Storm contractor rules in Maryland: tree expert licence, home improvement licence and door-to-door sales
Maryland has three separate sets of rules that touch a storm tree job: a tree expert licence in the Natural Resources Article, a home improvement licence in the Business Regulation Article, and door-to-door sale rules in the Commercial Law Article. This page restates them as the General Assembly publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. None of the sections read mentions storms or a price limit for emergencies, and no official page on a Maryland price gouging rule was read for this page on October 9, 2026.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| Natural Resources 5-415, tree expert | A tree expert is a person who represents to the public that they are skilled in tree care or removal and who works for pay on trees by diagnosing or treating them, or by trimming, pruning, thinning, cabling, shaping, removing or reducing the crown. The definition leaves out commercial logging, installing underground facilities, and treating or removing a tree 20 feet tall or less |
| Natural Resources 5-417 | No one may work or do business as a tree expert without a licence. An employee under the supervision of a licensed tree expert does not need a licence in the employee's own name. The licensed expert must tell the Department electronically about any company working under the licence and about its liability, property damage and workers' compensation insurance |
| Business Regulation 8-101, home improvement | Includes the alteration, repair or replacement of a residence or a structure next to it, and an improvement to adjacent land, listed examples being a driveway, fence, garage, landscaping, deck, pier, porch or swimming pool. It excludes a new home, work on apartment buildings with four or more units, and work on commonly owned condominium areas. Tree work is not named |
| Business Regulation 8-301 | A person must hold a contractor licence from the Maryland Home Improvement Commission when acting as a contractor in the State, and a salesperson or contractor licence when selling a home improvement. A solicitor who only phones owners is exempt, as are some licensed trades acting within their scope |
| Business Regulation 8-501 | A home improvement contract must be in writing, legible and signed by each party. It carries the contractor's name, address, telephone and licence number, approximate start and substantial completion dates, a description of the work and materials, the agreed price, and a notice with the Commission's telephone number and website. The owner must get a signed copy before work begins. A contract that falls short is not invalid merely for that |
| Business Regulation 8-605 | A contractor may not abandon or fail to perform a home improvement contract without justification, or deviate materially from plans or specifications without the owner's consent |
| Commercial Law 14-301 | A door-to-door sale is a sale of consumer goods or services of US$25 or more where the seller personally solicits it and the buyer's agreement is made away from the seller's place of business, including after the buyer's invitation |
| Commercial Law 14-302 and 14-304 | It is an unfair or deceptive trade practice not to give the buyer a completed contract or receipt and a boldface notice that the buyer may cancel before midnight of the third business day, not to give a detachable Notice of Cancellation form, or to include a waiver of the right to cancel. A person who violates the subtitle is liable for the damages caused and the reasonable attorney fees |
Two licences and a 20-foot line
For tree work the Natural Resources Article is the more direct rule. Its definition turns on the work performed for pay and on the representation of skill, and it excludes trees 20 feet tall or less. The Home Improvement Commission licence is a separate matter: the home improvement definition covers landscaping and work next to a residence, and the sections read do not say whether removing a storm-damaged tree is a home improvement. The text read does not answer that question. The state licences for tree work are also covered on the page on state arborist licences.
Contract and cancellation wording
Section 8-501 lists what the written home improvement contract holds. The door-to-door subtitle sets its own three-business-day cancellation notice. The text read does not say how the two sets of rules apply to one job. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- Maryland General Assembly, Natural Resources Article sections 5-415 to 5-417, Tree experts, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article sections 8-101 and 8-301, Home improvement definitions and licence, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article section 8-501, Home improvement contracts, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Commercial Law Article sections 14-301 and 14-302, Door-to-door sales, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Natural Resources Article section 5-417, Tree expert licence, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article section 8-301, Licence required, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Business Regulation Article section 8-605, Contractor conduct, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Commercial Law Article section 14-302, Door-to-door sale notices, read October 9, 2026
- Maryland General Assembly, Commercial Law Article section 14-304, Liability, read October 9, 2026