Welcome to your daily briefing on construction developments in Maryland. Today we're covering 6 key stories including updates on maryland construction headlines, background & context. Let's dive in.
3 stories
Levelset helps thousands of contractors resolve payment problems and streamline their payment processes every day.
Maryland construction professionals face the same payment delays and disputes that plague the industry nationwide, making specialized payment assistance tools directly relevant to local firms.
Harbor Compliance provides support for initial and renewal construction license registrations in Maryland.
Staying current with Maryland licensing requirements keeps MD construction professionals compliant and eligible to bid on projects.
Procore published a guide to help contractors understand Maryland's unique contractor licensing requirements and stay compliant.
Maryland construction professionals need to navigate licensing rules that work differently than elsewhere, making reliable guidance essential for avoiding compliance issues.
Connect with contractors and builders
3 stories
Most construction contracts require change orders to be in writing, but many states enforce an "oral modification" exception when the parties' conduct shows agreement — especially when the changed work is performed and accepted without protest. Continued performance without written change orders can waive the writing requirement entirely.
Contractors who do extra work hoping to "true it up later" routinely lose those claims because the conduct shows acceptance of the original scope. A signed change order before the work is the cleanest evidence of agreement.
Recordable injuries (OSHA 300 log entries) include any that require medical treatment beyond first aid. Reportable injuries — which trigger an immediate notification to OSHA — are limited to fatalities (within 8 hours) and inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, or eye losses (within 24 hours). The categories are not the same.
Confusing the two leads to either over-reporting (creating audit triggers) or under-reporting (which is itself a citation-worthy violation). Knowing the distinction protects both the safety record and the regulatory posture.
"Pay-when-paid" sets a timing condition only — the GC must still pay even if the owner never does. "Pay-if-paid" creates a true condition precedent — no owner payment, no GC payment to subs. Many states will not enforce pay-if-paid clauses without unmistakably clear language; ambiguity defaults to pay-when-paid.
The risk allocation between subcontractors and GCs hinges on this one phrase. Subs who sign pay-if-paid contracts effectively underwrite owner credit risk on top of project risk.
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