Pipefitter Licensing

No person shall engage in pipefitting unless he or she is licensed pursuant to M.G.L. c. 146, § 84. Licenses shall be carried on the person at all times the licensee is engaged in pipefitting work and shall be furnished for inspection by the licensee upon request by the Commissioner, the Chief, or a District Engineering Inspector. Every applicant shall file with the Division an application on a form provided by the Division, accompanied by the appropriate fee. All completed and approved applications for examination shall be filed with the Division 30 days before the day of examination. (1) Apprentice Pipefitter License. Each applicant for an Apprentice Pipefitter License must be registered with the Department of Labor Standards and DAS and be enrolled in an apprentice program registered with the DAS. A copy of his or her Annual Apprentice ID card issued by the DAS must be submitted to the Division along with the application and appropriate fee. Each applicant is limited to three renewals of his or her apprentice license, unless otherwise approved by the Bureau upon showing a documented hardship and verification that the applicant is enrolled in an educational program to enable completion of his/her apprenticeship. (2) Journeyman Pipefitter License. (a) Every applicant for a Journeyman Pipefitter's License by examination must be a high school graduate or possess a state equivalency certificate. Furthermore: 1. Applicants whose application for examination is dated and received by the Division prior to November 9, 2026: a. Shall have completed successfully 350 hours study in a pipefitter's course approved by the Bureau and shall have worked for not less than 6,000 hours as an apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Pipefitter employer; b. Shall have completed successfully 500 hours of study in a pipefitter's course approved by the Bureau. Furthermore, he or she shall have completed 4,000 actual working hours as an apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Pipefitter employer; or c. Shall have completed successfully 1,000 hours of study in a pipefitter's course approved by the Bureau. Furthermore, he or she shall have completed 2,000 actual work hours as an apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Pipefitter employer. 2. Applicants whose application for examination is dated on or after November 9, 2026: Shall have successfully completed a formal 450 hour course of study in an education course approved by the Bureau. Furthermore, he or she shall have completed pipefitting work experience totaling a minimum of 6,000 clock hours as a validly licensed apprentice, such work time to be verified by a licensed Master Pipefitter employer. Exception: the Bureau may, in its discretion, accept applications meeting requirements effective prior to November 9, 2026 for individuals who suffered from a relevant, documented hardship. However, no such waivers shall be granted on or after May 10, 2027. (b) Verification of work experience from an employer shall include the following information: 1. Name, address, and telephone number of the employer at which the applicant has worked; 2. The employer Master Pipefitter license number; and 3. The total number of hours of pipefitting work experience the applicant has received. (c) No experience requirements required by this section shall be allowed for individuals while working for those entities exempted from these regulations under M.G.L. c. 146, § 87, unless such experience is part of an apprentice program registered with the Division of Apprentice Standards. (d) Candidates approved for examination must pass a written examination and must correctly answer 70% or more of the questions on the examination to qualify for a license. (e) The holder of this license may not employ other apprentice, journeyman, or master pipefitters. (f) A person who is licensed as a Journeyman Pipefitter with a restricted classification is eligible to be examined for another classification of Journeyman Pipefitter License. Upon successfully passing the prescribed examination, a new license shall be granted listing all of the classifications covered by his or her license. For the purpose of computing the requirement for a student or graduate of a pipefitter course approved by the Bureau, the school shall verify the transcript of the actual attendance and grades of the applicant on a Verification of Pipefitter Course Hours form. (3) Master Pipefitter License. (a) Applicants for a Master Pipefitter's license shall have at least 2,000 hours of work experience as a Massachusetts Journeyman Pipefitter and shall have completed 200 hours of Bureau approved education before being eligible for examination; (b) Candidates approved for examination must pass a written examination and must correctly answer 70% or more of the questions on the examination to qualify for a license. (c) The holder of this license may be self-employed or have a regular place of business and employ other Master Pipefitters, Journeyman Pipefitters, or Apprentice Pipefitters. (d) A Master Pipefitter who has a regular place of business by himself or herself, with other Master Pipefitters or with Journeyman or Pipefitter Apprentices in his or her employ, must prominently display his or her master pipefitter's license number on all commercial vehicles, offers, invoices, installation drawings, and on all stationery used in their business. The lettering of the license number required to be displayed on all commercial vehicles used in the master pipefitter's business shall be visible, legible and prominently displayed on vans, trucks, and doors of stake body trucks. (e) For the purpose of computing the requirement for a student or graduate of a pipefitter course approved by the Bureau, the school shall verify the transcript of the actual attendance and grades of the applicant on a Verification of Pipefitter Course Hours form.