- In Massachusetts a licensed construction supervisor (or a registered design professional) must oversee building work on 1 and 2 family homes and on buildings under 35,000 cubic feet.
- CSL: 3 years of experience in building construction or design.
- Plan for a trade exam.
- Pay runs from about $50.05 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of general contractors to $104.29 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 7.7% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally.
The path in Massachusetts, step by step
Massachusetts licenses general contractor work at the state level through the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards, through the Office of Public Safety and Inspections (CSL), and Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (HIC). These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Pick the CSL type that fits your work: unrestricted, 1 and 2 family, or a specialty.
- Document 3 years of experience in building construction or design.
- Register with PSI and pass the CSL exam.
- Mail your score report to the Board of Building Regulations and Standards with the items it lists.
- Register as a Home Improvement Contractor on the MA Contractor Hub and pay the $150 fee plus the guaranty fund payment.
- Renew HIC every two years, and finish CSL continuing education before each CSL renewal.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: general contractor license in Massachusetts.
Finding an apprenticeship in Massachusetts
Massachusetts runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Massachusetts State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.
Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.
Across the country. New construction managers are usually hired as assistants and work under an experienced manager for up to a year, sometimes longer.
License levels and exams in Massachusetts
The license to aim for: Construction Supervisor License (CSL) and Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration.
Trade exam. Yes. The CSL exam is given by PSI and is based on the 10th Edition of the State Building Code. You mail your score report to the Board of Building Regulations and Standards.
Keeping it. HIC registration renews every two years. CSL renewal needs continuing education every 2 years: 12 hours for unrestricted, 10 for restricted and 6 for specialty licenses. A CSL has a 1 year grace period, can be renewed up to 2 years late for an extra $100, and after that needs a new exam.
Coming from another state. None. Massachusetts does not recognize out of state contractor licenses.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Unrestricted CSL | Build, alter, repair or demolish buildings of any use under 35,000 cubic feet, 1 and 2 family homes, and farm buildings. |
| CSL One and two family dwellings | Build, alter, repair or demolish 1 and 2 family homes and their accessory structures. |
| Specialty CSLs | Masonry, roof covering, windows doors and siding, solid fuel burning appliances, demolition, and insulation. |
| Home Improvement Contractor registration | Contracting work on existing owner occupied homes with one to four units. |
What the Massachusetts license costs
The fees the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards, through the Office of Public Safety and Inspections (CSL), and Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (HIC) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| HIC registration | $150 |
| HIC guaranty fund payment, 0 to 3 employees | $100 |
| HIC guaranty fund payment, 4 to 10 employees | $200 |
| HIC guaranty fund payment, 11 to 30 employees | $300 |
| HIC guaranty fund payment, more than 30 employees | $500 |
| HIC renewal | $100 |
| CSL renewal | $100 |
What general contractors earn in Massachusetts
The median general contractor in Massachusetts earned $69.71 an hour in May 2025, 3rd of 51 states, with 9,870 on payrolls. The national median was $55.28.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in Massachusetts earned under $61.07 an hour and a tenth under $50.05. At the top, a quarter earned over $83.42 and a tenth over $104.29.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50.05 | $104,100 |
| 25th percentile | $61.07 | $127,020 |
| Median | $69.71 | $145,010 |
| 75th percentile | $83.42 | $173,520 |
| 90th percentile | $104.29 | $216,920 |
BLS has no separate wage figure for general contractors. These are its numbers for construction managers, the group BLS files general contractors under. They count managers on a payroll, so owners who run their own contracting business are not in them. Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: general contractor salary in Massachusetts.
Jobs ahead in Massachusetts
Massachusetts's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 4,410 in 2022 to 4,750 in 2032, a change of 7.7%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 360 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 7.7% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 38th of the 49 states in the file.
These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group construction managers.
Starting your own general contractor business in Massachusetts
To contract on your own in Massachusetts, the license is the Construction Supervisor License (CSL) and Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Massachusetts median of $69.71 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $193.01 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.
The full checklist is in how to start a general contracting business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.
Where this comes from
The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Massachusetts's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.
- Mass.gov when is a Construction Supervisor License required (checked 2026-10-08)
- Mass.gov apply for a Construction Supervisor License (checked 2026-10-08)
- Mass.gov types of Construction Supervisor Licenses (checked 2026-10-08)
- Mass.gov renew your Construction Supervisor License (checked 2026-10-08)
- Mass.gov continuing education for construction supervisors (checked 2026-10-08)
- Mass.gov HIC registration and renewal (checked 2026-10-08)
- MGL c.142A section 14, exemptions (checked 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 11-9021
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Construction Managers (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a general contractor.