GC Laws — Massachusetts contractor-law checklist preview (free)
Sources reviewed 2026-09-30. Public summaries remain free on gclaws.com.

[ ] Licensing
      - Subject to the chapter’s exemptions, contractors and subcontractors must register with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation before undertaking, offering or agreeing to residential contracting services.
      - Residential contracting includes the listed reconstruction, alteration, renovation, repair, improvement and related work on a pre-existing owner-occupied one-to-four-unit building and adjacent structures.

[ ] Mechanic's liens
      - For an owner-contract lien, record notice of contract by the earliest of 60 days after substantial-completion notice, 90 days after termination notice, or 90 days after the last furnishing by the claimant or anyone through or under the claimant.
      - Section 4 claimants record notice and give the owner actual notice; their lien is subject to upstream unpaid-balance limits. The section provides the project-based notice deadline and a 30-day notice-of-identification route for claimants without a direct relationship with the original contractor, with the stated labor exception.
      - For sections 2 and 4 liens, the statement of account is due by the earliest of 90 days after substantial-completion notice, 120 days after termination notice, or 120 days after the specified project furnishing event.
      - Commence the enforcement civil action within 90 days after filing the section 8 statement or the lien dissolves.

[ ] Retainage
      - Retainage cannot exceed 5% of any progress payment on covered contracts.
      - Prime notice of substantial completion is due within 14 days; the owner has 14 days after receipt to accept or reject with the statutory explanation and good-faith certification. Absent a compliant timely rejection, acceptance is deemed.
      - Unless the contract allows earlier submission, retainage may be applied for after 60 days from substantial completion or final resolution of the specified dispute. Payment follows within 30 days of application, with up to seven additional days per lower tier and the limited, documented withholding allowed by subsection (g).

[ ] Prompt payment
      - Private contracts must set reasonable progress-application periods no longer than 30 days for submission from the statutory starting point, 15 days for approval/rejection with permitted seven-day tier extensions, and 45 days after approval for payment, subject to the narrow lawful conditional-payment exceptions.
      - A private application neither approved nor rejected in time is deemed approved unless rejected before payment is due. Rejection must state the factual and contractual basis in writing and be certified in good faith.
      - For section 39K public-building contracts, periodic payment is due within 15 days after the contractor’s estimate, or 30 days for the Commonwealth including local housing authorities, subject to the section’s certification, correction and withholding provisions. Section 39G does not govern these contracts.

[ ] Prevailing wage
      - Before award, the public body requests the wage determination; it requests annual updates thereafter. The contractor obtains updated rates annually, and contractors/subcontractors must not pay less than the established rates.
      - The schedule and updates must be posted conspicuously at the job. Required health/welfare, pension and supplementary-unemployment amounts must be paid into the relevant plans or directly to employees as the section provides.
      - An employee may sue within three years of the violation, ordinarily after 90 days from an Attorney General complaint or sooner with written assent. A prevailing employee receives treble lost wages/benefits and litigation costs and reasonable attorney fees.

[ ] Davis-Bacon (federal)
      - Under 40 U.S.C. section 3142, covered contracts require payment to laborers and mechanics employed directly on the site of the work at least weekly, at rates no lower than the applicable prevailing wage determination. The required compensation includes the basic hourly rate and required fringe benefits, which may be provided through qualifying benefits or cash as the statute permits.
      - Qualifying apprentices may receive a lower registered-program rate only when the applicable registration and program conditions are met. The Department of Labor’s apprenticeship rules govern those exceptions.
      - The Department of Labor determines the prevailing rates for the work classifications and locality. Contractors and subcontractors must use the wage determination applicable to their covered contract.
      - Federal assistance alone does not establish coverage: many, but not all, construction-assistance statutes include Davis-Bacon requirements. Identify the funding program and its governing Related Act.
      - SAM.gov publishes Davis-Bacon wage determinations. Search by the wage-determination number or the Davis-Bacon public-buildings-or-works category, and match the decision to the contract, locality, and work classification.

This preview lists the topics and rules covered in the full state pack. The paid pack adds the complete source URLs, citations, review dates, and the three editable tools.
GC Laws is owned and operated by GCExperts LLC, a Texas corporation.