Massachusetts licensing

Who and what this applies to

Home-improvement contractor registration under chapter 142A. This is the registration for covered residential contracting, rather than a complete statement of every trade or building-code credential.

Thresholds and scope

The definition covers work on pre-existing owner-occupied buildings of one to four dwellings and adjacent structures.

The rules

• 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. Source
• 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. Source

Primary sources

• M.G.L. c.142A §9
• M.G.L. c.142A §1

Sources reviewed 2026-09-30. This guide covers the projects and rules stated above.

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