Electrical Contractor Permit Requirements in Boston, MA

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Massachusetts Master Electrician License

   Electrical work in Massachusetts must be performed or supervised by a licensed electrician, licensed by the Division of Occupational Licensure's Board of State Examiners of Electricians. To run an electrical contracting business the company must hold an Electrical/Systems Business License with a Massachusetts-licensed Master Electrician (or Systems Contractor) as its Licensee of Record. Exams are administered by PSI and cover a trade portion and a business/practical portion; experience and continuing education requirements are set by the Board's regulations. Licenses are renewed online through the DOL ePLACE portal and expire July 31.

   Official government source

   Master electrician exam through PSI totals $276 ($75 PSI application processing, $80 trade portion, $55 business/practical portion, $66 Massachusetts application processing — $210 if the Massachusetts fee is waived under the Valor Act); re-examination of both portions is $135. Master electrician license renewal is $117 (journeyman and systems technician $78). The electrical/systems business license is $221.·Renewal notices go out 60-90 days before the July 31 expiration; a physical license card arrives about 4-6 weeks after you renew

   Master electrician exam through PSI totals $276 ($75 PSI application processing, $80 trade portion, $55 business/practical portion, $66 Massachusetts application processing — $210 if the Massachusetts fee is waived under the Valor Act); re-examination of both portions is $135. Master electrician license renewal is $117 (journeyman and systems technician $78). The electrical/systems business license is $221.

   Renewal notices go out 60-90 days before the July 31 expiration; a physical license card arrives about 4-6 weeks after you renew

2. Massachusetts Electrical/Systems Business License

   A business that contracts electrical work must hold its own electrical/systems business license from the Board of State Examiners of Electricians, in addition to any individual licenses its electricians hold. To apply, the entity must be registered with the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Corporations Division and must have a Massachusetts-licensed Master Electrician or Systems Contractor named as its Licensee of Record. You file Articles of Organization/Incorporation, the Licensee of Record's license card and letter of intent, and — for an LLC — the operating agreement naming that person plus a certificate of insurance.

   Official government source

   $221 application fee per license, paid online through the DOL ePLACE portal; vendor processing fees may be added.·At least 10 business days to process; the license number appears in your portal on approval and the card is mailed within 4-6 weeks

   $221 application fee per license, paid online through the DOL ePLACE portal; vendor processing fees may be added.

   At least 10 business days to process; the license number appears in your portal on approval and the card is mailed within 4-6 weeks

3. Massachusetts Business Entity Registration (LLC or Corporation)

   Entity filings go to the Corporations Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Which filing you make depends on the structure you chose: an LLC files a Certificate of Organization, a corporation files Articles of Organization. Sole proprietors and general partnerships do not file with the Secretary at all — they only file a business certificate (DBA) with their city or town clerk, and then only if they trade under a name other than the owner's legal name. Check name availability in the Secretary's Business Entity Search first. After the entity is approved you still need to decide whether a DBA is required, get an EIN from the IRS, and register with MassTaxConnect if you will collect or pay state tax. Every Massachusetts employer must also carry workers' compensation insurance, including where you are an employee of your own company. Businesses formed in the United States are exempt from federal beneficial ownership (BOI) reporting; those formed abroad are not. Entity registration is separate from the Board of State Examiners of Electricians licence that actually authorises electrical work, and separate from the electrical business licence.

   Official government source

   $500 to file an LLC Certificate of Organization. A for-profit or professional corporation files Articles of Organization for $275 covering up to 275,000 authorized shares, plus $100 for each additional 100,000 shares; a non-profit corporation is $35 and a foreign entity is $400. Sole proprietors and general partnerships pay the Secretary nothing — only the local business certificate fee, which in Boston is $65. Budget for the annual report too: $500 every year for an LLC, and $125 for a for-profit corporation ($100 if filed electronically).·You can file online, by fax, by mail, or in person, and online is the fastest route. The Corporations Division does not publish a guaranteed processing time, so confirm current turnaround when you file. The entity does not legally exist until the Secretary approves the filing, so do not sign a lease or open accounts in the entity's name before you have the approved certificate back.

   $500 to file an LLC Certificate of Organization. A for-profit or professional corporation files Articles of Organization for $275 covering up to 275,000 authorized shares, plus $100 for each additional 100,000 shares; a non-profit corporation is $35 and a foreign entity is $400. Sole proprietors and general partnerships pay the Secretary nothing — only the local business certificate fee, which in Boston is $65. Budget for the annual report too: $500 every year for an LLC, and $125 for a for-profit corporation ($100 if filed electronically).

   You can file online, by fax, by mail, or in person, and online is the fastest route. The Corporations Division does not publish a guaranteed processing time, so confirm current turnaround when you file. The entity does not legally exist until the Secretary approves the filing, so do not sign a lease or open accounts in the entity's name before you have the approved certificate back.

1. City of Boston Business Certificate (DBA) for an Electrical Contractor

   Massachusetts General Laws chapter 110, section 5 requires anyone conducting business under a title other than their real legal name to file a certificate with the clerk of every city or town where the business has an office. In Boston that is the City Clerk's Office. This is a public record of who owns the business, not a business license, and it does not replace or substitute for any trade or health license. The trigger is the name, not the entity type: a sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, or corporation all must file if the operating name differs from the owner's legal name or the name on record with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Your signature must be executed under oath, so the form has to be notarized (the Clerk's Office will notarize it if you bring valid photo ID). You must supply a signed lease with start and end dates, or a notarized letter from your landlord; a virtual address or P.O. box is not accepted. The certificate is in force for four years and must be renewed every four years or it lapses. Operating without one is punishable by a fine of up to $300 for each month the violation continues. An electrical contracting company organized as an LLC or corporation is not exempt: it files a Boston certificate whenever it trades under a name other than its registered entity name.

   Official government source

   $65. If you are not a Massachusetts resident but want to conduct business in the Commonwealth, you pay an additional $35. Paying by credit card or pinless debit card adds a non-refundable processor fee of 2.5% of the payment ($1 minimum), which the City does not keep. A later change-of-location filing is $50.·Same day: bring the notarized form, a copy of your signed lease (or a notarized letter from your landlord), and payment to the City Clerk's Office, Room 601, 1 City Hall Square, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Filing by mail is also accepted; enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and allow return-mail time.

   $65. If you are not a Massachusetts resident but want to conduct business in the Commonwealth, you pay an additional $35. Paying by credit card or pinless debit card adds a non-refundable processor fee of 2.5% of the payment ($1 minimum), which the City does not keep. A later change-of-location filing is $50.

   Same day: bring the notarized form, a copy of your signed lease (or a notarized letter from your landlord), and payment to the City Clerk's Office, Room 601, 1 City Hall Square, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Filing by mail is also accepted; enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and allow return-mail time.

2. Boston Electrical Permits and Massachusetts Electrical Business License

   Every electrical job in Boston requires its own permit from the Inspectional Services Department, pulled by a Massachusetts-licensed electrician and inspected before it can be finalized. At the business level, the licensing is state-level: a company doing electrical contracting must hold an Electrical/Systems Business License from the Division of Occupational Licensure's Board of State Examiners of Electricians, which requires a Massachusetts-licensed Master Electrician or Systems Contractor as its Licensee of Record and registration with the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Corporations Division.

   Official government source

   Massachusetts electrical/systems business license: $221 per license. Individual master electrician renewal is $117 and journeyman/systems technician renewal is $78. Boston electrical permits, per the published ISD fee schedule: $20 application fee plus $0.25 per amp up to 240 volts (or $0.75 per amp over 480 volts) when upgrading or installing service; where there is no change in service, $20 plus $1 per fixture, plug or outlet and $5 per meter approved; otherwise $20 plus $10 per $1,000 of estimated cost.·Permits are issued per job; confirm current processing and inspection scheduling with ISD

   Massachusetts electrical/systems business license: $221 per license. Individual master electrician renewal is $117 and journeyman/systems technician renewal is $78. Boston electrical permits, per the published ISD fee schedule: $20 application fee plus $0.25 per amp up to 240 volts (or $0.75 per amp over 480 volts) when upgrading or installing service; where there is no change in service, $20 plus $1 per fixture, plug or outlet and $5 per meter approved; otherwise $20 plus $10 per $1,000 of estimated cost.

   Permits are issued per job; confirm current processing and inspection scheduling with ISD

Official Sources

• Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians
• City of Boston Inspectional Services Department

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