STATE LICENSE
NoneMaine Attorney General — Consumer Protect…
Maine does not license framers or carpenters. The Attorney General's guidance names framing, along with general contracting and roofing, as trades that are not licensed or regulated in Maine, and the residential contractor licensing bills LD 1929 (2024) and LD 1226 (died April 29, 2026) did not become law.
Framing a new home, addition, or remodel on a residence of 3 or fewer units is a home construction contract, so jobs over $3,000 need a signed written contract with the § 1487 terms, including the down payment cap of one-third. Structural work is inspected under MUBEC (2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings) in municipalities of more than 4,000 residents, by local building officials or certified third-party inspectors; MUBEC does not apply to log homes or post-and-beam and timber-frame construction (10 M.R.S. § 9724(5)(A)).
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Maine has no state contractor license or registration for this trade, so the state layer is consumer law: the Home Construction Contracts Act applies to residential jobs (3 or fewer units) over $3,000. Building codes are local in practice — the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) must be enforced in municipalities with more than 4,000 residents (10 M.R.S. § 9724), through local building officials, shared officials, or certified third-party inspectors (25 M.R.S. § 2373). Smaller towns need not enforce MUBEC but may not adopt any other building code. Electrical, plumbing, and fuel-burning work belongs to state-licensed trades, and towns may not license those trades themselves.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Maine county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Maine issues no license and keeps no registry for this trade; the Attorney General warns homeowners to research contractors themselves.
Residential jobs over $3,000 need a written contract with the statutory terms; the AG publishes a free model contract and required addendum.
MUBEC does not apply to log homes, post-and-beam, or timber-frame construction (10 M.R.S. § 9724(5)(A)).
A practical sequence for a new framing contractor in Maine. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Each violation of the Home Construction Contracts Act — no written contract, missing terms, oversized deposit, unwritten change orders — is a civil violation.
A violation of the Act is prima facie evidence of a violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act, opening the door to Attorney General enforcement and consumer suits.
Doing electrical, plumbing, or fuel-burning installation work without the required state license is unlicensed practice.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
| County · City | Permit office | Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County Portland (consolidated gov.) | City of Portland Permitting and Inspections Department ↗ | Citizen Self Service (CSS) ↗ |
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Whether any Maine city or town requires its own license or registration for general building trades — no statewide bar was found for general contractors (unlike electricians, plumbers, and fuel technicians, whom 32 M.R.S. §§ 1103, 3302(2), and 18105 protect from municipal licensing); check locally · The exact effective date of the 2021 I-code edition of MUBEC — the 16-642 C.M.R. ch. 5 rule text says it takes effect 90 days after the Public Safety Commissioner's approval, and the Bureau of Building Codes and Standards site blocked automated retrieval, so the date was not confirmed on an official page · Permit practice in municipalities of 4,000 or fewer residents, which need not enforce MUBEC (10 M.R.S. § 9724(1-A)) — whether a building permit is required there depends on local ordinance
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.