Which Massachusetts electrician license do you need?
Direct answer: Massachusetts has four statewide electrical license classes. Certificate B is the journeyman electrician license, and Certificate A is the master electrician license. Certificate D is the systems technician license, while Certificate C is the systems contractor license. Mass. General Laws ch. 141, § 3
The A/B ladder covers electrical work involving wiring, conduits, devices, fixtures, and appliances used for light, heat, power, fire-warning, or security-system purposes. The C/D track is narrower: the statute defines a “system” as fire-warning, security, or another inherently power-limited system. Mass. General Laws ch. 141, § 1
A master license and a journeyman license are not simply senior and junior versions of the same authority. Certificate B authorizes an individual to work in the journeyman occupation. Certificate A is the credential for conducting the electrical-installation business, and the statute separately warns that holding A does not by itself authorize the holder to perform installation work.
The Class B-to-Class A license ladder
The four certificates divide individual trade work from contracting authority:
- Certificate B, journeyman electrician: Issued to an individual who passes the required examination and authorizes that person to work in the journeyman occupation.
- Certificate A, master electrician: May be issued to a person, firm, or corporation entering the electrical-installation business when the qualifying person passes the master examination and has held Certificate B for at least 12 months.
- Certificate D, systems technician: Issued to an individual who passes the systems technician examination.
- Certificate C, systems contractor: The business credential for systems work. Its qualifying person must pass the contractor examination and have held Certificate D for at least 12 months.
Those distinctions come directly from Mass. General Laws ch. 141, § 3. Do not call a Class B license a contractor license or treat a master credential as a substitute for the individual license needed to perform hands-on work.
Journeyman and master eligibility requirements
For the journeyman examination, an apprentice must document at least 8,000 hours of electrical work experience completed in no less than four years. The work must be under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts-licensed journeyman electrician. 237 CMR 13.03
The same rule requires 600 clock hours of approved classroom instruction and a high school diploma or equivalent. Up to 4,000 hours of systems work supervised by a systems technician may count, and apprentice experience more than 20 years old does not receive credit. Keep employer records and school certificates as the work happens; our license experience verification guide explains how to organize the specified records and certificates.
For the master examination, a Massachusetts journeyman must document at least one year of active electrical work while holding the Massachusetts journeyman license and complete 150 clock hours of classroom instruction. 237 CMR 13.01 Journeyman and master applicants must also complete a 15-hour continuing-education program in addition to the education required for their license class. 237 CMR 13.05
Accessible text copy of the Commonwealth rule
What the master license changes for a business
Certificate A is the business credential. Massachusetts law allows it to identify a person, firm, or corporation, but a firm or corporation needs a member or officer who passed the examination and held Certificate B for at least 12 months. The certificate names both the licensed business and the qualifying person. Mass. General Laws ch. 141, § 3
The qualifier is not a paper-only workaround. The statute says holding Certificate A does not, by itself, allow its holder to perform the actual installation work. Structure the company around properly licensed people doing and supervising the work rather than assuming the business certificate covers every worker.
Supervision also limits crew shape. The statutory definition of a master electrician says no employed journeyman may supervise more than one apprentice and no more than one apprentice may be employed per journeyman. Mass. General Laws ch. 141, § 1
Broader residential projects may separately trigger HIC registration or a construction supervisor license; see the Massachusetts CSL and HIC guide.
Application and renewal process
Use the eligibility rule as the application checklist:
- Complete qualifying work under the required Massachusetts license holder and preserve dates, hours, employer details, and supervisor license information.
- Complete the required education without a substantial interruption, complete the additional 15-hour code-update program for the journeyman or master application, and retain each certificate of completion. The Board does not award credit without those certificates. Official 237 CMR 13 text
- Apply online through eLIPSE after the experience and education requirements are complete. The Board’s current fee page lists a $31 application fee and $104 initial license fee for a journeyman or systems technician. For a master electrician or systems contractor, it lists a $66 application fee and $155 initial license fee. PSI charges $135 total for both exam portions: $80 for trade and $55 for business/practical. Current Board application and fee page
- For a master application, also document the year worked as a Massachusetts journeyman and the 150 classroom hours; the 15-hour code-update program in step 2 applies here as well.
Certificates A, B, C, and D expire on July 31 every third year. Mass. General Laws ch. 141, § 3 To renew, a licensee must provide proof of 21 continuing-education hours completed during the three years before renewal. Board continuing-education guidance The current renewal fee is $78 for a journeyman or systems technician and $117 for a master electrician or systems contractor. Board renewal fee page
Accessible copies of the Commonwealth pages used above: 237 CMR 13, application and fees, continuing education, and renewal fees.
Out-of-state applicants and reciprocity
The current Board application page says Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire. This is the current licensure-without-examination path; it is different from the equivalency-and-examination route in 237 CMR 13.09 for applicants from states without reciprocity.
Under 237 CMR 15, the Board may license without examination when the other state has a written reciprocal agreement and substantially similar standards. For reciprocal Class B, the applicant must show education equivalent to the 600-hour journeyman course completed within 10 years of application and at least 8,000 practical hours over no less than four years. For reciprocal Class A, the applicant must show at least five years actively engaged in the covered electrical business and hold a current Massachusetts Class B license; the Class B application may be filed at the same time.
The reciprocity application must be completed and notarized, include the required fee, and include a certified Statement of Registration from the New Hampshire licensing board showing the applicant’s name, address, license type and number, current good-standing status, board seal, and official certification. 237 CMR 15
For an applicant licensed in a state without reciprocity, 237 CMR 13.09 instead requires a current examination-earned license held for at least one year, active licensed work, and education and experience equivalent to Massachusetts requirements. 237 CMR 13.09 That route requires transcripts and course descriptions with code-cycle information, employment letters with dates, weekly hours and supervisor details, and a certified licensing statement showing status and discipline.
Applicants with out-of-state or foreign education but no other-jurisdiction license use the separate petition routes in 237 CMR 13.07 and 13.08. For the general distinction, read contractor license reciprocity.
Accessible copies: Board application page and 237 CMR 13.
Massachusetts electrician license FAQ
What is a Class B electrician license in Massachusetts? Certificate B is the journeyman electrician license. It is issued to an individual who passes the required examination and authorizes work in the journeyman occupation.
What is a Class A electrician license? Certificate A is the master electrician business license. A qualifying person must pass the master exam and have held a Massachusetts Class B license for at least 12 months.
How many hours are required for the journeyman exam? The standard route requires at least 8,000 hours over no less than four years, 600 classroom hours, a high school diploma or equivalent, and the additional 15-hour code-update program.
Does Massachusetts have a separate low-voltage license? It has a separate systems track. Certificate D covers systems technicians and Certificate C covers systems contractors for fire-warning, security, and other inherently power-limited systems defined by statute.
Does Massachusetts have electrician reciprocity? Yes, with New Hampshire. Qualified applicants use the 237 CMR 15 licensure-without-examination route and submit the class-specific education or experience evidence, a notarized application and fee, and a certified New Hampshire Statement of Registration. Other states use the separate 237 CMR 13.09 equivalency-and-examination route.
How often do Massachusetts electrician licenses renew? Certificates A, B, C, and D expire on July 31 every third year. Most licensees need 21 continuing-education hours in the three-year renewal period.
What are the current Massachusetts electrician license fees? A journeyman applicant pays $31 to apply, $104 for the initial license, and $135 for both exam portions. A master applicant pays $66 to apply, $155 for the initial license, and $135 for both exam portions. Current renewal fees are $78 for a journeyman and $117 for a master.