Massachusetts · electrician licensing · verified July 2026
Massachusetts electrician license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Massachusetts requires a state license from the Board of State Examiners of Electricians for anyone performing electrical work. The main tiers are Journeyman Electrician (Class B), 8,000 hours of supervised work over at least 4 years plus 600 hours of board-approved classroom education and a 15-hour code-update class, and Master Electrician (Class A), which requires a Massachusetts journeyman license, at least 1 year of additional experience, and 150 more education hours. Exams are administered by PSI, licenses renew every 3 years (expiring July 31) with 21 hours of continuing education per cycle, and Massachusetts has a formal reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire.
Do you need a license to work as an electrician in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts licenses electricians statewide, so one credential is valid across the whole state.
Exam applications must be submitted online to PSI as of 6/1/2025.
What licenses does Massachusetts issue?
The Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure) issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Electrician (Class B) | 8,000 | 600 | Yes |
| Master Electrician (Class A) | not published | 150 | Yes |
| Systems Technician (Class D) | 4,000 | 300 | Yes |
| Systems Contractor (Class C) | not published | 75 | Yes |
| Registered Apprentice (via Division of Apprentice Standards) | not published | not published | No |
Source: Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure) (mass.gov). Verified July 2026.
Journeyman Electrician (Class B): 8,000 hours over at least 4 years under a licensed Massachusetts journeyman electrician
Master Electrician (Class A): Massachusetts Journeyman license plus at least 1 year of work experience
Systems Technician (Class D): 4,000 hours over at least 2 years under a licensed Massachusetts Systems Technician or Journeyman Electrician
Systems Contractor (Class C): Massachusetts Systems Technician license plus at least 1 year of work experience
How many hours do you need in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience for a Journeyman Electrician (Class B) license, plus 600 classroom hours. At a 40-hour week the on-the-job portion is roughly 4 years of full-time work.
What exam does Massachusetts require?
Journeyman Electrician examination (trade portion + business/practical portion). Administered by PSI (board's exam vendor; all applications submitted online to PSI since 6/1/2025).
Master Electrician examination (trade portion + business/practical portion). Administered by PSI.
Systems Technician / Systems Contractor examinations. Administered by PSI.
Source: examination page (mass.gov). Verified July 2026.
How much does a Massachusetts electrician license cost?
Massachusetts sets its fees per license class rather than as one figure for the trade, so no single total would be true of every applicant. The published items are below exactly as the board sets them.
- Application feeincluded
- Exam feeset per license class
- Renewal fee (recurring)$78
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 3 years (licenses expire July 31; renewed online via DOL ePLACE portal)
Continuing education: 21 hours of board-approved continuing education in the 3 years before each renewal, per 237 CMR 17.00. A 15-hour code-update class is also required before initial journeyman/systems technician examination.
Source: renewal requirements (mass.gov). Verified July 2026.
How does the apprenticeship route work?
The standard route is a Registered Apprenticeship: the sponsor registers the apprentice with the Massachusetts Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS), and the apprentice carries an annually renewed ID card ($35/year fee, paid by sponsor). Apprentices accumulate the 8,000 hours of work experience (documented on board employment-certification forms signed by the supervising licensee) and 600 hours of related classroom instruction at board-approved schools, then apply through PSI for the journeyman exam.
Which states does Massachusetts have license reciprocity with?
Massachusetts appears in 1 published reciprocal licensing agreement for this trade, covering New Hampshire. Boards write these as agreements between two states rather than as a one-way list, and some publish the list while their counterpart does not, so this counts every agreement naming Massachusetts from either side. Recognition is never automatic: the board you apply to decides, and most require the original license to have been earned by examination and to be in good standing.
How does Massachusetts compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 8,000 | Statewide |
| Connecticut | 8,000 | Statewide |
| New Hampshire | 8,000 | Statewide |
| New York | not published | City or county |
| Rhode Island | not published | Statewide |
| Vermont | not published | Statewide |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
How does Massachusetts compare nationally?
24 states publish an explicit hour figure for this trade, and they range from 8,000 to 10,000 hours. Massachusetts's 8,000 hours is what 23 of them ask, making it the standard rather than an outlier; no state asks less and 1 asks more. The full comparison is on the hours by state table.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- Apply for an individual electrical or systems license | Mass.gov
- Renew your electrician, systems technician, or systems contractor license | Mass.gov
- Continuing education providers for electricians | Mass.gov
- Board of State Examiners of Electricians | Mass.gov
- Renew an Apprentice ID card | Mass.gov (Division of Apprentice Standards)
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to electricians overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure) before making decisions. Not legal advice.