All states › Massachusetts (BBRS / Office of Public Safety and Inspections)
Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License (CSL) holders renew every two years and owe continuing education (CE) each cycle. Most summaries stop at the hour count: 12 hours for an unrestricted license, 10 for a restricted (one- and two-family) license, 6 for a specialty license. That part is simple.
The harder parts come from reading the regulation next to the state's own web pages. The Commonwealth publishes the rule in at least four places: the regulation itself (780 CMR 110.R5), a CE FAQ, a "Continuing education for construction supervisors" page and a renewal how-to page. They do not say quite the same thing. This page sets out what the regulation says, where the summaries differ, and which differences can cost you.
780 CMR 110.R5.4.2 sets the hours. 110.R5.4.3 says a licensee "may acquire up to a maximum of six hours of continuing education via on-line training," and that "remaining hours shall be acquired through in-person, classroom training." Because the online cap is a fixed 6 hours rather than a share of the total, the classroom minimum differs by license type:
| License (prefix) | CE hours per cycle | Max online | Minimum in a classroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted CSL (CS-) | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| Restricted CSL, one- and two-family dwellings (CSFA-) | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Specialty CSL (CSSL-): masonry, roofing, window/siding, demolition, solid fuel, insulation | 6, "regardless of how many specialties" (state FAQ) | 6 | 0. The state FAQ answers "I have a CSSL license do I have to take in-person, classroom training?" with "No." |
The minimum-classroom column is arithmetic from the 6-hour cap, not a separate rule. Two more limits in 110.R5.4.7 affect scheduling: courses must be at least one hour long, and "classes shall not be offered to any one student for longer than six hours in one day, excluding meal breaks." An unrestricted licensee's 6 classroom hours can therefore fit in one day, and anyone choosing more classroom hours than that needs more than one day.
Certified building officials in good standing under 780 CMR 110.R7 are exempt from the CE section entirely (110.R5.4.2, Exception).
| Topic | CS / CSFA (12 or 10 hrs) | CSSL (6 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| Code review, focused on your license category | 4 hours | 2 hours |
| Workplace safety | 1 hour | 1 hour |
| Business practices / workers' compensation | 1 hour | 1 hour |
| Energy | 1 hour | 1 hour, except demolition specialty |
| Lead-safe practices | 1 hour, first renewal cycle only | 1 hour, first renewal cycle only |
| Approved electives | The remainder | The remainder, if any |
For a specialty licensee (other than demolition) in the first renewal cycle, the required topics alone add up to all 6 hours (2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1). There is no room for electives, so a 6-hour package that includes an elective will leave a required topic uncovered. That is our arithmetic from the regulation's list.
Mass.gov's "Continuing education for construction supervisors" page puts it more simply: "Each kind of supervisor must complete at least 1 hour of each educational topic," and it lists lead-safe practices as one of those topics. The regulation limits lead-safe to the first renewal cycle and exempts demolition specialty licensees from energy. The CE FAQ also lists one topic as "Business Practices / Workplace Safety," where the regulation says "Business Practices/Workers' Compensation." Where the summary and the regulation differ, we have followed the regulation text. If you are in doubt about a specific course, taking the extra hour is the cautious choice, and OPSI can confirm.
Mass.gov's CE page says: "You should complete your courses at least 60 days before your license expires." The renewal how-to page says renewal notices are sent 60 days before expiration, that you "must complete the required continuing education courses" before requesting a renewal application, and to "allow 5 weeks for application processing."
We did not find a 60-day completion deadline in the text of 780 CMR 110.R5.2.4 or 110.R5.4. Correction to our own reference table: our all-states page and 2026 deadline calendar previously said Massachusetts "requires" courses at least 60 days before expiration. Based on the sources we read, it is a state recommendation ("should"), not a requirement in the regulation. Both pages have been corrected.
The recommendation still makes practical sense. Course completion certificates are issued "within ten days of, but not before, completion of the entire course" (110.R5.4.9). Add 5 weeks of processing, and CE finished in the last month before expiration leaves little margin. We found no statement in the sources we read about whether a renewal that is filed on time but still being processed keeps the license active past its expiration date. Because 110.R5.2.5 prohibits practice on an expired license, ask OPSI before relying on a pending renewal to keep working.
Under 110.R5.2.4, an original CSL expires "three years from the date of issuance." Each renewal after that runs two years. Many secondary sources say CSLs expire on the holder's birthday. The regulation text we read ties expiration to the date of issuance "noted on said license," so check the date printed on your license or in the MyLicenseOne portal rather than assuming.
The CE hours in 110.R5.4.2 are stated "per two-year license cycle." The lead-safe topic is required in the "first renewal cycle," which means CE is owed at the first renewal. The regulation does not say how the 12, 10 or 6 hours are counted across a three-year original term. We do not guess at an answer. Newer licensees should ask OPSI which course dates count toward the first renewal.
| Time since expiration | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Any time expired | "The practice of construction supervision is prohibited with an expired license" (110.R5.2.5). |
| Up to 1 year | Renewable. Mass.gov lists the renewal fee as $100. |
| 1 to 2 years | Renewable "upon the payment of a fee" (110.R5.2.4). Mass.gov: an additional $100. |
| More than 2 years | Mass.gov: you must "take an exam and apply for a new license." |
| Illness, death in the family, or military service | 110.R5.2.4 allows a reactivation request, with a possible waiver of retesting and/or CE, if the Office is notified in writing within four years of expiration and the conditions and documents listed are met. Separately, 110.R5.4.19 allows a CE deadline extension of up to one two-year cycle for disability, medical condition or military service, with the hours made up later. |
For how other states handle lapsed licenses, see expired contractor license: grace periods and re-exam triggers by state.
Keep the two dates apart. LicenseLedger tracks your expiration date, a CE target date ahead of it, and your hours by topic, so a missing in-person or code-review hour shows up months early. It does not file anything for you.
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