LicensebyState

Missouri to Massachusetts: residential contractor license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 17, 2026· 13 sources

Missouri does not issue a statewide residential 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.

Restricted (one- and two-family) CSL by examination, plus HIC registration (all states)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

An out-of-state residential builder or remodeler gets no credit in Massachusetts for the license itself: the Board states that Massachusetts does not recognize out-of-state contractor licenses, and neither 780 CMR 110.R5 nor the candidate handbook provides any reciprocity, endorsement or examination-waiver route. What does carry across is the work history. Eligibility to sit the Restricted Construction Supervisor examination needs three years, a total of 36 months of full-time work, in building construction or design within the past ten years, and the Board accepts W-2, Schedule C or 1099 forms or a letter of attestation from an engineer, architect, employer, military supervisor or licensed contractor as proof, without requiring the work to have been done in Massachusetts. A vocational program or a bachelor's degree counts as one year and a degree in architecture, engineering, science or a related technology field counts as two, up to a maximum of two years. The applicant registers with PSI, pays a $23 application fee and a $65 examination fee, and sits a 60-question open-book examination against the Massachusetts State Building Code: 180 minutes, 70% to pass, results given immediately. A candidate who passes mails the score report and the $150 license fee to the Division of Occupational Licensure, and the license card follows in about 30 days. Anyone who will also work on existing owner-occupied homes of one to four units registers separately as a Home Improvement Contractor through the MA Contractor Hub.

There is no separate business-and-law examination in Massachusetts. Massachusetts administrative responsibilities under 780 CMR are a scored content area inside the Restricted examination itself (5 of the 60 questions), alongside plan reading, energy efficiency, sitework and foundations, concrete and masonry, moisture protection, structural framing, roofing and exterior walls, associated trades, interior environment, fire protection and OSHA safety. The examination is open book but candidates must bring their own copies of the International Residential Code, the Massachusetts amendments and the other listed references. A first license runs three years and renews for two-year terms at $100, with 10 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle. One route skips the examination and it is not an out-of-state route: 780 CMR 110.R5.2.1 lets a person holding a current Massachusetts building official certification under 780 CMR 110.R7 apply without testing. Municipalities may add their own license requirements for categories the state code does not cover, so check with the building official for the city or town before starting work.

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 same license 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

  1. 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Massachusetts Restricted Construction Supervisor examination, administered by PSI: 60 questions, 180 minutes, 70% to pass (a cutscore of 42), 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..
  2. 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..
  3. 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..
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Initial Restricted 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)(b)). The first license runs three years; renewals are $150 less, at $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..
  5. 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..
  6. 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($150). Home Improvement Contractor registration fee, required of anyone who solicits, bids on or performs work on an existing owner-occupied Massachusetts home of one to four units. The registration is filed and paid online through the MA Contractor Hub; paper applications and paper certified checks are returned. The registration renews every two years for $100, and each supplemental card for an officer, partner or employee costs $10..
  7. 7Other. Mandatory payment into the Residential Contractor's Guaranty Fund, made with the Home Improvement Contractor registration application and set by headcount on the date of application: $100 for fewer than four employees, $200 for four to ten, $300 for eleven to thirty and $500 for more than thirty (201 CMR 14.19). The amount shown is the smallest band. It is normally paid once rather than at every renewal, it is refunded if the registration is denied, and it funds payments of up to $25,000 to homeowners holding unpaid judgments against a registered contractor. ($100).
  8. 8Background check. Complete a background check. Criminal record check on the Home Improvement Contractor registration: before approving an application or renewal the director refers the applicant to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, which reports back only a conviction for gross fraud or cheat at common law (M.G.L. c. 142A, § 9(e)). The construction supervisor license has no separate background check, but the Board may require an applicant to disclose any conviction or civil finding made by a court or by a licensing board in another jurisdiction..
  9. 9Business license. Obtain a business license. A corporation or LLC formed outside Massachusetts must complete the foreign corporation registration with the Secretary of the Commonwealth before it can obtain a Home Improvement Contractor registration; state law requires the certificate of registration to be filed within ten days after the company starts to transact business in Massachusetts. A contractor trading under a business name also files a business certificate with the clerk of the city or town where the business is based and uploads a copy. A corporation or partnership registering as an HIC must designate one individual as responsible for its work, and that person and the company are jointly and severally liable for the fees and for compliance..
  10. 10Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Renewal condition rather than an entry requirement: a Restricted construction supervisor completes 10 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..
  11. 11Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). Neither the Construction Supervisor License nor the Home Improvement Contractor registration requires a surety bond, a financial statement or proof of general liability insurance. Massachusetts protects homeowners through the Guaranty Fund and the written-contract rules of M.G.L. c. 142A instead. Workers' compensation obligations still apply to the business independently of these credentials, and owners and lenders commonly require liability coverage by contract..
  12. 12Other. Contract rules that apply once registered: every residential contracting agreement over $1,000 must be in writing and carry the contractor's registration number, and any deposit taken before work begins is capped at the greater of one third of the contract price or the actual cost of special-order materials (M.G.L. c. 142A, § 2). Working without a registration is a prohibited act under M.G.L. c. 142A, § 17..

Published fees on this path total $388, 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

Business registration

If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.

  • Business license

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 residential contractors

Massachusetts residential contractor · “Construction Supervisor License, Restricted (one- and two-family dwellings), plus Home Improvement Contractor registration”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 10 sources

Issued by Board of Building Regulations and Standards (Division of Occupational Licensure, Office of Public Safety and Inspections) and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation

Massachusetts splits residential contracting between two credentials that do different jobs, and a remodeler usually needs both. The Construction Supervisor License (CSL) is the competency credential: the Board of Building Regulations and Standards issues it, it is won by passing an open-book examination on the Massachusetts State Building Code, and it is held by a person, not by a company - M.G.L. c. 143, § 94(i) directs the Board 'to issue licenses to individuals engaged as construction supervisors', so there is no entity license and no qualifying party arrangement of the kind most states use. Every building permit application must name the construction supervisor who will supervise the work, and give their signature, license number and license category. The homes-only CSL is the Restricted (one- and two-family dwellings) class, which covers construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, removal and demolition of one- and two-family dwellings and their accessory buildings, of any size. The Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration is the separate consumer-protection filing, run by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation: anyone who solicits, bids on or performs work on an existing owner-occupied home of one to four units must register, pay into the Residential Contractor's Guaranty Fund, and put the registration number in every contract. The registration involves no examination, no experience review and no competency test at all, and the agency states plainly that an HIC registration 'is different from a Construction Supervisor License (CSL) and they are not interchangeable'. For someone arriving with an out-of-state license the answer is the same at both levels: the Board states that 'Massachusetts does not recognize out of state contractor licenses', so there is no reciprocity, no endorsement and no examination waiver, and the Massachusetts examination has to be taken.

Moving to MassachusettsLeaving Massachusetts

Why Missouri has nothing to transfer

Missouri residential contractor · “Residential Building Contractor / Class C general contractor / construction business license (city-issued)”

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 17, 2026· 19 sources

Issued by No state authority; cities and counties license, register or exempt residential contractors

Missouri issues no statewide residential contractor, home builder or remodeler license. The Division of Professional Registration's own list of regulated professions contains exactly one construction trade - Electrical Contractors - and Title XXII of the Revised Statutes, which holds every occupational licensing chapter from 324 to 346, has no chapter for contractors or builders at all. The one statewide construction credential Missouri does offer is the voluntary electrical contractor license under RSMo 324.900 to 324.945, and its own definitions confine it to electrical contracting; there is no building-contractor equivalent, so a residential builder has nothing at state level to apply for or transfer. Plumbers are examined by cities over 15,000 people and by first-classification counties under RSMo chapter 341, again locally rather than by a state board. Housebuilding is therefore regulated jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and Missouri splits sharply in two: Kansas City and Independence run genuine competency programs built on ICC or Prometric examinations, while St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Springfield, Columbia and Jefferson City ask a residential builder for nothing more than a business license and proof of workers' compensation. A contractor moving to Missouri qualifies separately in each place where permits will be pulled, and in the two testing cities the credential that actually travels is a passing score on a recognized national residential-builder examination rather than another state's license.

How local licensing works in Missouri

How it works in Missouri. There is no state contractor board, no state application and no state exam. Each city or county writes its own ordinance, so a builder holds whatever the local jurisdiction requires everywhere it works, and a credential from one Missouri city does not carry into the next of its own force. The single statewide preemption in Missouri construction law is the electrical one: RSMo 324.925 forces every political subdivision to recognize a statewide electrical contractor license and bars it from testing that holder's electrical proficiency. Nothing equivalent exists for builders, and the statute expressly leaves cities free to license and examine in other trades. What that produces is two very different kinds of place. In Kansas City and Independence a residential builder is examined and personally qualified. In St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Springfield, Columbia and Jefferson City the trades are examined and the builder is not - the builder simply buys a business license.

Kansas City. City Planning & Development runs a two-part system under Article XII of the Kansas City Building and Rehabilitation Code, and it is the only place in Missouri with a purpose-built residential builder credential. An individual first earns the Residential Building Supervisor certificate of qualification, which covers "constructing, structurally altering or enlarging any one- or two-family detached dwelling or townhouse including detached accessory buildings in excess of 400 square feet." The applicant files an application with a $60.00 nonrefundable fee and "shall earn a passing score on one of the two recognized exams administered for Kansas City, Missouri: the residential construction (10344) examination administered by Prometric or the standard residential building contractor (W13) examination administered by ICC." The exam is waived where the applicant holds "a passing score on a standard Prometric or ICC examination or other department-approved national testing agency examination comparable in content," documented to the Building Official's satisfaction - and the city states outright that it built the program to match Independence and Johnson County, so "if you have passed a residential builder exam in either of these jurisdictions, you will not be required to retest," and continuing education hours earned there count toward renewal. Being a Missouri-registered engineer or architect does not substitute for the exam. The company then applies for the Residential Building Contractor license, which needs a full-time managerial employee holding the supervisor certificate (the owner may be that person), a business license from the Finance Department, a current Missouri Secretary of State registration and a certificate of insurance carrying at least a $1,000,000 aggregate limit per occurrence and naming the City of Kansas City as additional insured. Fees are $60.00 to apply and $181.00 to issue, with $181.00 quadrennial renewals on both the license and the certificate; the certificate itself is free for its first four years. Applications go through CompassKC; [email protected], (816) 513-1500.

Independence. The city licenses the individual, not the company: "contractor licenses belong to the licensed individual, NOT a company," and "anyone hired to complete permittable work within the City of Independence" needs one. The residential tier is the Class C general contractor license, described as residential only, and the license "covers framing, footings, and general construction." Qualification is one of three things: ICC or Prometric test scores from within the last five years at 75 percent or better; "a current, active license with a jurisdiction that we reciprocate with," which the city defines broadly as "any jurisdiction that issues licenses in a similar fashion"; or, for a general contractor license, a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture or construction science from an accredited college or university. Licenses expire on December 31 every year with no proration. A business license shows you may trade in the city; the contractor license shows you are qualified to do the work, and you need both. Authorized users may be added to a license, but the holder answers for their work. [email protected], (816) 325-7401.

St. Louis City. The Building Division operates four boards of examiners - electrical, mechanical contractors and pipefitters, plumbers and drainlayers, and sprinkler system contractors - and none of them touches building contractors. A residential builder needs a construction or contracting business license from the License Collector: a state tax number, the application form, clearance from the Collector of Revenue, an occupancy permit from the Building Division, and proof of workers' compensation coverage or a signed statement that the law does not require it. The city also requires that "all general contractors ... furnish a list of the sub-contractors on any job to the License Collector." No exam, experience or bond applies. Building Division, City Hall Room 425, 1200 Market St., (314) 622-3313.

St. Louis County. The county is explicit: "the County does not license general contractors," though it "does verify that out-of-state contractors are registered with the state," and it "does register all repair contractors that obtain permits for repairs from a natural disaster such as a flood or severe storm." What it does license is the trades, through Transportation and Public Works: electrical licensing, mechanical licensing (four contractor categories under the county Mechanical Code) and plumbing licensing, each with its own board, and "the County only issues trade permits to licensed contractors." A homebuilder in unincorporated St. Louis County therefore pulls permits without a county builder credential but must use licensed trade contractors. 41 South Central Ave., 6th Floor, Clayton, 314-615-5184. Note that most of the county's ninety-odd municipalities run their own building departments, so check the city as well.

Springfield. Building Development Services will not issue a permit until "a City-licensed General Contractor (GC) or Trade Master (TM) ... is listed on the permit," so the credential is mandatory - but it is a business license, obtained from the License Division, not a tested qualification. Springfield's testing program covers the crafts only: "electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, and mechanical craftsmen must be tested and certified to afford competence and knowledge of the codes," and those trades may substitute an out-of-jurisdiction exam score of 75 percent or better from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC where the examination is identical to Springfield's. Contractors who carry workers' compensation file proof of it; those who are not required to carry it sign a notarized exemption statement. Permit desk 417-864-1585, License Division 417-864-1617.

Columbia. Community Development's Building and Site Development division licenses trades only - Trade Apprentice, Electrical Certification, Mechanical Certification and Plumbing Certification - because "electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and mechanical craftsman must be tested and certified," with the tests "administered by a private testing firm according to a regular schedule." There is no builder certification and no board of building examiners. A residential contractor takes out a city business license instead: $0.25 per $1,000 of gross receipts with a $75 annual minimum, a $10,000 annual maximum and a $45 application fee, plus a certificate of workers' compensation insurance for any construction business with one or more employees. Business License Division 573-874-7378.

Jefferson City. "All contractors performing work in Jefferson City must have a local license," but the split is the same as elsewhere: "electrical and plumbing contractors and their employees are required to obtain specific trade licenses directly from the Building Regulations Division," while "all other contractors are directed to the Business License Division to obtain their business license." A residential builder therefore files for the business license and takes no examination. Building Regulations (573) 634-6410, Business License Division (573) 634-6322.

Everywhere else. Missouri's other cities and counties set their own rules, and many require nothing but a permit and proof of insurance. Ask each building department what it licenses before you contract there. If you plan to sit an examination anywhere in Missouri, the practical move is the ICC standard residential building contractor (W13) or the Prometric residential construction (10344) paper, because those are the two Kansas City names outright and the same scores satisfy Independence, and a passing result documented from an approved agency is the nearest thing Missouri has to a transferable builder credential.

Moving to MissouriLeaving Missouri

Common questions

Do I have to take the Massachusetts residential contractor exam if I'm licensed in Missouri?
Yes. Massachusetts requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Massachusetts residential contractor license from Missouri?
Published fees on this path total $388, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Missouri 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 Missouri?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Massachusetts to Missouri, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. 201 CMR 14.00 - Home Improvement Contractor Arbitration and Guaranty Fund · 201 CMR 14.19 · Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Construction Supervisor Licensing Candidate Handbook (examination eligibility, fees and content outlines) · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure / PSI Services LLC · Form · verified September 17, 2026
  5. Continuing education for construction supervisors · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  6. 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
  7. Learn about different Construction Supervisor Licenses · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure, Board of Building Regulations and Standards · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  8. 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
  9. Home Improvement Contractor Program - Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation · Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  10. Home Improvement Contractor Registration and Renewal · Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  11. MGL Chapter 142A, Section 1 - Home improvement contractor definitions · M.G.L. c. 142A, § 1 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  12. MGL Chapter 142A, Section 9 - Registration of contractors or subcontractors · M.G.L. c. 142A, § 9 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  13. 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

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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