, read October 25, 2026. ↩

17. Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article §8-101, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbr&section=8-101&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

18. Maryland Home Improvement Commission, Understanding Maryland’s Licensing Requirements for Green Technology, https://labor.maryland.gov/license/mhic/mhicgreen.shtml, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³

19. Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article §8-302.1, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbr&section=8-302.1&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

20. Maryland General Assembly, 2024 Laws of Maryland Chapter 529 (Senate Bill 806), approved May 9, 2024, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/chapters_noln/Ch_529_sb0806T.pdf, read October 25, 2026. ↩

21. Maryland State Board of Electricians, Licensing FAQs, https://labor.maryland.gov/license/elec/eleclicfaqs.shtml, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

22. Maryland General Assembly, Business Occupations and Professions Article §6-603, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbo&section=6-603&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

23. Maryland General Assembly, Business Occupations and Professions Article §6-301, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbo&section=6-301&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩

24. Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article §8-405, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gbr&section=8-405&enactments=false, current statute text, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

25. Maryland Home Improvement Commission, File a Complaint, https://labor.maryland.gov/license/mhic/mhiccomp.shtml, current page with no publication date, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²

26. Maryland General Assembly, 2025 Laws of Maryland Chapter 623 (Senate Bill 931, Renewable Energy Certainty Act), approved May 20, 2025, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_623_sb0931e.pdf, read October 25, 2026. ↩ ↩²