Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure) administers electrician licensing in Massachusetts. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.
What it’s called
Massachusetts licenses individual electricians — the state electrician license is issued by the Board of State Examiners of Electricians and held by the electrician personally (not only by the contractor, as in some states). “Electrician license,” “journeyman electrician license,” “master electrician license” and “electrician certification” are common informal names for the individual credential. The exact license tiers, fees, and any separate electrical-contractor license are set out in the license types and requirements below.
License types & fees
| Type | Experience | Exam | Fee | Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Electrician | 8,000 hours of work over at least 4 years under a licensed Massachusetts Journeyman | Journeyman exam administered by PSI | $226 total application/exam fees to PSI ($195 when the MA Application Processing Fee is waived for veterans, active military, and their spouses). Does not include the separate licensing fee. | 600 hours of Board-approved education, plus a 15-hour Code-Update continuing education class |
| Master Electrician | Must hold a Massachusetts Journeyman license and have at least 1 year of work experience | Master exam administered by PSI | $276 total application/exam fees to PSI ($210 when the MA fee is waived). Does not include the separate licensing fee. | 150 hours of Board-approved education |
| Systems Technician | 4,000 hours of work over at least 2 years under a licensed Massachusetts Systems Technician or Journeyman Electrician | Systems Technician exam administered by PSI | $226 total application/exam fees to PSI ($195 when the MA fee is waived). Does not include the separate licensing fee. | 300 hours of Board-approved education, plus a 15-hour Code-Update continuing education class |
| Systems Contractor | Must hold a Massachusetts Systems Technician license and have at least 1 year of work experience | Systems Contractor exam administered by PSI | $276 total application/exam fees to PSI ($210 when the MA fee is waived). Does not include the separate licensing fee. | 75 hours of Board-approved education |
Who does NOT need this license — exemptions
Massachusetts states its electrical-licensing exemptions at chapter level — M.G.L. c. 141 governs every license the Board of State Examiners of Electricians issues (journeyman and master electrician, systems technician, systems contractor), so the carve-outs below excuse the work from all of them. Under c. 141, §1A (second paragraph), the chapter does not apply to: a person not engaged in the electrical business who merely employs or contracts a licensed person, firm, or corporation (the customer); an apprentice employed by a licensee; or an agent, employee, or assistant of a licensee who does not perform the actual electrical work. Under c. 141, §7, the chapter does not apply to: the installation, repairing, and wiring of elevators; work on lines for transmission of electricity from the source of supply to the service switch by municipal electric plants, electric companies (as defined in c. 164, §1), gas companies authorized to make or sell electricity, electric street railway companies, electric railroad companies, or railroad companies; those plants’ and companies’ work on premises they own or control; utility work on customers’ premises installing, maintaining, and repairing service connections, meters, and other apparatus that remain utility property; public employees installing, maintaining, or repairing public signalling systems; work in connection with lighting public ways, alleys, private ways, or public parks, areas, or squares; work by companies regulated by the Department of Public Utilities or the Department of Telecommunications and Cable and incorporated for the transmission of intelligence by electricity, on the wires, apparatus, and fixtures of their business; and installation, construction, maintenance, repair, and renovation of telephone equipment, cable television service, or computer systems by a person, firm, or corporation primarily engaged in the telecommunications or information-systems industry. Under c. 141, §8, Massachusetts also allows in-plant work: journeyman-licensed electricians regularly employed by a business that holds no Certificate A may install wiring, conduits, and appliances and make repairs, but only on their employer’s own premises and property, and each such journeyman may supervise at most one learner or apprentice working under direct personal supervision; electricians employed by theatrical companies may install temporary wiring for an engagement, subject to supervision by a chapter licensee. The Board cautions that these are the only carve-outs: ‘There is no generic exception for low voltage wiring’ — low-voltage work may still require a license depending on its use (Board FAQ).
Fees
journeyman_application_exam_total: $226 ($195 with MA fee waived); master_application_exam_total: $276 ($210 with MA fee waived); systems_technician_application_exam_total: $226 ($195 with MA fee waived); systems_contractor_application_exam_total: $276 ($210 with MA fee waived); reexamination_both_portions: $135; renewal_master_electrician: $117; renewal_journeyman_and_systems_technician: $78; note: Application/exam fees paid to PSI do not include the separate licensing fee. Renewal fees are paid through the DOL e-PLACE Portal.
Exam
Administered by PSI. Each license exam has a trade portion and a business/practical portion. Application/exam fees are paid to PSI by money order or cashier’s check (no cash or personal checks). Re-examination fee is $135 for both portions combined.
Renewal & continuing education
Every 3 years; all licenses expire July 31. Renewal notices are mailed 60-90 days before expiration; linked accounts can renew online as early as April 12. 21 hours of continuing education in the three years before renewal (237 CMR 17.00).
How to apply
Applications are handled by Board of State Examiners of Electricians (Division of Occupational Licensure). Start at the official application page .