How long does a homeowner have to cancel a home improvement contract in Maryland?

In Maryland, a homeowner who signs a home improvement contract of $25 or more in a door-to-door sale, solicited by the seller and agreed to away from the seller’s place of business, may cancel before midnight of the fifth business day after the transaction, or the 7th business day if the buyer is at least 65 years old, by mailing or delivering a written notice. Next to the buyer’s signature the contract must carry a boldface cancellation statement, and the seller must give a completed "Notice of Cancellation" form in duplicate on a separate form that is not part of the home improvement contract, inform the buyer orally of the right and obtain the buyer’s signature on a written acknowledgment of it. The buyer cancels by mailing or delivering a signed and dated copy of the notice or any other written notice, and if the seller breaks these rules the buyer may cancel by any means. Within 10 business days after receiving a valid notice the seller must refund all payments, return any trade-in and cancel any negotiable instrument. The law does not apply when the buyer initiated the contact for a bona fide immediate personal emergency (including accessibility work for a person who is mobility impaired or disabled), gives the seller a separate dated and signed statement in the buyer’s handwriting describing it and waiving the right, and the seller in good faith makes a substantial beginning of the work. The federal cooling-off rule separately gives three business days to cancel many sales made at the buyer’s home. This is Md. Code, Com. Law §§ 14-301, 14-301.1, 14-302, 14-302.1, 14-303.

WhatMaryland
Right to cancel5 business days (7 if 65 or older) for door-to-door jobs

What the statute says

“Allow the buyer to cancel a transaction prior to midnight of the fifth business day after the date of the transaction, or midnight of the 7th business day after the date of the transaction if the buyer is at least 65 years old …”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

Md. Code, Com. Law §§ 14-301, 14-301.1, 14-302, 14-302.1, 14-303

Read the statute in the Maryland Code (Maryland General Assembly): mgaleg.maryland.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

An estimate on Seayora carries its own terms and contract text, and the customer’s approval is recorded with its date, so the day a cancellation period starts is on file for both the contractor and the homeowner.

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