How this directory works
Verification Standards
A badge is only worth something if the method behind it is published. This page states exactly what is checked, what is not checked, and what causes a listing to come down.
What a verification badge means
A listing carries a verification badge only when all of the following are true at the same time. If any one of them fails, the badge does not render and the listing is either shown without it or removed.
- The business has signed a listing agreement confirming it consents to appear here.
- The credential relevant to its category has been confirmed directly against the issuing registry, not accepted as a forwarded document.
- A current certificate of insurance is on file with an expiry date in the future.
- The verification has not passed its own expiry date.
The badge displays the month the check was completed. A check with no date is not a check.
What is not verified
Stating this plainly is more useful than implying a broader guarantee.
- Service quality is not verified. A licensed, insured provider can still do poor work.
- Pricing is not verified and is not guaranteed by anything on this site.
- Individual employees are not screened. Screening policy is asked about and recorded, but the checks are performed by the employer, not by this directory.
- Ongoing compliance between verification dates is not monitored. A credential can lapse the day after it is confirmed.
- Reviews and testimonials are not collected or validated. This is not a review site.
Registries used
Every check is made against a public registry that any resident can search independently. You are encouraged to repeat the check yourself.
- Maryland Home Improvement Commission · 410-230-6309
- Maryland Office of Health Care Quality · 410-402-8040
- Maryland Real Estate Commission · 410-230-6200
- Maryland Board of Physicians · 410-764-4777
- Maryland Judiciary Attorney Listing
- National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers
- NAHB Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist
- Maryland Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors, license verification · 410-764-4792
- Maryland Board of Cosmetologists, Maryland Department of Labor · 410-230-6320
- Maryland Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners · 410-764-4785
Insurance requirements
Requirements differ by category. For licensed home improvement contractors, Maryland Business Regulation section 8-302.1 requires general liability coverage of at least five hundred thousand dollars, raised from fifty thousand effective June 1, 2024. Note that some published guidance still cites the earlier figure. Where a category has no statutory minimum, a certificate of insurance is still required on file before a badge is issued.
Re-verification and removal
Every verified listing carries an expiry date. When that date passes, the badge stops rendering automatically rather than waiting for someone to notice. Listings are removed on any of the following:
- A license lapses, is suspended or is revoked.
- Insurance coverage lapses and is not replaced.
- The business asks to be removed.
- A substantiated pattern of complaints is brought to our attention.
Paying for a listing does not exempt a business from any of the above. Payment and verification are separate processes and a paid listing that fails verification is removed.
Corrections
If any information on this site about your business is wrong, or if you are listed and do not wish to be, contact us and it will be corrected or removed. We would rather be told than be right.