Which license each job needs in Howard County
| Work | License | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Home improvement: "alteration, remodeling, repair or replacement" of a home | MHIC license, with at least $500,000 liability insurance since 1 June 2024 | Home Improvement search on labor.maryland.gov/pq |
| New homes | Home Builder Registration with the Attorney General; MHIC "does not cover new home construction" | Home Builder Registration Unit, (410) 576-6573 |
| Electrical | Howard County master electrician license | County DILP, 410-313-2455 |
| Plumbing and gas | Maryland State plumbing (or gas fitter) license | Plumbing search on labor.maryland.gov/pq |
| Heating and air conditioning | Maryland HVACR license | HVACR search on labor.maryland.gov/pq |
The county's electrical permit application carries the declaration "I hold a current master electrician's license issued by the Howard County Board of Electrical Examiners" and a "Howard County License No." field; the county's Forms & Fees page lists an Electrical License Application among its electrical forms. The plumbing and gas application asks the plumber, gas fitter or utility contractor for a "Maryland State plumbing license #" (both read 26 October 2026). MHIC's home page sets the insurance rule and its FAQ the new-home exclusion. The HVACR board's county page names only Anne Arundel and Prince George's as needing a county HVACR license too.
How to run the lookup in five minutes
- Ask for the MHIC number of the firm on your contract and search it under Home Improvement on the state's license searches.
- Plumber or HVAC: search the person's license under Plumbing or HVACR on the same page.
- Electrician: ask for the Howard County license number, the one the electrician writes on the permit application, and confirm it with DILP's Licenses and Permits Division (410-313-2455).
- Look up the house or the firm in DILP's Accela portal, which searches by address or by a contractor's license number or business name, as the Howard County building permit search guide shows.
Doing the work yourself
| Work | Homeowner route |
|---|---|
| Plumbing inside your own home | Yes: the Homeowner Request for Plumbing Work, $50 plus a $5 technology fee. You certify "I am the owner and occupant" and that you are "not employing anyone" |
| Gas, exterior plumbing, water or sewer connections | No: the form says none "will be performed under this Homeowner's plumbing permit" |
| Electrical | The application is signed by a county-licensed master electrician; we found no homeowner electrical permit form |
What our Howard County pages add
The license searches tell you whether a firm is licensed. Our Howard County page counts the residential permits the county issued, December 2023 to November 2025:
| Kind of work | Permits (Dec 2023–Nov 2025) | Dec 2024–Nov 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 11,976 | 6,236 |
| Plumbing | 9,666 | 4,712 |
| HVAC | 3,024 | 1,674 |
| Solar | 2,095 | 1,420 |
| Garages, sheds and shade structures | 1,752 | 832 |
| Remodels and repairs | 1,275 | 655 |
| New homes | 1,014 | 366 |
| Additions | 996 | 508 |
That is 33,773 permits in all. The permit statistics page has the months. Local rules: electrical and plumbing permits. Statewide rules and the MHIC Guaranty Fund: How to check a contractor's license in Maryland.
What this lookup does not tell you
The county's open permit file names no contractor and has no status or final inspection date, so we cannot show who did a job, match firms to licenses or say which permits were finished. A license says the firm may do the work, not how its last job went.
How we know this
License rules are quoted from Howard County DILP's electrical and plumbing permit applications, its Homeowner Request for Plumbing Work and its Forms & Fees page, and from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission's home and FAQ pages and the Maryland HVACR board's County License/Permits page, all read 26 October 2026. Counts are Howard County's open data permit file, read 19 October 2026: residential permits issued December 2023 to November 2025.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Does Howard County license electricians itself?
Yes. The county's electrical permit application is signed by a master electrician who declares under penalty of perjury that they hold "a current master electrician's license issued by the Howard County Board of Electrical Examiners", and it asks for the Howard County license number.
- What license does a Howard County plumber need?
A Maryland State plumbing license. The county's plumbing and gas permit application is signed by the plumber, gas fitter or utility contractor, who prints their name and Maryland State plumbing license number.
- Can a Howard County homeowner do their own plumbing?
Inside a house they own and live in, yes, with the county's Homeowner Request for Plumbing Work ($50 plus a $5 technology fee). The form rules out any gas work, any exterior work and any connection to a water or sewer system, and the owner certifies they are not employing anyone to do the work.
- Who licenses remodelers and builders in Howard County?
The State. Home improvement contractors need a Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) license and, since 1 June 2024, at least $500,000 in general liability insurance. MHIC does not cover new homes; builders register with the Attorney General's Home Builder Registration Unit.
- Does Howard County require a county HVAC license?
The state HVACR board names only Anne Arundel and Prince George's as counties that require a county HVACR license on top of the Maryland one. Elsewhere, it says, local plumbing, gas and electrical permits may be needed before HVACR work starts.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
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- Arlington, VA contractor license lookup: DPOR class and specialty, the County permit search, and what the permits show
- Maryland Home Improvement Commission — Maryland Department of Labor (2026-10-26)
- FAQs — Do You Need a License to Do That? — MHIC (2026-10-26)
- Occupational and Professional Licensing license searches — Maryland Department of Labor (2026-10-26)
- County License/Permits — Maryland HVACR Board (2026-10-26)
- Electrical Permit Application — Howard County DILP (2026-10-26)
- Plumbing & Gas Permit Application — Howard County DILP (2026-10-26)
- Homeowner Request for Plumbing Work (March 2026) — Howard County DILP (2026-10-26)
- Let's Get Started: Resources & Fees — Howard County DILP (2026-10-26)