Massachusetts Contractor License Requirements
Massachusetts doesn’t have a single “general contractor license” — it has two separate credentials that cover different work. A Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration is required for anyone bidding on or performing improvement work on an existing, owner-occupied 1–4 unit home, and it’s a business registration with no exam. A Construction Supervisor License (CSL) is a separate, individual license required for anyone supervising most other construction, reconstruction, alteration, or demolition work, and it does require an exam and verified experience. Many contractors who do residential remodeling need both. Here’s how each one works.
- Quick facts
- Two credentials, not one: HIC vs. CSL
- Steps to get HIC-registered
- Steps to get a Construction Supervisor License
- Renewal & continuing education
- FAQ
- Penalty for unregistered or unlicensed work
Quick facts
| Regulators | Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR) for HIC registration; Office of Public Safety and Inspections (OPSI) / Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) for the Construction Supervisor License |
|---|---|
| Who needs HIC | Any contractor, subcontractor, partnership, or corporation that solicits, bids on, or performs contracting work on an existing, owner-occupied residential property with 1–4 units (M.G.L. c. 142A) |
| Who needs a CSL | Any individual who supervises construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, removal, or demolition of most buildings — a broader scope than HIC, not limited to owner-occupied residential work |
| HIC fee | $100 (fewer than 4 employees), $200 (4–10), $300 (11–30), or $500 (more than 30), per M.G.L. c. 142A § 11 — this fee is payable on both initial application and renewal; no separate renewal amount is stated in the statute |
| HIC bond | None. A Residential Contractor’s Guaranty Fund serves this role instead: a homeowner’s claim is capped at $25,000 or their actual documented loss, whichever is less, and claims against any one contractor are capped at $150,000 total within a 12-month period (M.G.L. c. 142A § 7) |
| HIC exam | None |
| HIC registration term | 2 years, renewable |
| CSL experience | 3 years of experience in building construction or design in the specific field you’re applying for (consistently reported across independent sources; not confirmed against a direct OPSI/BBRS fetch this run — see source note) |
| CSL exam | Administered by PSI as of January 1, 2025 (previously Prometric), based on the 10th Edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code (780 CMR); exam-fee figures conflict across independent sources ($75–$150 depending on the source) and aren’t confirmed against a primary OPSI/BBRS or PSI page this run |
| CSL license fee | Most consistently reported around $150 for most CSL categories, with some sources citing $100 specifically for the One- and Two-Family Dwelling CSL — sources don’t fully agree, and mass.gov’s own application pages returned HTTP 403 to every direct fetch attempt this run, so treat this as a figure to reconfirm before applying |
| CSL renewal | $100 every 2 years, per mass.gov’s own CSL renewal guidance; continuing education is required first (see below) |
| CSL reciprocity | None found. Independent sources consistently describe Massachusetts as having no CSL reciprocity with any other state, including neighboring Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut — confirm directly with OPSI/BBRS if this matters for your situation |
Two credentials, not one: HIC vs. CSL
Most states this site covers issue one contractor license that covers most construction work. Massachusetts splits the job in two. HIC registration is a business-level registration, not an individual license: it has no exam and no bond, and it only applies to work on an existing, owner-occupied home with 1–4 units — think kitchen remodels, roof replacements, additions. It exists mainly to fund the Guaranty Fund, a consumer-protection pool homeowners can claim against if a registered contractor leaves a job unfinished or won’t honor a judgment. The Construction Supervisor License is a personal, individual license tied to a specific person (not the business), requires 3 years of documented experience and a passing exam score, and covers a much wider range of construction work — new construction, commercial buildings, and any supervision role, not just residential remodeling. A typical home-remodeling contractor needs both: the business registers for HIC, and whoever supervises the actual construction work holds a CSL in their own name.
Steps to get HIC-registered
- Confirm you need it — HIC registration applies if your business solicits, bids on, or performs contracting work on an existing, owner-occupied residential property with 1–4 units.
- Apply online through the MA Contractor Hub — paper applications are no longer accepted, per mass.gov’s own registration guidance.
- Pay the tiered Guaranty Fund fee: $100, $200, $300, or $500 depending on your employee count, under M.G.L. c. 142A § 11.
- Carry general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage (or a documented exemption) if you have employees — required of registrants, though the regulations don’t set a specific statewide dollar minimum for the liability coverage.
- Renew every 2 years, paying the same tiered fee again.
Steps to get a Construction Supervisor License
- Choose your CSL category — Unrestricted, One- and Two-Family Dwelling, or one of several Specialty categories (e.g., roofing, demolition) — based on the scope of work you’ll supervise.
- Document 3 years of construction experience or design in the field you’re applying for, through an experience affidavit reviewed by OPSI.
- Schedule and pass the PSI exam for your category, based on the 10th Edition of the State Building Code.
- Mail your passing score report to the Board of Building Regulations and Standards along with the license fee and any other required documents.
- Receive your license — processing commonly takes several weeks, per third-party licensing guides; not independently confirmed against an OPSI-stated timeline this run.
Renewal & continuing education
CSL renewal is every 2 years for a $100 fee, but continuing education has to be completed first and submitted with the renewal application. The hour requirement depends on your license type: 12 hours per 2-year cycle for an Unrestricted CSL, 10 hours for a One- and Two-Family Dwelling CSL, and 6 hours for a Specialty CSL. Required topics for the 12- and 10-hour tracks include 4 hours of code review plus 1 hour each of workplace safety, business practices/workers’ compensation, and energy (the energy hour doesn’t apply to the Demolition Specialty License); a 1-hour lead-safe-practices requirement applies in your first renewal cycle. Up to 6 hours may be completed online, with the rest requiring in-person classroom training for the Specialty track. HIC registration, by contrast, has no continuing-education requirement at all — only the CSL does.
Do I need both an HIC registration and a Construction Supervisor License in Massachusetts?
Often, yes, if you run a residential remodeling business. HIC registration is required at the business level for any company doing improvement work on an existing, owner-occupied 1–4 unit home. The Construction Supervisor License is a separate, personal license required for whoever actually supervises that construction work. A solo contractor doing residential remodeling typically needs to hold a CSL personally and register the business for HIC.
Does Massachusetts require a surety bond for contractors?
Not for HIC registration — Massachusetts uses a state-administered Guaranty Fund instead of a bond, capped at $25,000 (or your actual loss, whichever is less) per homeowner claim, with a $150,000 aggregate cap against any one contractor within 12 months. The Construction Supervisor License doesn’t involve a bond either; it’s based on exam and experience, not financial security.
Can an out-of-state contractor transfer their license to Massachusetts?
Not automatically. Independent licensing guides consistently describe Massachusetts as having no CSL reciprocity agreements with any other state, including neighboring Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut — an out-of-state contractor generally still has to document the required experience and pass the Massachusetts exam. Confirm directly with OPSI/BBRS if a specific reciprocity arrangement matters to your situation, since this wasn’t confirmed against a primary state source this run.
Penalty for unregistered or unlicensed work
Operating as a home improvement contractor without the required HIC registration — or continuing to operate after your registration is suspended, revoked, or expired — carries a fine of up to $5,000, up to 2 years in prison, or both, under M.G.L. c. 142A § 19. Any other person who knowingly and willfully violates the chapter, where no greater penalty applies elsewhere, faces up to $2,000 in fines, up to 1 year in prison, or both. These criminal penalties are separate from, and in addition to, any administrative penalty the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation can impose directly. Both the attorney general and local district attorneys can pursue these cases.