# Maryland — Construction retainage limits by US state — maximum withholding percentages, release deadlines, escrow requirements, and public vs private distinctions with statutory citations

For Maryland, public project retainage cap (%) is 5%; private project retainage cap (%) is 5%; release deadline is 90 days after the date of substantial completion; escrow required is no; milestone reduction is none, recorded from its source on 2026-08-17.

- **State:** Maryland _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Public project retainage cap (%):** 5%
- **Private project retainage cap (%):** 5%
- **Release deadline:** 90 days after the date of substantial completion _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Escrow required:** no _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Milestone reduction:** none
- **Statutory citation:** Md. Code, Real Prop. § 9-304 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> (e) Undisputed retention proceeds retained by an owner under this section shall be paid within 90 days after the date of substantial completion, as defined by the applicable contract or subcontract. <https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/md-code-real-prop-sect-9-303/> Previous Part of Code <https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/md-code-real-prop-sect-9-305/> Next Part of Code <https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/> Back to Chapter List Copy Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Maryland Code, Real Property § 9-304 - last updated January 01, 2025 | <https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/md-code-real-prop-sect-9-304/> https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/md-code-real-prop-sect-9-304/ FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs. Was this helpful? Yes No

## Source

- https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/md-code-real-prop-sect-9-304.html

Last verified: 2026-08-17. Review by: 2027-08-17.
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