How to check a contractor's HIC registration and Construction Supervisor License in Massachusetts

What is the difference between an HIC registration and a CSL?

An HIC registration is a business registration with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, and a CSL is a license that shows a person passed an exam on the state building code. The state says the two are different and not interchangeable.

Contractors who solicit, bid on or perform work on an existing, owner-occupied home with one to four units must be HIC registered. No exam is required for HIC, but the contractor pays a one-time fee into the Guaranty Fund. A CSL is generally required for work that involves a building's structural elements, and it is issued through the Office of Public Safety and Inspections under the Board of Building Regulations and Standards.

• HIC: business registration, no exam, required for most work on owner-occupied 1 to 4 unit homes
• CSL: individual license, building code exam, required for structural work
• A kitchen renovation may require both, not necessarily held by the same person

How do I look up a contractor's HIC registration?

Use the contractor search on the MA Contractor Hub, the state's online HIC system, where you can look up a contractor's registration and history before you hire. The state recommends checking registration status and complaint history this way.

Ask to see the HIC identification card the state issues to registered contractors, and look for the registration number on their website and ads, since the law requires it there. If you can't find a contractor, the state lists the usual reasons: an expired registration, an unresolved complaint, unpaid fees, or a suspension or revocation.

How do I check a Construction Supervisor License?

Search the Office of Public Safety and Inspections license verification site, which lets you look up a license by name, license number, city, status and more. License records are available from 2001 to the present.

Check that the status is current. The state's homeowner guidance specifically says to confirm the CSL status of the contractor or subcontractor if your renovation requires one. Massachusetts does not recognize out-of-state contractor licenses, so a license from another state doesn't count here.

What is the Guaranty Fund and who does it protect?

The Guaranty Fund is a state fund of last resort that pays eligible homeowners up to $25,000 of actual losses when they win a court judgment or arbitration award against a registered contractor and can't collect. It only covers work by contractors who were registered when the contract was signed.

To qualify, the state says you must show there was a contract, the contractor was registered at the time, the contractor (not the homeowner) pulled the building permit, the home is a pre-existing one to four family primary residence in Massachusetts, and you have exhausted reasonable efforts to collect. Hire an unregistered contractor and you also lose access to the state's arbitration program.

What must a Massachusetts home improvement contract include?

Under M.G.L. c. 142A, section 2, any residential contracting job over $1,000 must have a written contract with specific items in it. The state recommends a written contract for every job regardless of size.

• The contractor's registration number, on the first page
• Start and substantial completion dates
• A detailed description of the work and the materials
• The total price and a payment schedule with each payment in dollars
• Notice of your three-day right to cancel, where it applies
• "Do not sign this contract if there are any blank spaces" in bold above the signature line
• Which permits are needed and that the contractor will obtain them

How much can a Massachusetts contractor ask for up front?

A deposit can't exceed the greater of one-third of the total contract price or the actual cost of special-order or custom-made materials that must be ordered before work starts. That rule is written into M.G.L. c. 142A, section 2.

Final payment can't be demanded until the contract is completed to the satisfaction of both parties. A contract also can't include an acceleration clause that makes the remaining balance due early because the contractor feels insecure. If someone asks for most of the money before they start, treat that as the answer to whether you should hire them.

What else should I check before signing?

Ask for proof of liability insurance and, where it applies, workers' compensation insurance. The state also recommends interviewing at least three contractors, getting a detailed written estimate, calling recent references and checking the Better Business Bureau and the Office of Public Safety and Inspections for complaints.

MR Construction Revolutions is licensed, insured and registered as a Massachusetts home improvement contractor (HIC #212260), and we expect you to check us the same way you would check anyone else. Ask for our registration and license details and our certificate of insurance at your estimate.

In Wakefield and nearby towns

These lookups are statewide, so they work the same for a contractor in Wakefield, Reading, Stoneham, Melrose or Malden. The local piece is the permit: in Wakefield, building permits come from Inspectional Services & Zoning at 1 Lafayette Street, and the permit card has to stay posted at the job site until the work is done. Since state rules require the contractor's HIC registration number on building permits, a permit for your address is one more place to see that the registration matches the company you hired. MR Construction Revolutions has been working out of Wakefield since 2008.

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