You don't have to get zapped when you hire a Maryland Electrical contractor. By doing a little homework you can find a qualified person to do the work within your budget. The first thing to decide is the nature of the project. Do you need an electrician for a rewiring job or a contractor to wire a building from the ground up? Other considerations include the size of the building. Is it a small basement remodel or is a corporate office park? As I have said before, the best place to find a good Maryland contractor is to ask your friends, family, or Co workers, with whom they may have worked in the past. After that a good place to go is the National Electrical Contractors Association. NECA is a 4,300-member database, broken down by type of contractor and size of project. Go to their web site and check them out. Once you have a list of contractors, visit their Web sites. This should give you some indication of their specialties. Naturally, you will want to go with an electrical contractor with a great deal of experience in the type of work you require. Consider the size of the project as well; for a small repair job, for instance, you will not want a contractor that specializes in major construction projects. Finally, inquire about the contractor's warranty and insurance, and get it in writing. Does the contractor guarantee that the work will be installed to meet code? Will the Maryland contractor correct work that does not meet applicable standards? Insist on a written estimate and a copy of the contractor's insurance certificate. Make sure that the proposal or contract specifies that the work to be performed will comply with the NEC and NEIS.