Massachusetts runs one of the most structured licensing systems in the country. Every journeyman candidate completes the same 600-hour classroom curriculum, logs the same 8,000 hours under a licensed journeyman, and takes the same two-part exam, whether they train in Boston, Worcester, or Pittsfield. A license earned anywhere in the state is valid in every city and town, and no municipality adds its own license.

What makes Massachusetts different is how the pieces are split between agencies. One board licenses electricians, a different board writes the electrical code, a separate state division oversees registered apprenticeships, and every city and town has its own inspector of wires. This guide walks through each step, with a link to the statute, rule, or agency page behind every requirement, and covers union and open-shop programs, the exam, reciprocity, renewal, and pay.

Who licenses electricians in Massachusetts?

The licensing law is Chapter 141 of the Massachusetts General Laws, titled Supervision of Electricians, and the detailed requirements live in the board’s rules at 237 CMR 12.00 through 23.00, all collected on the board’s statutes and regulations page. Four public bodies are involved, and knowing which does what saves time:

• Board of State Examiners of Electricians. Part of the Division of Occupational Licensure, the board sets education and experience requirements, approves schools, approves exam applications, and issues and renews every individual and business license.
• Board of Fire Prevention Regulations. This separate board writes the Massachusetts Electrical Code, 527 CMR 12.00, under M.G.L. c. 143, section 3L. The electricians’ board enforces it, but it does not write it.
• Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS). Within the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the Division of Apprentice Standards registers and oversees apprenticeship programs. The electricians’ board itself, in its own FAQ, says plainly that it does not register apprentices.
• Your local inspector of wires. Under M.G.L. c. 166, section 32, every city or town must appoint an inspector of wires, who must be a licensed electrician. That inspector handles local permits and inspections.

You can check any license through the state’s occupational license lookup, and applications, renewals, and reinstatements run through the eLIPSE online portal.

Massachusetts electrical license types

Section 3 of Chapter 141 creates four individual licenses, known by letter. Two cover general electrical work and two cover fire warning, security, and other power-limited systems:

• Class A, master electrician. The license to run an electrical business. The statute requires the holder to have passed the master exam and held a journeyman (Class B) license for at least 12 months. Holding a Class A license lets you conduct business as a master electrician; the actual installation work is done under journeyman licenses.
• Class B, journeyman electrician. The license to do electrical work for hire. Most people spend their career at this level or use it as the step to master.
• Class C, systems contractor. The business license for fire warning, security, and other power-limited systems. It requires a year as a licensed systems technician.
• Class D, systems technician. The individual license for systems work: 4,000 hours over at least two years and 300 classroom hours, according to the board’s application page.

Two related credentials are worth knowing about early:

• Business licenses. A corporation, limited liability company, or partnership doing electrical work needs its own business license, with a Massachusetts master electrician (or a systems contractor, for systems-only businesses) named as its licensee of record. The Board’s business license page lists the required documents.
• The S-License. Installing security systems also requires an S-License and a Certificate of Clearance from the Division of Occupational Licensure’s Office of Public Safety and Inspections, in addition to the board license.

The rest of this guide follows the main path, from apprentice to journeyman to master, with the systems route covered as an alternative.

Getting started: working as an apprentice in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, you start as an apprentice working for a licensed electrician or company. Section 1A of Chapter 141 exempts apprentices employed by a licensed person, firm, or corporation from the licensing requirement, so an apprentice does not hold an individual license from the board. Three rules shape that first stretch of your career:

• One apprentice per journeyman. Under M.G.L. c. 141, section 8 and 237 CMR 18.01(7), a journeyman may have no more than one apprentice under their direct supervision. That ratio is one reason apprenticeship openings can be competitive.
• Your hours must be supervised to count. 237 CMR 13.03 credits work experience earned as an apprentice under the direct supervision of a Massachusetts licensed journeyman electrician.
• Your employer keeps the records. Under 237 CMR 18.01(3), anyone employing apprentices must keep accurate and detailed records of that employment for at least nine years. Those records back up the employment certification form you will file with your exam application.

If you join a registered apprenticeship program, the Division of Apprentice Standards is part of the picture. According to its Apprentice Handbook, your sponsor obtains an apprentice identification card for you from DAS, you must carry it whenever you are working, and the sponsor renews the card every year. When you finish, DAS issues an apprentice completion certificate. The licensing requirements themselves, though, are the board’s, and they are the same for every route.

The 600-hour classroom requirement

Massachusetts requires classroom education before you can even apply for the journeyman exam. Under 237 CMR 13.03(1)(b), you need 600 clock hours of instruction from a board-approved program, and 237 CMR 22.01 sets the subjects. They include:

• DC and AC theory and electrical math
• Branch circuit, feeder, and service calculations
• Bonding and grounding, conductor selection, and overcurrent protection
• Wiring methods, motors and controls, and transformers
• Low-voltage, fire warning, security, and data systems
• The Massachusetts Electrical Code amendments and the state laws and rules for electricians
• Job-site and electrical safety

A few rules about that education trip people up:

• High school vocational credit is capped. A Chapter 74 public vocational high school program earns a maximum of 300 hours toward the 600, according to the board’s list of approved initial education providers.
• The provider must be approved. That same list names every approved school, union training center, and employer program, along with whether its approval is current or lapsed. Check it before you enroll.
• Education expires. Under 237 CMR 13.05(2), you can’t use education toward a license more than 20 years after you started the program.
• A 15-hour code course is also required. Before applying, every candidate completes a 15-hour continuing education course on the current Massachusetts Electrical Code from a board-approved provider, as 237 CMR 13.05(1) requires.

Massachusetts electrical apprenticeship programs

You can earn your hours and classroom time through a union apprenticeship, an open-shop program, or a job with a licensed contractor plus classes at an approved school. Program names and lengths differ, and several programs run longer than the state minimums, but every route ends at the same Class B exam.

Union (IBEW and NECA) programs

Massachusetts has four inside-electrician locals of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW): Locals 7, 96, 103, and 223, as listed on IBEW Local 96’s neighboring locals page. Each runs a joint program with a chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA):

• Greater Boston JATC (IBEW Local 103, Dorchester). This is the joint program of Local 103 and NECA Boston. Listed requirements include being 18 or older, having a high school diploma or equivalent, passing an aptitude test, and living within Local 103’s area. It posts its application period on its site.
• Springfield Electrical JATC (IBEW Local 7). Serves western Massachusetts. Requirements include being at least 18 and having completed one year of high school algebra, and it holds information seminars from September through February.
• Worcester Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program (IBEW Local 96 and NECA Central Massachusetts). Five years of school, 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, and a Massachusetts journeyman license. It is accepting applications from March 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027. The board’s provider list currently shows this program’s education approval as lapsed, so ask the program about its status when you apply.
• Brockton Electricians Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (IBEW Local 223, Taunton). Serves southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands. A four-year program with at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and at least 225 classroom hours a year. Its next application window runs October 13 to 30, 2026, for the class starting in September 2027.

Open-shop programs

• Independent Electrical Contractors of New England (IEC). A four-year program built on 720 classroom hours, with apprentices working toward their 8,000 hours through their employer. IEC New England is based in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and appears on the Massachusetts board’s provider list as approved for journeyman and master education.
• Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts (ABC Massachusetts). The state chapter of the national open-shop construction association, and a starting point for finding merit-shop contractors that hire apprentices.
• Massachusetts Electrical Contractors Association (MECA). A trade association of electrical contractors that the board lists among its professional associations; useful for finding employers.

Trade schools and evening programs

If you work for a contractor rather than in a formal program, you can complete the 600 hours at an approved school. The board’s provider list shows these, among others, as approved for the journeyman course as of September 2026:

• Private schools: Peterson School (campuses in Woburn, Westwood, Worcester, Haverhill, Dartmouth, and Norwood), Porter and Chester Institute (Chicopee, Brockton, and Worcester), Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston), Benjamin Franklin Cummings Tech (Roxbury and Billerica), and Gould Construction Institute (Woburn).
• Public evening and adult programs: regional vocational schools such as Assabet After Dark (Marlborough), Smith Vocational Adult Community Education (Northampton), and Cape Cod Regional Technical High School (Harwich), along with many others statewide.

Approval status changes, so confirm a school’s current status on the board’s list before you pay tuition.

Experience hours for the journeyman license

The work requirement is set by rule, not by statute. Chapter 141 gives the board authority to make rules, and 237 CMR 13.03(1)(a) sets the number: electrical work experience totaling at least 8,000 clock hours, earned over no less than four years, before you apply for the exam. A few details matter:

• The four-year floor is firm. Even if you log 8,000 hours faster with overtime, you must spread the hours over at least four years.
• Systems work counts, up to a point. Systems experience supervised by a systems technician can earn a maximum of 4,000 hours, over no less than two years, toward the journeyman requirement.
• Old hours expire. Experience earned more than 20 years before your application date does not count.
• Vocational shop time can count. The rule allows credit for electrical shop experience in an approved Chapter 74 public vocational school program, subject to board approval.

Document your hours on the employment certification form, signed by the company representative or supervising licensee, with their Massachusetts license number. The board’s application FAQ explains what to do if an employer will not sign. To compare Massachusetts’s four-year minimum with other states, see our guide to how long it takes to become an electrician.

Coming from another state or country

Out-of-state and international experience can count, but you have to prove it. 237 CMR 13.07 and 13.08 require a certified statement from each employer naming your supervising electrician and their license, your dates and weekly hours, and the code edition the work followed. Education from another state needs certificates of completion, a letter of accreditation, and a description of the code it was based on. The board’s staff will not pre-review documents, so many applicants ask an approved school to evaluate their education and fill any gaps in the 600 hours.

Applying for your license and taking the Massachusetts exam

Once your hours and education are complete, apply to the board online, get approved, and schedule the exam with PSI, the board’s exam vendor. The board’s application page and the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin lay out the process:

1. Gather your documents. You need your school certificates, the employment certification form for your hours, a notarized criminal offender record information (CORI) authorization, your 15-hour code course certificate, and a passport-style photo.
2. Apply in eLIPSE and pay the application fee. The journeyman application fee is $31. According to the bulletin, review can take up to 30 days.
3. Schedule with PSI. After approval, PSI emails a confirmation notice. The approval is good for 12 months.
4. Pay the exam fee. The fee is $135 for both parts, $80 for Part 1 and $55 for Part 2, paid to PSI when you schedule.
5. Pass both parts, then pay the license fee. The journeyman license fee is $104, paid in eLIPSE after you pass.

The details of the exam itself, all from the bulletin:

• Format: two separately scored, open-book, computer-based parts. You need 70 percent on each.
• Journeyman Part 1: 80 questions in 180 minutes, covering topics such as services, grounding and bonding, wiring methods, alarm systems, solar, and battery storage.
• Journeyman Part II: 30 applied questions in 60 minutes on circuit calculations, schematics, materials, troubleshooting, the Massachusetts amendments, and licensing laws.
• Test sites: Auburn, Boston (Charlestown), Fall River, Lawrence, and West Springfield. Exams are scheduled daily.
• Results: given the same day. You must pass both parts within 12 months of your application approval, or you must reapply and retake both.
• Retakes: wait at least 24 hours after a failed part. After three failed attempts, you must complete additional education before retesting, and after six, you repeat the full required education.
• Veterans: Chapter 141, section 2A, grants qualifying veterans a 5 percent credit on the exam.

Because the exam is open book, speed at finding things in the code book matters as much as knowing them. Our free NEC practice test helps you build that speed before test day. According to the bulletin, you are licensed to work for hire once you have passed both parts and hold your printed photo license.

Which electrical code does Massachusetts use?

Massachusetts adopts the National Electrical Code with state amendments and calls the result the Massachusetts Electrical Code, 527 CMR 12.00. According to the Department of Fire Services’ Massachusetts Electrical Code page, the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations approved amendments based on the 2026 edition of the National Electrical Code, and the new code took effect on April 24, 2026.

• If you are testing soon: the PSI bulletin says new exam questions may be added to reflect a newly adopted code seven months after its enforcement date, so check the bulletin for the code edition your exam uses.
• If you are in school: the board’s provider list is organized around the 2026 Massachusetts Electrical Code cycle.
• If you are already licensed: the 15-hour portion of your continuing education focuses on the current Massachusetts Electrical Code.

City and town permits: the inspector of wires

Massachusetts cities and towns do not license electricians, but each one inspects electrical work. Under M.G.L. c. 143, section 3L, anyone installing wiring for hire must notify the local inspector of wires by filing the uniform permit application before starting or within five days of starting, and must notify the inspector again when the work is complete. The inspector then has five days to approve or disapprove the work in writing. Two more statewide rules apply everywhere:

• Insurance: under M.G.L. c. 141, section 8, a city or town cannot issue an electrical permit unless the licensee shows proof of liability insurance, including completed-operations coverage, or the owner signs the permit application instead.
• Who can file: 237 CMR 18.01(4) requires masters, journeymen, and systems contractors to follow the uniform permit process; systems technicians file only on behalf of the master or systems contractor who employs them.

Boston

Boston’s Inspectional Services Department issues electrical permits, and its electrical permit page is direct: only a licensed contractor can apply; the applicant must be the contractor doing the work, and homeowners must hire a licensed contractor to apply for the permit and complete the work.

Cambridge and Lowell

• Cambridge: the Electrical Division of Inspectional Services reviews wiring permit applications and inspects the work.
• Lowell: the Division of Development Services processes electrical permits, and the city’s wire inspectors work from that office.

Worcester and Springfield

• Worcester: the Building and Zoning Division of Inspectional Services issues electrical permits, performs the inspections, and takes applications through an online portal.
• Springfield: the Department of Code Enforcement’s Building Division assigns electrical inspectors by area across the city.

In smaller towns, the inspector of wires may be part-time or shared with neighboring towns, which section 32 allows. Call the town’s building department before you file.

Massachusetts electrician reciprocity

Massachusetts has a reciprocal licensing agreement with exactly one state: New Hampshire. The board’s reciprocity page says the agreement covers journeyman and master licenses only if you obtained them by passing an exam in New Hampshire, so a New Hampshire license earned through reciprocity or endorsement does not qualify. Under 237 CMR 15.01, reciprocity also depends on a written agreement between the two states.

• Journeyman by reciprocity: a certified license verification letter from the New Hampshire board, a notarized CORI form, and a photo. The fee is $208.
• Master by reciprocity: the same documents, plus a current Massachusetts journeyman license (or an application for one submitted at the same time) and proof of completing the 150-hour master program. The fee is $310.

Licensed in any other state? You will take the Massachusetts exam. Under 237 CMR 13.09, an electrician who has held a license earned by exam in another state for at least a year can apply for the equivalent exam by documenting education and experience equivalent to Massachusetts requirements. The board’s FAQ adds that an out-of-state master who passes the journeyman exam can have the one-year journeyman wait waived with proof of master licensure, then sit for the master exam.

License renewal and continuing education

Massachusetts licenses run on a fixed three-year cycle. Under M.G.L. c. 141, section 3, individual and business licenses expire on July 31 every third year, and the board’s renewal page says renewal opens in eLIPSE 90 days before that date, with no notices sent by mail. The renewal fee is $78 for a journeyman or systems technician and $117 for a master or systems contractor.

To renew, 237 CMR 17.01 requires 21 hours of continuing education in the three years before renewal:

• 15 hours on the Massachusetts Electrical Code, business, law, and related topics, taken with a board-approved provider. Find one on the board’s continuing education provider list.
• 6 hours of professional development in subjects you choose, such as the electrical code, business, law, first aid, safety, or the building code. These do not need to come from a board-approved provider, but you must keep a certificate.

Three rules help or catch licensees:

• New licensees may get a pass. A journeyman or systems technician licensed within 90 days of the renewal date is exempt from continuing education for that cycle.
• Keep your certificates. Licensees must keep proof of continuing education for ten years.
• Letting a license lapse is costly. After a lapse of more than 90 days, you must complete the latest 15-hour and 6-hour courses before reinstating. If the license has been expired for more than three years, you must pass the Massachusetts exam again.

Becoming a master electrician and running a business

The master (Class A) license lets you run an electrical business. Under 237 CMR 13.01, you need at least one year as a Massachusetts licensed journeyman actively doing electrical work, plus 150 classroom hours. The topics, set by 237 CMR 22.02, include plan review and calculations, advanced code calculations, emergency systems, health care facilities, hazardous locations, and the laws on licensing, permitting, inspection, and business practice.

The master exam has two parts. According to the PSI bulletin, Part 1 has 90 questions in 240 minutes, and the Business and Law part has 50 questions in 120 minutes, covering Massachusetts licensing, estimating, lien law, taxes, labor law, contracts, and safety. You need 70 percent on each. The master application fee is $66, and the license fee is $155.

Running the business carries its own rules:

• Journeymen cannot form a company. Under 237 CMR 18.01(1), two or more journeymen cannot go into business together without a master license, and the board’s general FAQ says a journeyman working alone may only work under the name on their license, not through a corporation or LLC.
• Business entities need a licensee of record. A corporation, LLC, or partnership needs its own business license, with a Massachusetts master named as the licensee of record who is responsible for the company’s compliance, as the business license page explains.
• Advertising must show your license. Under 237 CMR 18.01(2), signs and advertisements for a master, journeyman, or systems contractor must state the license type and number.

The systems technician route

If fire alarm, security, and data systems interest you more than general wiring, the systems licenses are a separate ladder. The systems technician (Class D) exam requires 4,000 hours over at least two years, supervised by a systems technician or journeyman, plus 300 classroom hours, under 237 CMR 13.04. The systems contractor (Class C) license then takes a year as a licensed systems technician and 75 more classroom hours. Systems education also earns credit toward the journeyman education requirement if you later switch tracks.

How much do electricians make in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts electricians earn well above the national figures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ state Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (select Massachusetts) show these figures for electricians as of May 2025:

• Median annual wage: $79,420 ($38.18 an hour).
• Mean annual wage: $81,560 ($39.21 an hour).
• Lowest-paid 10 percent: $46,990 or less.
• Highest-paid 10 percent: $128,210 or more.
• Employment: about 17,810 electricians statewide.

For comparison, the national median for electricians was $63,190 in May 2025, with the top 10 percent earning more than $108,510, according to BLS national data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 9 percent employment growth for electricians nationally from 2024 to 2034.

Apprentices earn less than these figures while they train. Each registered program sets its own wage steps as a percentage of the journeyman rate, so ask for the program’s wage scale when you apply.

Massachusetts electrician licensing at a glance

The four individual licenses side by side. The Board of State Examiners of Electricians issues all of them.

License	Experience required	Classroom hours	Application + license fee	CE every 3 years	Where to apply
Journeyman (Class B)	8,000 hours over at least 4 years under a MA journeyman	600 + 15-hour code course	$31 + $104	21 hours (15 code + 6 elective)	Board application page
Master (Class A)	1 year as a licensed MA journeyman	150	$66 + $155	21 hours (15 code + 6 elective)	Board application page
Systems technician (Class D)	4,000 hours over at least 2 years	300 + 15-hour code course	$31 + $104	21 hours (15 code + 6 elective)	Board application page
Systems contractor (Class C)	1 year as a licensed MA systems technician	75	$66 + $155	21 hours (15 code + 6 elective)	Board application page
Apprentice	Works under a licensed journeyman, one apprentice per journeyman	Toward the 600	None to the board	None	Division of Apprentice Standards

All four licenses also need the $135 PSI exam fee and renew on the same July 31 three-year cycle.

Step-by-step checklist: becoming an electrician in Massachusetts

The full path, from your first job to running your own business. Keep the board’s licensing page bookmarked as you go.

1. Finish high school or an equivalent. A diploma or equivalent is required for the journeyman exam, and most programs also ask for a year of algebra.
2. Get hired as an apprentice. Apply to a union or open-shop program, or work for a licensed contractor so a licensed journeyman supervises your hours.
3. Complete 600 hours at an approved school. Confirm the school is current on the board’s provider list.
4. Log 8,000 hours over at least four years. Keep your own records and make sure your employer will sign the employment certification form.
5. Take the 15-hour code course. Use a board-approved provider and keep the certificate.
6. Apply in eLIPSE. Submit your education and work forms, CORI authorization, photo, and the $31 fee.
7. Pass both parts of the PSI exam with a score of 70 percent. Then pay the $104 license fee and carry your printed license.
8. Renew every three years by July 31. Complete 21 hours of continuing education before you renew.
9. Go further if you want to. After a year as a journeyman and 150 more classroom hours, take the master exam; to run a company, add a business license with yourself as licensee of record.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

Becoming an electrician in Massachusetts comes down to a clear sequence: work under a licensed journeyman, complete 600 hours at an approved school, log 8,000 hours over at least four years, take the 15-hour code course, and pass both parts of the state exam with 70 percent. One license covers every city and town, the local inspector of wires handles your permits, and the pay at the end is well above the national median for the trade. For current forms, fees, and any rule changes, start with the Board of State Examiners of Electricians. Godspeed!

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Licensing requirements, fees, exam details, and code editions change, and they can differ by license type and program. Confirm current requirements with the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians, the Division of Apprentice Standards, your local inspector of wires, and your apprenticeship program before deciding on training or employment.