How to check a contractor license in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has two records to check. A contractor working on an owner-occupied home of one to four units must hold a Home Improvement Contractor registration, which you look up in the MA Contractor Hub. A supervisor may also hold a Construction Supervisor License, which you check on the state's license verification site by name or license number.

How do I check a contractor license in Massachusetts?

Look up the company's Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration in the MA Contractor Hub, then look up any Construction Supervisor License (CSL) on the state's license verification site. The two records come from different offices, so one search won't show you both.

Get the HIC registration number from the contract. State law requires a written contract for any job over $1,000, and the contract has to show the contractor's registration number.
Open the MA Contractor Hub and search for the registration. We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. The Hub didn't load when we tried it from a script that day, so the search may need to be opened in a regular web browser.
If the Hub won't load for you either, start from the state's page on checking whether a contractor is a registered Home Improvement Contractor, which is run by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.
Confirm the registration is current and that the business name matches the one on your contract.
Get the supervisor's CSL number and search it on the License Verification Site. The site suggests the full number with its prefix, and if you don't know the prefix you can type an asterisk before the number, as in *123456. You can also search by first and last name.
Note the license type. The site lists three: Construction Supervisor, Construction Supervisor 1 & 2 Family, and Construction Supervisor Specialty. If it's one of the last two, ask the supervisor what work it covers.

What is the difference between an HIC and a CSL in Massachusetts?

An HIC registration belongs to the contracting business, and a CSL is a license held by a person. Under Chapter 142A of the General Laws, a contractor can't offer or do residential contracting unless it is registered with the approval of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, while CSLs come from the Division of Occupational Licensure's Office of Public Safety and Inspections.

The HIC law has a narrow reach. It covers work such as renovation, repair, additions and demolition on an existing owner-occupied building with one to four homes in it. New construction falls outside it, and so does a building the owner doesn't live in. When a contractor hands you both numbers, look up each one.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Massachusetts?

Two separate state boards do. Electricians are licensed by the Board of State Examiners of Electricians, set up under Chapter 13, section 32 of the General Laws, and plumbers and gas fitters by the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters under Chapter 142.

Neither license is an HIC registration or a CSL, and the License Verification Site above doesn't list electrician or plumber license types. Ask the electrician or plumber for the license number and check it with the board that issued it.

What does a Massachusetts lookup not tell you?

It doesn't tell you whether the work will be any good. A current registration also leaves gaps that matter before you sign a contract.

The HIC law only covers existing owner-occupied homes of one to four units. New construction and homes the owner doesn't live in fall outside it.
Neither search we could open shows insurance. Ask the contractor for a current certificate of insurance.
The deposit has a legal limit. It can't be more than one third of the total price, or the actual cost of special-order or custom-made materials if that is higher.
The contract has to be in writing. Any job over $1,000 needs a written contract that includes the registration number.

Each state runs its own board and its own search. For a contractor who also works outside Massachusetts, see how to check a contractor license, state by state.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island are on their own pages, and so is the one for Maine.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.

Sources

Agents can keep these contractors in Proferral

Proferral is a free app real estate agents use to keep a go-to list of the providers they trust and to remember every referral they send. Its license checks cover Oregon and Washington only, so for Massachusetts you still run the lookup above by hand. Here's how Proferral's license checks work.

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It's free, no credit card needed, and you're never charged unless you choose Pro.