New legislation that would require Massachusetts homebuilders to take continuing education courses in order to renew their licenses has been signed by Gov. Deval Patrick. The custom home shown above is currently under construction in the town of Foxboro.
Gov. Deval Patrick has signed legislation that would require homebuilders to take continuing education courses in order to renew their licenses.
The legislation, approved by the House and Senate, landed on the governor’s desk earlier this month.
The Home Builders Association of Massachusetts and other industry groups have been trying to pass the legislation for the last seven years.
“This legislation will provide us with the opportunity to educate on a continuing basis all the people who are eligible to pull building permits for construction in Massachusetts,” said Mark H. Leff, president of the builders’ group.
The legislation will enable the state Board of Building Regulations and Standards to develop requirements and educational courses for construction supervisors. There are approximately 40,000 licensed construction supervisors in Massachusetts. An advisory committee of the board will determine how many hours of continuing education construction would be required for supervisors.
The continuing education requirement is needed, according to builders, because the building code is continually revised and updated. The Board of Building Regulations and Standards issued a new code for one- and two-family homes that went into effect at the beginning of the year.
Builders have promoted the legislation as a consumer-friendly measure that will protect homebuyers.
“Technical training will ensure that new homes are built to code, thereby avoiding problems that may arise once the buyer has moved into the home, as well as better protecting public safety,” Leff wrote in a letter to the governor this month. “Secondly, ongoing education about new industry products will allow builders to offer consumers more alternatives greater innovation, increased energy conservation and, in some instances, more economical solutions to their homebuying needs.”
Leff said the continuing education requirement is also critical now that there’s an emphasis on green building techniques.
“More and more people are interested in the concept of green building and energy-efficient building. This will give us an opportunity to structure education courses that will assist our industry in not only building cost-efficient and energy-efficient homes but also to start to weigh the benefits of the different techniques,” said Leff.
Bill Farnsworth, president of the Eastern Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, said many people don’t think education is necessary because they don’t view carpentry and construction projects like they do electrical or plumbing work.
But Farnsworth said continuing education is critical for the residential construction industry.
“I get feedback from people all the time who say when the project is done and over with, they can tell the difference from someone who is professional and educated compared to someone who’s not,” he said.
NARI, which promotes professionalism in the building industry, has developed certification courses for carpenters and remodeling contractors.
“For our group to hear that everyone else will be required to have continuing education Â… we’re ready for that,” said Farnsworth, owner of Custom Contracting in Arlington.
The legislation’s supporters had expected the governor to sign the bill because it has the backing of the Executive Office of Public Safety.
