Massachusetts regulates general construction through an individual license, the Construction Supervisor License (CSL), issued by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards through the Office of Public Safety and Inspections in the Division of Occupational Licensure.
Requirements checked against the Office of Public Safety and Inspections, Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure (Board of Building Regulations and Standards) published requirements on October 19, 2026.
| Licensing board | Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) for the individual Construction Supervisor License; Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) for Home Improvement Contractor registration; no state general contractor license exists |
|---|---|
| License required when | no state general contractor or company license; HIC registration required for residential work on an existing owner occupied 1 to 4 unit building unless the project's aggregate contract price is under 500 dollars; CSL required for the person supervising work under a permit |
| What the state calls the qualifier | none for general contracting (CSL is a personal credential); electrical uses Licensee of Record (LOR); plumbing uses licensee on record |
| NASCLA exam accepted | no |
| Reciprocity and endorsement | none stated (no confirmed agreement; a secondary source claims informal reciprocity with Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Washington and Oregon) |
| Exam waivers | no waiver; out of state applicants should expect to sit the Massachusetts CSL exam |
| Experience required | 3 years (roughly 4,500 hours or 36 months full time equivalent) within the past 10 years for the CSL; none for HIC |
| Application and exam fees | CSL license fee 150 dollars; HIC registration 150 dollars plus a Guaranty Fund surcharge of 100 to 500 dollars by employee count; PSI CSL exam 23 dollar application plus 75 dollar exam fee |
| Renewal | CSL every 2 years at 100 dollars with 12 CE units per cycle; HIC registration runs 2 years |
| Time to license | roughly 30 days from a passed exam and complete application to an issued CSL |
| Bond and financial requirements | no bond, no credit or net worth test, no liability insurance required for the CSL; HIC uses a tiered Guaranty Fund surcharge instead of a bond; workers compensation required if there are employees |
| Penalty for unlicensed work | Not stated |
| Time to replace a qualifier | none for general contracting; electrical LOR: notify the Board within 15 days, license stays valid up to 60 days; plumbing: replacement application within 15 days, business may operate up to 60 days |
| Companies one qualifier may qualify | no cap for a CSL holder (concept does not exist); electrical LOR up to 2 companies, a 3rd or more requires a Board petition; plumbing rule text states no numeric cap |
Facts checked on August 30, 2026.
Each line was checked against the state board’s published requirements on the date shown. Not stated means the board material we reviewed did not state it, so we do not guess. Boards change rules; confirm the current figure with the board before you file.
There is no company level general contractor license and no state qualifying agent designation, so the license always belongs to a person rather than a firm. A licensed construction supervisor must oversee construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, removal, and demolition work on buildings under 35,000 cubic feet and on one and two family dwellings. Contractors working on existing owner occupied homes of one to four units must also register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.
Electricians and plumbers are licensed separately by the Board of State Examiners of Electricians and the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters.
Massachusetts has no single general contractor license. An individual must hold a Construction Supervisor License (CSL) from the Office of Public Safety and Inspections to supervise code regulated work. The business must separately register as a Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation for residential work on one to four unit owner occupied properties.
Massachusetts does not issue a single "general contractor license." The state runs two parallel, non interchangeable systems (Massachusetts state website).
Neither the CSL nor the HIC registration is a "general contractor license." They are issued by separate offices, require separate applications, and a company doing residential remodeling work typically needs both: an individual on staff holding the CSL to supervise the work, and the business itself registered under HIC (Massachusetts state website).
The CSL is held by an individual, not a company (Massachusetts state website). Classifications and their scope:
A CSL holder may name a designee to be present on site in their absence, and that designee must also hold a CSL in the same or a better category (Massachusetts state website). Whether a single CSL holder faces a cap on how many companies they can qualify or supervise at once is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. The CSL appears to attach to the individual rather than to one company, but this should be confirmed directly with OPSI (OPSI-info@mass.gov) before stating there is no limit.
Licensed by the Board of State Examiners of Electricians, one of the Division of Occupational Licensure's boards. License types include Master Electrician (A), Journeyman Electrician (B), Fire Warning and Security System Contractor (C), and Fire Warning and Security System Technician (D), plus a registered Apprentice Electrician status (Massachusetts state website board structure; third party sources for the detailed hour counts, which are not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page). PSI administers the exam and processes applications on the Board's behalf per current third party guides; this should be confirmed against the Board's own current fact sheet before being repeated as certain. Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire allowing an applicant to apply for the same level of license they hold there, per third party sources; confirm with the Board before promising this to a customer.
Licensed by the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters. License types include Journeyman and Master Plumber, Journeyman and Master Gas Fitter, Liquified Petroleum (LP) Installer and Limited LP Installer, plus registered apprentices and corporate or partnership certificates (Massachusetts state website, 248 CMR). Applicants must complete Board approved apprenticeship experience and education before sitting the journeyman plumber exam; the regulation at 248 CMR 11.02 sets a practical experience threshold measured in clock hours as a licensed apprentice under a licensed master or journeyman plumber employed by a master plumber. Applications go through the Board's eLIPSE online platform, and PSI Services LLC schedules and conducts the exams (Massachusetts state website; PSI bulletin dated October 2025).
Massachusetts does not issue a general HVAC license. Instead, the Office of Public Safety and Inspections licenses refrigeration work specifically, through the Bureau of Pipefitters, Refrigeration Technicians and Sprinkler Fitters (Massachusetts state website). A license is required for installing, repairing, replacing, or maintaining any refrigerant containing part of a refrigeration or air conditioning system rated at 10 tons or greater; work below that tonnage threshold does not trigger the state refrigeration license, though federal EPA refrigerant handling certification still applies (Massachusetts state website). Three tiers exist: Refrigeration Apprentice, Refrigeration Technician, and Refrigeration Contractor, each with its own hour and exam requirements (Massachusetts state website); current fee figures for these tiers are not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page and should be checked before quoting to a customer.
Official Licensing Authority
All contractor license applications, renewals, and qualifying agent changes must go through this board.
We place a licensed qualifying agent with your company as a full time W-2 employee and prepare the qualifier filing with the Office of Public Safety and Inspections, Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure (Board of Building Regulations and Standards). Tell us your trade and what you have going on, and pick a time for a discovery call. Or call 615-219-2110.
Provide your information for a compliance assessment.
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