Michigan to Massachusetts: general contractor license reciprocity
Michigan does not issue a statewide general contractor license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Massachusetts's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Unrestricted CSL by examination (all states; no license recognition and no NASCLA route)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state general or building contractor sits the Massachusetts Unrestricted Construction Supervisor examination like any other candidate. The Board states that Massachusetts does not recognize out-of-state contractor licenses; 780 CMR 110.R5 and the candidate handbook contain no reciprocity, endorsement or examination-waiver provision, and Massachusetts is not among the jurisdictions that accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, so a NASCLA certificate does not replace the Massachusetts examination either. Out-of-state work does count toward eligibility: the applicant must show three years, 36 months of full-time work, in building construction or design within the past ten years, proved by W-2, Schedule C or 1099 forms or by a letter of attestation from an engineer, architect, employer, military supervisor or licensed contractor, with a vocational program or bachelor's degree worth one year and a degree in architecture, engineering, science or a related technology field worth two, up to two years in total. The applicant registers with PSI, pays a $23 application fee and a $65 examination fee, and sits a 75-question open-book examination on the Massachusetts State Building Code: 180 minutes, 70% to pass, results given immediately, unlimited retakes. A passing candidate mails the score report and the $150 license fee to the Division of Occupational Licensure and receives the license card in about 30 days.
Massachusetts has no separate business-and-law examination. Massachusetts administrative responsibilities under 780 CMR are five scored questions inside the Unrestricted examination itself, which also covers plan reading and estimating, general building construction, energy efficiency, accessibility, sitework and foundations, concrete and masonry, moisture protection, structural framing in steel and wood, roofing and exterior walls, associated trades, interior environment, fire protection and OSHA safety. The examination is open book against the 2021 International Building Code, the 2021 International Residential Code, the International Energy Conservation Code, the Massachusetts amendments and stretch codes, the Architectural Access Board regulations at 521 CMR and 29 CFR Part 1926; candidates bring their own copies. A first license runs three years and renews for two-year terms at $100, with 12 hours of continuing education per cycle. One examination-free route exists and it is a Massachusetts one, not an out-of-state one: 780 CMR 110.R5.2.1 lets a person holding a current Massachusetts building official certification under 780 CMR 110.R7 apply for an Unrestricted license without testing. A CSL is not required for swimming pools, signs or tents, for projects subject to construction control, for agricultural buildings closed to the public, or for work inside a state-licensed trade such as wiring, plumbing, gas fitting, fire protection, pipefitting, HVAC or refrigeration. A contractor who also works on existing owner-occupied homes of one to four units needs the separate Home Improvement Contractor registration described on the residential level of this page.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
What you must already have
- You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.The experience need not be continuous and need not have been gained in Massachusetts. Education substitutes for up to two of the three years: a three- or four-year vocational school program in building construction, or a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, counts as one year; a degree in architecture, science, engineering or a related technology field counts as two. Union affiliation alone is not accepted, and active military service relevant to construction may be counted.
- At least 18 years old on the day of the examination, and of good moral character as determined by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards.
- Has not already passed an examination in, or held a license in, the Unrestricted class. The exception is an applicant whose license has been expired for more than two years, or who has been ordered to re-examine after a hearing.
- A notarized signature on the examination registration form confirming that the information given is true and that all Massachusetts state tax returns have been filed and state taxes paid.
What you'll do to get licensed in Massachusetts
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Massachusetts Unrestricted Construction Supervisor examination, administered by PSI: 75 questions, 180 minutes, 70% to pass (a cutscore of 53), open book, taken at a PSI center in Auburn, Charlestown, Fall River, Lawrence or West Springfield or at any PSI center elsewhere in the United States. Results are given immediately and there is no limit on retakes. PSI takes up to two weeks to review an examination application, and the approved application stays on file for two years..
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($23). Non-refundable examination application fee paid to PSI when the registration form and the experience documentation are filed..
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($65). Non-refundable examination fee paid to PSI when the examination is scheduled. An appointment can be moved without losing the fee if the notice reaches PSI two days before the test date..
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Initial Unrestricted Construction Supervisor license fee, mailed with the passing score report to the Division of Occupational Licensure within one year of passing the examination (801 CMR 4.02(39)(a)). The first license runs three years; renewals are $100 for a two-year term, and a renewal filed more than one year but less than two years after expiry carries a $100 late fee. A license more than two years past expiry cannot be renewed and the examination must be taken again..
- 5Other. Documentation of the three years of experience filed with the examination application: W-2, IRS Schedule C or 1099 forms covering the equivalent of three years of full-time work, or, instead of tax records, a letter of attestation from an engineer, architect, employer, military supervisor or licensed contractor. Where education is used for part of the experience, a copy of the diploma or degree is filed as well..
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Renewal condition rather than an entry requirement: an Unrestricted construction supervisor completes 12 hours of Board-approved continuing education in each two-year renewal cycle, made up of four hours of code review and at least one hour each of workplace safety, business practices and workers' compensation, energy and, in the first renewal cycle only, lead safe practices, with the balance as approved electives. No more than six of the hours may be taken online; the rest must be classroom based. Courses should be finished at least 60 days before the license expires, and a certificate used for one renewal cannot be used again. A Specialty license carries six hours per cycle on the same pattern..
- 7Background check. Complete a background check. There is no fingerprint or criminal record check for the Construction Supervisor License itself, but under 780 CMR 110.R5.2.9.2 the Board may require an applicant or licensee to disclose any conviction, felony or misdemeanour, or any civil finding made against them by a court, by another state or federal agency, or by a licensing board in another jurisdiction, either at application or at the next renewal..
- 8Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). The Construction Supervisor License carries no surety bond, financial statement, net worth, working capital or general liability insurance requirement; 780 CMR 110.R5 sets none and the fee schedule collects only the application, examination and license fees. Workers' compensation obligations apply to the business independently of the license, and owners, lenders and general contractors commonly require liability coverage by contract..
- 9Other. On-site obligations that come with the license: the license holder must carry the license card at all times during construction work on any site and produce it if a building official asks; every building permit application must carry the supervisor's name, signature, license number and license category; and if that supervisor stops supervising the work, the work must stop until a successor license holder is substituted on the building department's records. The license holder is fully responsible for all work supervised, even when they are a subcontractor rather than the permit holder, and must notify the building official in writing of any violation discovered under the permit..
Published fees on this path total $238, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Trade exam
- Exam fee · $65
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · if applicable
How Massachusetts licenses general contractors
Massachusetts general contractor · “Construction Supervisor License, Unrestricted”
Statewide license
The broadest contractor credential Massachusetts issues is the Unrestricted Construction Supervisor License (CSL), and it is not split residential against commercial the way most states split their general and residential tiers. The Unrestricted CSL covers construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, removal and demolition of buildings of any use containing less than 35,000 cubic feet of enclosed space, together with one- and two-family dwellings of any size, agricultural buildings and retaining walls under ten feet, so it is the commercial and mixed-use tier as well as the homes tier. Above 35,000 cubic feet there is no contractor license to hold: the Board states that a registered design professional, an engineer or architect, controls the construction of larger buildings and 'a construction supervisor license is not required for larger projects since the RDP is considered the licensed person for the project'. There are also six Specialty CSL classes - masonry, roof covering, windows and siding, solid fuel-burning appliances, demolition and insulation - each carrying the same building-size scope within its own trade. Like the homes-only class, the Unrestricted CSL is held by a person rather than by a business: M.G.L. c. 143, § 94(i) has the Board issue licenses 'to individuals engaged as construction supervisors', so a contractor moving to Massachusetts applies in their own name rather than qualifying a company, and every building permit application names that individual and their license number. Massachusetts publishes no dollar limits and no classification tiers beyond these, and the Board states that 'Massachusetts does not recognize out of state contractor licenses'.
Why Michigan has nothing to transfer
Michigan general contractor
No individual license at this level
Issued by No state authority; Michigan licenses residential builders and the skilled trades only
Michigan does not license general, commercial or unlimited building contractors. LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes reviews applications "for Boiler, Electrical, Elevator, Mechanical, Plumbing, Inspector/Plan Reviewer, Residential Builder" and nothing else, and the statute behind the builder license, Article 24 of the Occupational Code, reaches only a "residential structure" — a detached one- or two-family dwelling or a townhouse of not more than three stories. Apartment buildings, offices, retail, industrial and institutional projects fall outside it, so there is no Michigan license for an out-of-state general contractor license to transfer into, no qualifying party to register with a board, no state trade or business-and-law examination, and no NASCLA route: Michigan is not one of the agencies that accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination, and LARA's pages never mention it. What controls commercial work instead is the building permit. Local building departments enforce the state construction code and generally ask a commercial contractor to register with the city and to file plans sealed by a licensed architect or engineer, rather than to prove competency — Detroit's building department states plainly that "commercial construction does not require a licensed contractor to perform the work." Two things still bind statewide: anyone self-performing electrical, mechanical, plumbing, boiler or elevator work needs the matching LARA license for that trade whatever the building is, and any work on a one- or two-family dwelling or a qualifying townhouse needs the residential builder or M&A license, with unlicensed residential work drawing a civil fine of $100 to $500.
How local licensing works in Michigan
There is no local general contractor license in Michigan either. No Michigan city issues a general building or commercial contractor license won by examination. What cities operate is permit-time registration: they confirm who is responsible for the work, that the state licenses a trade contractor holds are current, and that tax and insurance details are on file. A registration in one Michigan city does not carry to the next, and none of them gives any weight to a contractor license held in another state. Find the building department with jurisdiction over the address first — in much of Michigan that is a township or county rather than a city — and ask what it registers before you bid.
Detroit. The Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department "requires contractors performing certain construction and maintenance work on buildings and lands within its borders to be licensed and registered," renewed annually, and contractors must connect their license account to their permit account in the city's Accela portal. The trades for which the Buildings Division runs its own qualifying examinations are awning erector; boiler and refrigeration; electrical journeyperson, master electrician and contractor; elevator operator, journeyman and contractor; sign erector; steeplejack; welder; window washer; and wrecking and demolition. There is no general or commercial building contractor examination on that list, and the department's own FAQ says that "commercial construction does not require a licensed contractor to perform the work (plans and drawings are required and must be sealed by a license engineer or architect)," while a contractor is needed to pull permits for commercial property or dwellings of two families and up. Residential work by a contractor needs "a State of Michigan Builder's License that is registered with the City of Detroit." Commercial plan review is quoted at up to 20 business days. Construction Division, (313) 224-3202.
Grand Rapids. The Development Center's rule is short: "if you have a State of Michigan license and want to apply for permits in Grand Rapids, you'll need to register it with the City," and the registration card follows by mail within about two weeks. The only credential the city issues itself is a boiler license. Commercial building projects "always require either an architect or engineer," and the city publishes a public directory of registered contractors. Development Center, 1120 Monroe Ave NW, 3rd Floor.
What actually travels. Nothing on the general side, because nothing is tested. The credentials worth carrying into Michigan are the trade licenses: an electrical, mechanical, plumbing, boiler or elevator license from LARA for self-performed work of that kind, and the residential builder or M&A license if any part of the business touches one- and two-family housing. Those pages on this site cover how each is obtained, and the answer for all of them is the same as here — Michigan has no reciprocity with any state.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Massachusetts general contractor exam if I'm licensed in Michigan?
- Yes. Massachusetts requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Massachusetts general contractor license from Michigan?
- Published fees on this path total $238, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Michigan work hours count in Massachusetts?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Massachusetts's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Massachusetts to Michigan?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to Michigan, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 780 CMR 110.R5 - Licensing of Construction Supervisors (Tenth Edition, Massachusetts State Building Code) · 780 CMR 110.R5 · Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
- 801 CMR 4.02 - Fees for licenses, permits and services to be charged by state agencies (item 39, Construction Supervisor License) · 801 CMR 4.02(39) · Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
- Construction Supervisor Licensing Candidate Handbook (examination eligibility, fees and content outlines) · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure / PSI Services LLC · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Continuing education for construction supervisors · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Construction Supervisor Licensing - Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Learn about different Construction Supervisor Licenses · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- When is a Construction Supervisor License required? (includes the Board's out-of-state position) · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- MGL Chapter 143, Section 94 - Board of Building Regulations and Standards; powers and duties · M.G.L. c. 143, § 94(a), (i), (m), (n) · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.