Which credential does the contractor need?
| Credential | Who issues it | What it covers | Look it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Supervisor License | Office of Public Safety and Inspections | Oversight of construction on 1- and 2-family homes of any size and on buildings under 35,000 cubic feet; over that, a registered architect or engineer takes control | madpl.mylicense.com/Verification |
| Home Improvement Contractor registration | Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation | Contracting on "existing, owner-occupied residential property with one to four units" | MA Contractor Hub |
| Master / journeyman electrician | Board of State Examiners of Electricians (M.G.L. c. 141) | Electrical work | eLIPSE |
| Master / journeyman plumber, gas fitter | Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters (M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3) | Plumbing and gas | eLIPSE |
The state's own examples (HIC contractor resources):
| Job | HIC | CSL | Building permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior painting | Yes | No | No |
| Interior painting | No | No | No |
| Repairing existing decking | Yes | No | Not stated |
| Building a deck | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Addition | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kitchen renovation with structural work | May need both | May need both | Not stated |
The CSL holder and the HIC registrant do not have to be the same person, but "the contractor who signed the contract with the homeowner must have an HIC registration". Massachusetts "does not recognize out of state contractor licenses".
CSL types
| CSL type | Scope (Mass.gov) |
|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Buildings under 35,000 cubic feet, 1- and 2-family homes |
| One and Two Family Dwellings | 1- and 2-family homes and accessory structures only |
| Specialty: Roof Covering | Roofs, up to 25% of sheathing |
| Specialty: Windows, Doors, Siding | Openings under 4 ft wide, up to 25% of sheathing |
| Specialty: Masonry, Insulation, Demolition, Solid Fuel-Burning Appliance | That work only |
A roof-covering CSL does not let its holder supervise your addition.
How to look a contractor up, step by step
- Ask for two numbers: the HIC registration of the company on the contract, and the CSL of the person who will supervise. Ask for the electrician's and plumber's license numbers too.
- Search the HIC number on the MA Contractor Hub. Check the business name matches the contract.
- Search the CSL on OPSI's Verification site by number or name. Check the type covers your job and the status is active.
- Search the electrician and plumber on eLIPSE, the state's lookup for Occupational Board licenses, by license number, name or business. Mass.gov's page does not list which boards it covers; if a trade license is not there, try OPSI's verification site.
- Get a written contract: "all contracts over $1,000 (One Thousand Dollars) must be in writing", and a deposit "cannot exceed one-third of the total contract price" or the actual cost of special-order or custom-made materials (required contract terms).
- Make sure the contractor pulls the permit. If you pull it, you lose the Guaranty Fund.
- Stuck on a result? The state's Contractor Support Line is 617-648-2467 (HIC) and OPSI is (617) 727-3200 (CSL).
Penalties for unregistered contracting
A contractor working without the required HIC registration "shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both" (M.G.L. c. 142A, s. 19). We did not find a fine schedule for supervising without a CSL on the pages we read; complaints go to OPSI. A lapsed HIC registration cannot simply be renewed: the contractor must reapply, pay the $150 fee and a new Guaranty Fund payment of $100 to $500 depending on headcount (HIC registration), and the state warns municipal permit issuance may be affected. A contractor who says the registration is "being renewed" may not be able to pull your permit.
The HIC Guaranty Fund
| Rule | Figure (Mass.gov) |
|---|---|
| Most paid | "Actual loss up to $25,000" |
| Home | Pre-existing 1–4 family home in Massachusetts that is the owner's primary residence |
| Contractor | HIC-registered when the contract was signed |
| Permit | "The contractor - not the homeowner - secured the building permit" |
| First | A court judgment or arbitration award, with collection efforts exhausted |
| Deadline | Within seven years (the page measures it both from the contract and from the award or judgment; check before filing) |
What the license does not tell you
A CSL says one person passed an exam; an HIC registration says the business paid into the fund. Neither says whether past jobs passed inspection. Cambridge and Somerville publish that:
- Cambridge: 3,512 remodel permits, 51.3% finished, usually 304 days to close; roofing 92.4% finished from 353 firms.
- Somerville: 1,538 remodel permits, 63.2% finished, usual filed value $36,497; roofing 38.8% finished from 303 firms.
Electrical: 71.5% of 3,820 Cambridge electrical permits finished, against 89.1% of 2,877 in Somerville.
Before you sign, open the firm's page with us and look at its own finished share and its last few permits, then ask the contractor for the final sign-off on two of them.
Red flags
- An HIC number in one company's name on a contract signed by another.
- A specialty CSL (roofing, windows) for an addition or structural kitchen work.
- A contractor who asks you to pull the permit.
- A deposit above one-third of the price, unless it covers custom materials.
- "Licensed in New Hampshire" or any out-of-state license.
How we know this
Our Massachusetts pages carry no license status: Cambridge and Somerville permits are not yet matched to the OPSI, HIC or occupational-board lists. The window is October 2023 to September 2026. "Finished" is the share of permits with a recorded final. Rules and figures are quoted from Mass.gov and the General Laws on malegislature.gov, read 20 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Cambridge Inspectional Services permits (the city's per-type open-data permit files); City of Somerville permit applications (issued permits only), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Somerville remodeler by their permit record →
Questions
- What is the difference between a CSL and an HIC registration?
A Construction Supervisor License says a person is qualified to oversee building work under the state code. A Home Improvement Contractor registration lets a business contract with owners of existing 1–4 unit homes and puts the job under the Guaranty Fund. They "are not interchangeable", and many jobs need both.
- Where do I look up a Massachusetts HIC registration?
The MA Contractor Hub's search at contractorhub.mass.gov/s/hic-contractor-search.
- Where do I look up a Construction Supervisor License?
OPSI's License Verification Site at madpl.mylicense.com/Verification, searchable by license number, name, city or ZIP. It holds license records from 2001 on.
- How much does the Massachusetts Guaranty Fund pay?
Up to $25,000 of actual loss, if the contractor was HIC-registered when you signed, the contractor (not you) pulled the permit, and you have a court judgment or arbitration award you could not collect.
- What is the penalty for working without an HIC registration?
Under M.G.L. c. 142A, s. 19, "a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both".
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
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- Saint Paul contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
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- Check if your contractor is a registered Home Improvement Contractor — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- Home Improvement Contractor Registration and Renewal — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- HIC contractor resources (HIC, CSL or building permit?) — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- File a Guaranty Fund claim for an unpaid HIC judgment — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- When is a Construction Supervisor License required? — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- Learn about different Construction Supervisor Licenses — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- Check a license issued by the Office of Public Safety and Inspections (OPSI) — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- Check an Occupational Board license — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- Required contract terms in a home improvement contract — Mass.gov (2026-10-20)
- M.G.L. c. 142A, s. 19 Penalties (2026-10-20)
- M.G.L. c. 142, s. 3 Master plumbers or gas fitters; licensing (2026-10-20)
- M.G.L. c. 141, s. 1 Definitions (electricians) (2026-10-20)