1.2 Massachusetts License Tiers, Horsepower Limits & Statutory Prerequisites

1.2 Massachusetts License Tiers, Horsepower Limits & Statutory Prerequisites

Quick Summary: Massachusetts administers a distinct five-tier licensing ladder under M.G.L. c. 146 § 49: Second Class Fireman, First Class Fireman, Third Class Engineer, Second Class Engineer, and First Class Engineer (there is no Fourth Class Engineer). Fireman grades are limited to boilers, with First Class Fireman authorized to have charge of boilers up to 25 psi. Engineer grades govern both boilers and prime movers, culminating in the unlimited First Class Engineer. Applicants must meet statutory experience routes under § 50, secure endorsements on Form BPV-010, and pass both parts of the § 64 examination at the DFS Stow campus — a four-hour written test requiring a 70% passing mark (valid one year), followed by an oral examination. First and second class engineer candidates face a board of three district engineering inspectors whose decision is final; all other grades are examined by one inspector, with a one-week appeal to the Chief of the Division of Inspection under § 66. Licenses run five years and require 30 hours of continuing education (six hours for special licenses) under 522 CMR 18.00.

---

The Massachusetts Five-Grade Licensing Framework (M.G.L. c. 146, § 49)

Unlike many jurisdictions that utilize four engineer classes or generic boiler operator certificates, Massachusetts maintains a rigorous, statutorily defined five-grade licensing ladder established under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 146, Section 49. Candidates must clearly understand that Massachusetts has NO Fourth Class Engineer grade. Any examination question referencing a Massachusetts "Fourth Class Engineer" describes a fictitious credential.

The licensing structure is bifurcated into two primary functional categories:

1. Fireman Licenses (Second Class and First Class): Restrict operating authority exclusively to steam boilers. Firemen are legally prohibited from having charge of steam engines, steam turbines, or prime movers.
2. Engineer Licenses (Third Class, Second Class, and First Class): Authorize the licensee to have charge of and operate both steam boilers and steam prime movers (reciprocating steam engines and steam turbines).

In Massachusetts law, there is a strict, critical legal distinction between "having charge of" a plant versus "operating" a plant:

• "To Have Charge Of" means exercising ultimate executive engineering control, assuming legal responsibility for plant safety, directing maintenance, supervising operating personnel, establishing water chemistry regimens, and maintaining daily compliance records.
• "To Operate" means physically manipulating fuel valves, feedwater controls, blowdown valves, and firing equipment on watch under the direct supervision and administrative charge of a higher-graded licensed engineer or designated Engineer in Charge.

---

Scope of Operating Authority by License Grade

Under M.G.L. c. 146, § 49, the exact scope of authority for each Massachusetts license grade is delineated as follows:

1. Second Class Fireman (Entry Operating Grade)

• Operating Scope: Authorized to operate high-pressure or low-pressure steam boilers of any horsepower under the direct supervision and charge of a licensed engineer or First Class Fireman.
• Charge Limitation: A Second Class Fireman is strictly prohibited from having charge of any boiler or steam plant, regardless of size, pressure, or fuel type.

2. First Class Fireman

• Charge Scope: Authorized to have charge of and operate any low-pressure heating boiler or high-pressure steam boiler where the safety valve is set to pop at not more than 25 psig.
• Operating Scope: Authorized to operate high-pressure boilers exceeding 25 psig in a Third Class plant under the direct supervision of an engineer holding charge.
• Prime Mover Limitation: No authority to have charge of or operate steam engines or turbines.

3. Third Class Engineer

• Boiler Charge Scope: Authorized to have charge of and operate a boiler or battery of boilers not exceeding an aggregate of 150 horsepower if burning solid fuel (coal, wood, biomass), OR not exceeding an aggregate of 500 horsepower if burning liquid fuel (fuel oil), gaseous fuel (natural gas, propane), electric energy, or atomic/nuclear energy.
• Prime Mover Scope: Authorized to have charge of and operate steam engines or steam turbines not exceeding 50 horsepower each.
• Operating Scope: Authorized to operate (as watch engineer) the boilers and engines of a Second Class plant under the direct charge of a Second or First Class Engineer.

4. Second Class Engineer

• Boiler Charge Scope: Authorized to have charge of and operate a boiler or battery of boilers of unlimited aggregate horsepower, pressure, or fuel type.
• Prime Mover Scope: Authorized to have charge of and operate steam engines or steam turbines up to 150 horsepower each.
• Operating Scope: Authorized to operate (as watch engineer) the boilers, steam engines, and steam turbines of a First Class plant under the direct charge of a First Class Engineer.

5. First Class Engineer (Unlimited Chief Operating Grade)

• Charge Scope: Authorized to have charge of and operate any steam boiler plant, battery of boilers, steam engines, and steam turbines of unlimited horsepower, pressure, capacity, and fuel type without restriction throughout the Commonwealth.

6. Special Licenses (M.G.L. c. 146, § 49)

• Special License to Have Charge: Issued to a designated individual to have charge of a single, specific, named steam plant not exceeding statutory horsepower caps (typically plants up to 250 HP where an employer petitions DFS due to unique plant configurations).
• Special License to Operate: Issued to operate a specific named plant under a designated Engineer in Charge.
• Key Characteristic: Special licenses are non-transferable; if the licensee leaves that specific facility, the license becomes void. The examination for a special license consists of an oral examination only, conducted directly on-site at the facility.

---

Statutory Prerequisites & Experience Ladders (M.G.L. c. 146, § 50)

To qualify for examination, an applicant must satisfy the rigid statutory prerequisites established under M.G.L. c. 146, § 50. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

Citizenship & Declaration of Intent

• Engineer Applicants (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class): Must be a citizen of the United States, OR must have filed a formal legal Declaration of Intention to become a citizen with the appropriate federal immigration authorities.
• Fireman Applicants (1st and 2nd Class): M.G.L. c. 146, § 50 sets no citizenship or declaration of intent requirement for the fireman grades.

Experience Ladders by Grade

Massachusetts law establishes structured operational experience requirements that must be verified through sworn documentation:

---

Application Protocols, Form BPV-010 & The Endorsement Mandate

All regular license candidates must complete and submit DFS Form BPV-010 ("Application for License as Fireman or Engineer") to the Department of Fire Services Boiler and Pressure Vessel Program in Stow, Massachusetts, accompanied by the statutory non-refundable application fee ($100 or $150 depending on grade).

The Mandatory Endorsement Rule

Under M.G.L. c. 146, § 50, applications for First Class Fireman, Third Class Engineer, Second Class Engineer, and First Class Engineer must be accompanied by a sworn endorsement from a stationary engineer holding a valid Massachusetts license of equal or higher grade to the one sought.

• The endorsing engineer must certify under the pains and penalties of perjury that they have personal knowledge of the applicant's practical operating duties, competency, character, and verified employment hours.
• Exemption: Applications for Second Class Fireman and Special Licenses do not require an endorsement from a licensed engineer.
• Severe Administrative Penalty: M.G.L. c. 146, § 50 states plainly that "the license of an indorsee making a wilful falsification shall be suspended or revoked." An engineer who signs a false endorsement or inflates an applicant's operating time therefore risks losing their own license. Section 59 adds that a wilfully false statement in the application itself is sufficient cause for revocation at any time. District engineering inspectors may not endorse applications, except when administering the oath to an applicant being examined (§ 50).

---

Examination Structure: The Written Test & Oral Board

Unlike jurisdictions that rely entirely on multiple-choice standardized testing administered by third-party testing vendors, Massachusetts conducts its own examinations directly through the Department of Fire Services at its headquarters campus in Stow, Massachusetts.

M.G.L. c. 146, § 64 is the controlling section, and it publishes the exam's hard numbers. Every candidate is examined by the inspector assigned to the district in which the applicant resides or is employed. The examinations are uniform throughout the Commonwealth, in a form approved by the State Fire Marshal in consultation with the Chief, and are given in two parts — written first, then oral.

Exams are scheduled roughly monthly at the DFS campus in Stow, and consist of:

1. Closed-Book Written Technical Examination (4 hours, 70% to pass): Covers boiler thermodynamics, ASME code construction rules, safety valve calculations, feedwater piping requirements, combustion controls, draft systems, fuel trains, water chemistry, and Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 146 and 522 CMR.
2. The Oral Board Examination: Candidates who pass the written examination are examined orally. Inspectors question the candidate on live casualty control scenarios, presenting real-world boiler components (such as dissected safety valves, damaged fusible plugs, corroded staybolts, or failed low-water cutoffs) and asking technical questions:
   • "You lose sight of water in the gauge glass on an operating Section I power boiler. Step by step, what are your immediate actions?"
   • "Explain the exact blowdown sequence for a water column and gauge glass, and explain what happens if the bottom column connection is fouled with sludge."
   • "Calculate the required safety valve relieving capacity for this boiler heating surface and fuel firing rate."

Special license examinations are conducted orally on-site at the specific plant named on the application (Form BPV-012).

---

Re-Examination Waiting Periods & The Statutory Appeal Process

Massachusetts statutes establish strict rules regarding examination failures and appeals:

The 60-Day Retake Rule (M.G.L. c. 146, § 57)

Under M.G.L. c. 146, § 57, any candidate who fails an examination (either the written portion or the oral board) cannot reapply or be re-examined for the same license grade for a minimum of 60 days. Each re-examination requires the submission of a new Form BPV-010 and payment of a new examination fee ($100 or $150). Candidates are limited to one examination attempt per application.

Who Examines You — and Whether You Can Appeal (M.G.L. c. 146, §§ 64 and 66)

This is one of the most commonly misunderstood points in Massachusetts licensing law, and the two engineer grades at the top are treated differently from every other grade:

The One-Week Appeal (M.G.L. c. 146, § 66): A person aggrieved by the action of a single examiner in refusing, suspending, or revoking an engineer's or fireman's license may, within one week, appeal to the Chief of the Division of Inspection of the Department of Fire Services — not to the State Fire Marshal. The Chief then appoints three inspectors of the Division, or himself and two inspectors, to sit together as a board of appeal. The decision of a majority of that board is final. Because § 64 requires the oral examination to be tape-recorded and the tape held on file through the expiration of the appeal period, that recording is the evidentiary record the appeal board can review.

---

License Term, Renewal & 522 CMR 18.00 Continuing Education

All Massachusetts stationary engineer and fireman licenses are valid for a term of five years from the date of issuance. The renewal fee is $90 flat for all regular license grades.

Continuing Education Mandate (522 CMR 18.00)

Under 522 CMR 18.00, Massachusetts mandates that all licensed operators participate in continuing education to maintain their credentials:

• Regular Graded Licenses (Firemen and Engineers): Must complete 30 hours of approved continuing education during every five-year renewal cycle.
• Special Licenses: Must complete 6 hours of approved continuing education during every five-year cycle.
• Curriculum Requirements: Continuing education courses must be approved by the Department of Fire Services and cover recent revisions to ASME BPVC codes, 522 CMR regulatory updates, burner management safety standards, environmental compliance, energy efficiency, and modern boiler casualty response.
• Renewal Timeline: The Department of Fire Services mails renewal notices to licensees approximately 60 days prior to license expiration. The licensee must submit their renewal application, proof of 30 hours of approved continuing education, and the $90 fee at least 30 days prior to expiration to guarantee uninterrupted operating authority. Operating a boiler plant with an expired license is a direct violation of M.G.L. c. 146, carrying the same civil and criminal liabilities as operating completely unlicensed.