Plumbing License in Mississippi: Requirements, Exams, Reciprocity and Costs (2026)

If you have been reading about how to get a plumbing license in Mississippi, there is a good chance you have been told the state runs an apprentice to journeyman to master ladder administered by something called the "Mississippi State Plumbing Board."

It does not, and there is no such agency.

At a glance

• Who issues it: Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC), Jackson
• State journeyman or master license: None; those tiers are city and county licenses
• Commercial license needed: Work over $50,000, including subcontractors and equipment installation
• Exams: PSI, open book: Law and Business Management plus a trade exam; 70 percent to pass
• Application fee: $400 commercial (one classification included), $50 residential (one classification included)

That claim sits on at least one page that ranks for this exact search. The page states that Mississippi's plumbing credentials are "codified under Mississippi Code Annotated § 73-41," and that this statute established the Mississippi State Board of Contractors and the "Mississippi State Plumbing Board" as the principal regulatory authorities. Title 73, Chapter 41 of the Mississippi Code is Athlete Agents, and it is repealed in its entirety, sections 73-41-1 through 73-41-23. The page then names the invented board nine separate times as the agency that takes your application, gives your exam, and disciplines your license.

Here is what is actually true. Mississippi licenses plumbing at the company level, through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC), and the credential you are looking for is called a Certificate of Responsibility carrying the Plumbing classification, or a residential license carrying Residential Plumbing.

There is no statewide journeyman plumber license. There is no statewide master plumber license. There is no state apprentice registration. Those tiers exist in Mississippi, but they exist inside cities and counties, not at the state.

Getting that wrong is not a trivia problem. It changes who applies, what they apply for, and what the company has to prove about the person whose name goes on the license. This guide walks through all of it from the board's own rules, forms and exam bulletin, checked on September 25, 2026.

Mississippi plumbing license at a glance

Who licenses plumbing in Mississippi

The Mississippi State Board of Contractors was established in 1952 and describes itself as the contractor licensing authority of the state. It is a ten member board appointed by the Governor, and the statute that creates it, Miss. Code Ann. § 31-3-3, reserves one of those seats for a plumbing or heating and air conditioning contractor. It regulates both commercial and residential contractors who bid on or perform work in Mississippi. Its offices are at 2679 Crane Ridge Drive, Suite C, Jackson, MS 39216, and its mailing address is P.O. Box 320279, Jackson, MS 39232-0279.

MSBOC issues two families of license, and plumbing appears in both.

Commercial, the Certificate of Responsibility. MSBOC answers the question directly on its "How Do I?" page: "Is a Certificate of Responsibility the same as a commercial license? Yes, a Certificate of Responsibility is the official name for a commercial license."

The COR is issued to the business, in the exact business name, and it carries one or more classifications. Commercial contractor licensing sits under Miss. Code Ann. § 31-3-1 et seq.

Residential. A separate, cheaper, lighter application, with its own list of nine classifications. Residential contractor licensing sits under Miss. Code Ann. § 73-59-1 et seq. Those two statutes, Title 31 Chapter 3 and Title 73 Chapter 59, are the real citations, and Mississippi's own privilege tax statute at § 27-17-457(4) confirms it by naming them as the controlling authorities.

Neither family contains a journeyman or a master plumber license. The complete residential list, from MSBOC's own application walkthrough, is: Residential Building, Residential Remodeling, Residential Roofing, Construction Manager, Residential Solar, Residential Mechanical, Residential HVAC, Residential Plumbing, and Residential Electrical.

One more point on names. The board's website footer calls it the "Mississippi State Board of Public Contractors," the older statutory name, while its forms and headers say "Mississippi State Board of Contractors." They are the same agency. Neither is a plumbing board.

When you need a state plumbing license

Mississippi is a threshold state. Below the threshold, the state stays out of it and your city or county takes over. MSBOC's FAQ and its "How Do I?" page set out the lines, and § 31-3-1 writes the commercial ones into the definition of a contractor.

• Commercial work over $50,000 requires a commercial license (a Certificate of Responsibility). This applies to contractors and subcontractors, including equipment installation.
• New residential construction over $50,000 requires a residential license.
• Residential remodeling or additions over $10,000 requires a residential license.
• Residential roofing over $10,000 requires a residential license.
• Fire sprinkler work carries its own lower thresholds: public projects over $5,000 and private projects over $10,000.
• Subcontractors performing residential electrical, mechanical, HVAC, or plumbing work on a residential construction or residential improvement project are required to be licensed by MSBOC.

That last bullet is the one plumbers miss. MSBOC's own guidance is blunt about the flip side: "If you are performing residential electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work less than $10,000, a state license is not required, but you must contact the local building official or permit office regarding their requirements." For commercial work, the same page says that for anything under the $50,000 line "you need to contact the city or county where the job is located to inquire about the local requirements."

So the honest answer to "do I need a Mississippi plumbing license" is: it depends on the size of the job, and if the answer is no, it only means you have been handed off to city hall.

Plumbing sits under the Mechanical classification

This is the structural fact that decides how much you pay and which exam you sit.

MSBOC organizes commercial licensure into six major classifications: Building Construction, Electrical, Heavy Construction, Highway Street and Bridge Construction, Mechanical, and Municipal and Public Works. Under each major sits a list of specialty classifications. The board's rule is: "Holding a major classification entitles the license holder to perform the specialty classifications noted within the respective major classification category."

Plumbing is a specialty under the Mechanical major. So is HVAC. So is Refrigeration, Boiler Installation and Repair, Process Piping, Ductwork, Fueling Systems, Underground Utilities, Irrigation Systems, Swimming Pools, Millwright, Welding, Cathodic Protection, Insulation, and Instrumentation and Controls. Fifteen specialties in all, as listed in Appendix A of the commercial application.

Practically, that gives you two routes:

1. Take the Mechanical major and you are entitled to perform every specialty beneath it, plumbing and HVAC and refrigeration and process piping and boilers, on one classification fee.
2. Take the Plumbing specialty alone and you are limited to the plumbing scope.

Which is right depends on what you actually intend to bid. A shop that does plumbing and mechanical work should look hard at the major before paying $100 per specialty to rebuild it piece by piece. The trade off is the exam and the balance sheet: the Mechanical exam is longer and broader, and a major needs $50,000 of net worth instead of $20,000.

What the Plumbing classification actually covers

MSBOC's scope language for the Plumbing specialty is broad, and two parts of it surprise people. Verbatim:

"A specialty classification that involves installation, maintenance, and repair of commercial and residential plumbing systems. The scope of work includes sanitary drainage or storm drainage facilities; venting systems; public or private water supply systems; septic tanks; drainage and supply wells; swimming pool piping; and irrigation systems. The scope of work also includes installation, maintenance, repair, alteration or extension of air-piping, vacuum line piping, oxygen line piping, nitrous oxide piping, and all other related medical gas systems; fire line standpipes and fire sprinklers, ink and chemical lines; fuel oil and gasoline piping and tank and pump installation except bulk storage plants; and pneumatic control piping systems. Includes any excavation work incidental thereto. This classification does NOT include fuel gas or boiler systems."

Two things to take from that.

Medical gas is inside the plumbing classification. Oxygen, nitrous oxide, vacuum, air piping, "and all other related medical gas systems": a Mississippi Plumbing classification reaches medical gas piping in hospitals and clinics.

Fuel gas and boilers are outside it. If you set boilers or run fuel gas, the Plumbing specialty does not cover you. The Mechanical major does: its scope names "boiler and unfired pressure vessel systems" along with "liquefied petroleum gas lines and natural gas fuel lines." Boiler Installation and Repair is also available as its own specialty.

PSI's exam bulletin repeats the line in its own words for the Plumbing exam: "Unlimited commercial and residential plumbing NOT including fuel gas or boiler systems."

Residential Plumbing is much simpler: "A residential license classification that involves installation, maintenance, and repair of residential plumbing systems. The holder of this classification is limited to residential plumbing work only." And Residential Mechanical bundles residential plumbing with residential HVAC, but MSBOC requires both trade exams for it, the Residential HVAC test and the Residential Plumbing test.

What the application requires

This is the commercial application, Revised 2/2026, the version on MSBOC's Forms page today. The residential application carries the same revision date and is a shorter version of the same idea.

Money and financials. A reviewed or audited financial statement prepared and signed by a certified public accountant within the last twelve months. MSBOC explains why it insists: "MSBOC only offers an unlimited license and therefore applicant must demonstrate the required net worth. This is a requirement and cannot be waived or substituted. A compilation will not be accepted."

The net worth floor is $50,000 for a major classification and $20,000 for a specialty classification. So a plumbing only shop taking the Plumbing specialty needs $20,000; a shop taking the Mechanical major needs $50,000. Residential applicants do not file a financial statement at all.

Insurance. General liability at a minimum of $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate, with MSBOC named as certificate holder so the board is notified if the policy is cancelled. The insured name has to match the license name exactly, and the certificate must show a valid policy number and effective dates. Residential applicants must show proof of coverage but have no minimum amount.

Workers' compensation. Required only if you have five or more employees.

References. Three reference letters, and one must be from your bank or financial institution. The other two can come from anyone you have worked with or for on construction related projects. The residential application adds that reference letters are required even if the applicant has previously passed an exam.

Experience. List at least three completed jobs in the classification you are requesting. MSBOC's application video adds a warning worth repeating: "office duties do not qualify."

Tax numbers. A Mississippi sales tax or use tax number is a statutory requirement for a commercial license, plus a Mississippi income tax ID or federal tax ID. Residential applicants can use a Mississippi income tax ID, a federal tax ID, or a Social Security number.

Entity standing. Corporations, LLCs and LLPs must be registered with the Mississippi Secretary of State and show proof of good standing, and the name on the application must match the Secretary of State record exactly. Printed details from the Secretary of State website will do; an official certificate is not required.

Proof of employment for the qualifying party. More on this below. It is the part of the Mississippi application that matters most to anyone bringing in an outside qualifier.

A hard identity gate. MSBOC's application walkthrough states it plainly: "A U.S. social security number is required for each qualifying party included on the license. Other forms of identification are not acceptable." The 2/2026 application adds that a Social Security number and a valid email must be provided for testing purposes. If the person you intend to put on the license does not have a U.S. SSN, the application cannot proceed.

One live conflict, published honestly. The 2/2026 commercial and residential applications end with a signed "Consent and Release and Statement of Truth," and their checklists ask for no notary. MSBOC's Apply For A License page says the same thing: "MSBOC no longer requires an affidavit or a notarized signature on the application form. Please disregard any references to these requirements in the video or transcript."

But the Forms page that links those same applications still labels each one "this completed form requires being notarized," and the board's commercial rule, 30 Miss. Code R. 802-1.1(2)(f), still says signatures must be "notarized where indicated." The application itself is the newest document and no longer indicates a notary. Call the board at 601-354-6161 before paying one anyway.

The residential extra: an insurance disclosure in every contract. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 73-59-11, a residential license holder must tell the owner in writing, at the signing of the contract or initial agreement, whether it carries general liability insurance. The disclosure goes immediately before the purchaser's signature line in boldfaced, conspicuous type larger than the rest of the contract.

The exams

All MSBOC exams are administered by PSI, and all of them are open book.

Every applicant takes the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam, without exception. MSBOC is careful about this: "Mississippi Law and Business Management is not a trade classification; it is a required exam." You do not pay a classification fee for it.

On top of that you take a trade exam if your classification requires one. Plumbing requires one. Residential Plumbing requires one. Residential Mechanical requires two.

The passing grade is at least 70 percent, set for commercial applicants by rule 802-1.1(9) and for residential applicants by the residential rules.

These are the numbers from PSI's State of Mississippi Contractor Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin, updated April 23, 2026:

A few details in the bulletin are worth knowing before exam day. The commercial Plumbing exam weights Drain, Waste and Vent at 15 questions and Isometric Analysis at 12, the two biggest blocks on the test. The Residential Plumbing exam includes fuel gas, LP gas and fuel oil questions, even though the commercial Plumbing classification excludes fuel gas work.

PSI adds a small number of unscored experimental questions, roughly 10 percent of the question count. Your books may be highlighted, underlined and indexed, but not written in, and a silent non programmable calculator is allowed. PSI gives you your score immediately after you finish.

NASCLA does not help a plumber in Mississippi. MSBOC accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building in place of the Mississippi Building Construction exam, and the NASCLA Accredited Electrical Examination in place of the Mississippi Master Electrical exam. That is the entire list.

The Mechanical major and the Plumbing specialty are not on it. If you were counting on a NASCLA credential to shortcut a Mississippi plumbing classification, it will not.

The sequencing catches people out. You cannot schedule with PSI on your own initiative. MSBOC sends your qualifier's information to PSI after it receives your application; PSI then emails you a confirmation; only then can you schedule.

As the board's FAQ puts it: "No candidate may schedule an exam until MSBOC submits this information." That is why the board hammers on providing a valid email address, and why its Testing page tells you to check your spam folder for the PSI notice.

PSI's fee is separate from MSBOC's. The bulletin lists $120 for one examination portion and $240 for two, charged for each registration whether it is your first attempt or a retake, and not refundable or transferable. You can cancel and reschedule without losing the fee only if PSI receives your cancellation 2 days before the exam date. PSI's candidate line is (855) 557-0619.

Reciprocity: do plumbing licenses transfer to Mississippi?

Partly. MSBOC has written agreements with other state boards, but reciprocity in Mississippi means one thing only: waiver of a trade exam. The board is explicit: "Reciprocity applies to waiver of a trade exam requirement only." You still file the full application, you still meet the financial, insurance and reference requirements, and every applicant still takes the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam.

For plumbing, the list is short. These are the agreements as MSBOC's Reciprocity page and Appendix C of the 2/2026 application describe them:

Three practical notes. First, each exam waived costs $50, and the other state board must complete Part 2 of MSBOC's Reciprocity Verification Form and return it to you.

Second, the board's own pages do not agree on how long you must have held the other license: the "How Do I?" page says 3 consecutive years, while the Reciprocity page sets the condition board by board, from current licensure to five years without discipline. Read the current Reciprocity page and ask a licensing agent which one they apply to your file.

Third, two statutes sit outside those agreements. The Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act, § 73-50-2, can waive an exam for an applicant who can prove Mississippi residency, and the Military Family Freedom Act, § 73-50-1, covers military members, spouses and dependents. Neither guarantees a license; the board still decides whether the out of state qualifications are of similar scope.

If you hold a plumbing license in a neighboring state, our guides to the Alabama plumbing license, Tennessee plumbing license, Louisiana plumbing license, Arkansas plumbing license, Ohio plumbing license and South Carolina plumbing license cover the other side of the move. Moving a license between Mississippi cities and counties works differently, and it is covered in the local layer section below.

Fees

These are set by MSBOC and are subject to change; verify with the board before you write a check. As published on MSBOC's fee schedule, plus PSI's bulletin for the exam:

So a commercial plumbing shop taking the Plumbing specialty alone pays $400 to MSBOC. Adding HVAC as a second specialty makes it $500. Taking the Mechanical major instead gets you both, plus thirteen more, for $400.

On the residential side, Residential Plumbing alone is $50, and adding a second residential classification makes it $150. A first time qualifier sitting the Law and Business Management exam and one trade exam pays PSI $240 on top. MSBOC takes checks and money orders only, never cash, and its fees are non refundable.

Note that MSBOC's published fee schedule still carries an effective date of January 1, 2016. These amounts have been stable for a decade, and they are worth confirming anyway.

Bond and insurance premiums are separate again and are set by your carrier. So is the CPA's fee for a reviewed or audited statement, which belongs in the budget for any commercial application.

How to get a Mississippi plumbing license, step by step

1. Size the work. Decide whether you will take commercial jobs over $50,000, residential subcontract work on regulated projects, or only small residential jobs that stay local. That decides commercial, residential, or a city license.
2. Pick the classification. Plumbing specialty, Mechanical major, Residential Plumbing, or Residential Mechanical. Check the scope: fuel gas and boilers need the Mechanical major or their own specialty.
3. Set up the entity. Register the corporation or LLC with the Mississippi Secretary of State, confirm good standing, and get the exact legal name you will print on every bid, contract and permit.
4. Get the tax numbers. Mississippi sales or use tax number (commercial) and an income tax or federal tax ID from the Department of Revenue and the IRS.
5. Name the qualifying party. An owner, officer, member of the executive staff or responsible managing employee with a U.S. Social Security number, a valid email, and proof of employment (check stub, W-2, or Secretary of State owner or officer listing).
6. Build the file. Reviewed or audited CPA statement within 12 months (commercial), general liability certificate naming MSBOC, workers' compensation if you have 5 or more employees, three reference letters with one from your bank, and at least three completed jobs in the classification.
7. Mail the application and fee to MSBOC, P.O. Box 320279, Jackson, MS 39232-0279. If you are claiming reciprocity, include the completed Reciprocity Verification Form and $50 for each exam waived. The 180 day clock starts.
8. Wait for the PSI confirmation email, then register, pay PSI and schedule the Law and Business Management exam and the trade exam.
9. Pass with 70 percent on each exam. Bring the exact code editions PSI lists.
10. Board review and issue. Completed files go to the board on Fridays; approved licenses issue the following Wednesday. Then search your company name on MSBOC's license lookup for the number, expiration date and status, and sign everything in the licensed name.

Timeline

MSBOC processes completed applications weekly. Its Testing page is now specific: completed applications are submitted weekly on Fridays, only fully completed applications are reviewed, and approved licenses are issued the following Wednesday. PSI's bulletin says successful candidates receive the Commercial Certificate of Responsibility or Residential License approximately one week after board approval.

The board's other pages give slightly different figures: its "How Do I?" page still says it usually takes "about a week to 10 days" for the application to go through the Board process and the license to be issued, and its video transcripts say "approximately 5 working days" in one and "approximately seven working days" in another. Plan for about a week to 10 days after approval rather than a hard date.

The front end is where the time goes. Scheduling cannot start until PSI confirms your eligibility, and the CPA statement, bank letter and insurance certificate all come from people who work on their own calendars.

The clock that actually bites is the 180 day rule: "Applications not completed within 180 days will be destroyed." If you send an incomplete application and let it sit while you chase a CPA statement or a bank letter, you start over and the fee is non refundable.

Renewal, continuing education and inactive status

A Mississippi license is good for one year. MSBOC sends renewal notices roughly 60 days out, and beginning in 2026 the board relies solely on email for renewal notices, which makes keeping a current email address on file a live operational risk, not a formality. You can renew online by paying and uploading every required document, or by mailing the renewal form; the board asks you not to mail documents separately after paying online.

Renewal is not just a check. The commercial rule requires every renewal applicant to furnish a balance sheet prepared under generally accepted accounting principles, current insurance, and proof that the qualifying party is still employed.

A license can be renewed up to 180 days after expiration. Past 180 days it cannot be renewed at all and you file a brand new application, with a new fee, new financials, and potentially new exams. For residential licenses the statute prices the late window at the license fee plus a 10 percent penalty, which is the $10 late fee on a $100 renewal.

Continuing education applies to Residential Plumbing. Each qualifying party for a residential license must complete two credit hours of continuing education each year from a board approved provider or instructor, and proof goes in with the renewal. The requirement applies to residential licenses issued on or after July 1, 2015, and the statute behind it, § 73-59-11, caps it at two hours a year.

A credit hour is 50 minutes of instruction. MSBOC does not dictate which courses you take unless the board orders education after a disciplinary hearing. MSBOC's CE page lists requirements for residential license holders only; it sets no hours for commercial Certificate of Responsibility holders.

Inactive status is available if you are not currently building: return the license, submit a written request, and pay a $25 processing fee. Two things people get wrong about it. You still pay annual renewal fees while inactive. And you may not "submit bids, enter contracts, pull permits, or perform work": inactive is genuinely off, not merely quiet.

Returning to active costs another $25 plus proof of general liability insurance, and commercial holders must produce financial information again.

Penalties, and what a false answer costs

Working without the license is a crime in Mississippi, not just a paperwork problem.

• Commercial. Under § 31-3-21, it is unlawful to bid, contract or engage in the business of a contractor without a Certificate of Responsibility. Knowingly bidding without one is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Bids over $50,000 must show the COR number on the outside of the envelope or they are not opened. The board can also issue an order of abatement and a civil penalty of up to 3 percent of the total contract.
• Residential. Under § 73-59-9, undertaking residential construction without a required license, or filing false information to get one, is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $5,000, 30 to 60 days in the county jail, or both. Under § 73-59-13, the board can separately levy a monetary penalty of $100 to $5,000 for each violation.
• Operating under the wrong name. MSBOC warns that conducting business under any name other than the one on your certificate "is equivalent to unlicensed construction."

The other way a license dies is a false answer on the form. The commercial rule, 30 Miss. Code R. 802-1.1(5), provides that if any information in an application or oral interview is found to be false, the Certificate of Responsibility "shall thereupon be terminated and withdrawn," and "No certificate holder or applicant shall be issued a renewal of or an initial Certificate of Responsibility until a period of one (1) year has expired after the date of such termination or withdrawal."

The 2/2026 commercial and residential applications quote the same text under its older number, Rule 30-9-802:1.1.3.5, and they also say one year. Earlier versions of this guide stated that bar as five years; the rule as amended January 6, 2022 and the board's own application both say one year. A misstatement on the form is still a year out of commercial contracting in Mississippi, which for a shop that lives on commercial work is the whole business.

The local layer: city and county plumbing licenses

Because Mississippi's state thresholds sit at $10,000 and $50,000, a large volume of ordinary residential plumbing work is regulated entirely by cities and counties. This is where the journeyman and master plumber tiers actually live in Mississippi: in municipal and county examining boards, not in a state registry.

Gulfport is a good example of what that looks like. Its Building Code Services application for a contractor's license lists "Master Plumbing" among the license types, must be in the name of the qualifying party who tested for the company, charges a $100 licensing fee that is waived for holders of an MSBOC Certificate of Responsibility, and asks for public liability insurance of $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate, with completed operations coverage and the city as certificate holder. It also asks for five reference letters, which are not required if the applicant holds a license from the State Board of Contractors. Every city and county writes its own version, so before you quote a job in Jackson, Hattiesburg or anywhere else, call the building official where the job sits.

Two statutes keep this from becoming unworkable, and they answer the "do plumbing licenses transfer" question inside Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 27-17-457, in the local privilege tax law, provides that a contractor, and it names the trades explicitly, "any electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, water and sewer, roofing or mechanical contractor," who is licensed by one Mississippi municipality or county that has an examining board giving a regular written examination "shall be allowed to do business in any other municipality or county in the state without being required to obtain a license in such other municipality or county or to undergo any further examination," subject to three conditions:

• You furnish evidence that you hold the local license;
• You furnish evidence that you actually took and passed the written examination that qualified you for it (with a grandfather clause for licenses issued before May 1, 1972, by a jurisdiction that did not then examine); and
• You are not operating a separate place of business in the other municipality or county.

Subsection (2) extends the same portability to a contractor who also holds a current Certificate of Responsibility, provided the first two conditions are met. Subsection (3) adds that no additional privilege license bond is required elsewhere as long as you carry the bond in your home jurisdiction. Subsection (5) keeps each city's and county's power over permits and permit bonds.

Then subsection (6) regulates how you may describe yourself:

"No taxpayer receiving a privilege license under this section shall be authorized to advertise to the public that they are 'licensed' unless said taxpayer is currently in compliance with paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section, or holds a current license or certificate of responsibility from the State Board of Contractors."

If you advertise as licensed on the strength of a local privilege license, you must say "licensed by the city of ___" or "licensed by the county of ___", or, if it applies, "licensed by the State Board of Contractors." The tax officer collecting the privilege tax can suspend issuance or renewal of the privilege license until you comply. A vague "licensed plumber" on a truck door is not automatically safe in Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 17-25-5 goes further on the exam itself. Every municipality and county must grant competency examination reciprocity to a plumbing contractor licensed by another Mississippi municipality or county, without a further exam, if the contractor shows a license issued on a written exam approved by the State Board of Contractors or the Building Officials Association of Mississippi, proof of passing it, at least two years actively engaged in the business, and at least one year holding the license. The local license fee still applies unless you hold a current Certificate of Responsibility, in which case no fee is collected. Each jurisdiction may still set its own bonding, and a contractor with more than one place of business may need a privilege license for each location.

One boundary: § 27-17-457(4) states that nothing in the section supersedes Title 31 Chapter 3 or Title 73 Chapter 59, and that where they conflict, those chapters control. Municipal portability does not get you out of needing a state license over the thresholds.

The qualifying party: the person the license stands on

Everything above is about the company. None of it works without a person.

Mississippi calls that person the qualifying party, and MSBOC's own plain English description of the role is worth quoting: "Every licensed company needs one real, tested person attached to its Certificate of Responsibility, someone who passed the trade exam and stands behind the company's work."

The qualifying party must be an owner, officer, member of the executive staff, or responsible managing employee. And the board does not take that on faith. The 2/2026 commercial application has a literal checkbox:

"Proof of employment attached: ☐ Check Stub ☐ W-2 Form ☐ MS SOS Listing"

next to a field labeled "Date Hired." Mississippi puts the W-2 on the form, as a box you tick, beside the date the person started. The board's instruction is unambiguous: "Applicant must provide proof of employment of the qualifying party." The one exemption proves the rule, "Proof of employment is not required if applying in an individual name," because a sole proprietor cannot employ himself.

The rule behind the form, 30 Miss. Code R. 802-1.1(2)(l), says the qualifying party "must be regularly employed by the Certificate holder and actively engaged in the classification of work for which the person qualifies," must have "the necessary experience, knowledge and skills to supervise or perform the contracting work," and that the certificate holder "shall furnish proof of employment of the qualifying party upon application and renewal." MSBOC's FAQ translates it into three plain lines:

"Work there, really employed by the company, provable at application and renewal." "Do the work, actively engaged in the licensed trade, not just on paper." "Be capable, have the real skill and experience to perform or supervise the work."

Provable at renewal, not only at application. That is a continuing obligation, not a one time document. The FAQ ties it back to the board's founding statute, § 31-3-2, which exists to protect the public against "incompetent, inexperienced, unlawful and fraudulent acts" of contractors.

Four more limits worth knowing before you plan around a qualifier:

• A qualifying party may serve no more than three separate entities without first appearing before the board and being granted special permission.
• You may have more than one qualifying party, and different qualifiers for different classifications: one person can take the trade exam and another the Law and Business Management exam.
• If the qualifier leaves, both sides must tell the board. Rule 802-1.1(2)(l), the FAQ and the board's current Change or Add Qualifying Party form require written notice immediately from the departing qualifying party and the license holder. MSBOC's Qualifying Party web page still says notice can come from the owner, a partner, an officer or the departing qualifier, by letter or by fax. The rule is the stricter text, so have both the company and the departing qualifier send a written notice.
• You then have 90 days. Replacement must be made within 90 days of disassociation. Miss it and you get a hearing notice to show cause why the Certificate of Responsibility should not be suspended or revoked. Adding or replacing a qualifier uses the Application to Change or Add Qualifying Party and a $25 fee, with the same proof of employment.

Mississippi's departure rule has a wrinkle that protects multi classification contractors: if your license carries more than one classification and the qualifier for the other classes stays, "the licensee may continue to operate in the remaining class or classes." Only the class qualified by the person who left is removed, and it is removed the day of the hearing unless a replacement is made in time. Mississippi removes authority at the classification level, not the license level. A plumbing shop that also holds HVAC does not go dark when its plumbing qualifier walks; it goes dark on plumbing.

We cover the full mechanics of that role, including the change fee and the notification duty that runs on both parties, in our guide to the Mississippi Certificate of Responsibility and qualifying party.

When nobody in the company can sit the exam

If you are an individual plumber in Mississippi looking for a state journeyman or master license, the honest answer is that the state does not issue one and you should be talking to your city or county examining board. If you are running or starting a plumbing company that will take work over the thresholds, you need an MSBOC license, and you need a qualifying party who can pass the exams and prove employment with a check stub or a W-2.

That second requirement is where many companies stall. The financials, the insurance, the reference letters and the tax numbers are all solvable with a phone call and a checkbook. A qualified person who will actually be employed by the company is not.

If nobody inside your business can pass the Mississippi Plumbing or Residential Plumbing exam, the options are to grow one, which takes years, or to hire one. A qualifying agent is a licensed professional employed full time by your company who takes the exams, qualifies the classification, and actually supervises the plumbing work. In Mississippi that structure has to be a genuine W-2 employment relationship, because the board asks for the W-2 by name, records the date hired, and checks it again at renewal.

The Licensing Company, led by founders Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski, places qualifying agents as full time W-2 employees: never as contractors, never on a percentage, never per project. That is the structure that fits a Mississippi application, and it is the same structure we cover for plumbing contractors nationally. If you want to know whether your company can be licensed and what it would take, start with a consultation or go straight to hiring a qualifying agent. For the state level picture across every trade, see our Mississippi contractor license guide and the national contractor license guide.

Frequently asked questions

Does Mississippi have a state journeyman plumber license? No. MSBOC issues commercial Certificates of Responsibility and residential licenses to businesses, with classifications like Plumbing and Residential Plumbing. There is no state journeyman or master plumber credential. Journeyman and master tiers in Mississippi are administered by municipal and county examining boards.

Is there a "Mississippi State Plumbing Board"? Not as a plumbing contractor licensing authority. The agency that licenses plumbing contractors in Mississippi is the Mississippi State Board of Contractors. No agency by that name appears in MSBOC's rules, forms, application, or website. Some widely ranking guides use the name anyway, and one cites Miss. Code Ann. § 73-41 as its authority, a chapter titled "Athlete Agents" that is repealed in full.

Do you need a plumber license in Mississippi? It depends on the job and the place. A company needs an MSBOC license for commercial plumbing over $50,000 and for residential plumbing subcontract work on the residential projects the board regulates. Below those lines the state steps back, and your city or county decides, which is where individual plumber licenses and permits live.

How much does a Mississippi plumbing license cost? The state fees are knowable: $400 for a commercial application including one classification, $100 per additional classification, $50 for a residential application, plus PSI's $120 per exam portion. What is not fixed is the total cost of getting licensed, because that depends on your CPA's fee for a reviewed or audited financial statement, your insurance premium at the $300,000 and $600,000 minimums, and, if you do not have a qualifying party in house, the cost of bringing one in. That last figure varies with the classification, the risk, and the volume of work involved, which is why we discuss it privately rather than publishing a number; a consultation will get you a real figure for your situation.

How many questions are on the Mississippi plumbing exam? PSI's current bulletin lists 70 questions in 3 hours for the commercial Plumbing exam and 80 questions in 4 hours for Residential Plumbing. Every applicant also sits the 50 question, 2 hour Law and Business Management exam. All are open book and need 70 percent to pass.

Can I use my NASCLA certification to get a Mississippi plumbing license? No. MSBOC accepts NASCLA accredited exams only for the Building Construction major and the Electrical major. The Mechanical major and the Plumbing specialty are not covered.

Do plumbing licenses transfer to other states? Not automatically. Mississippi will waive the plumbing trade exam for qualifying license holders from a few boards, such as Tennessee, Ohio, the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, and (for Residential Plumbing) the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission, but you still apply in full and pass the Law and Business Management exam. Inside Mississippi, § 27-17-457 and § 17-25-5 let a tested city or county license carry to other cities and counties without a new exam, under the conditions above.

Do I need a license for a $6,000 residential plumbing repair? Not from MSBOC. Residential plumbing work below $10,000 falls outside the state license. But you must contact the local building official or permit office, because the city or county almost certainly has its own requirement, and that is where Mississippi's journeyman and master tiers actually live.

Is there continuing education for Mississippi plumbers? For residential license holders, yes: each qualifying party for a Residential Plumbing or Residential Mechanical license must complete two credit hours a year from a board approved provider, for licenses issued on or after July 1, 2015. MSBOC's CE page sets no hours for commercial Certificate of Responsibility holders. City and county licenses may carry their own rules.

What happens if my qualifying party quits? Both the departing qualifier and the company must notify the board in writing immediately, and the company has 90 days from disassociation to replace them. If you miss it, you get a hearing notice and must show cause why the Certificate of Responsibility should not be suspended or revoked. If your license holds multiple classifications and the other qualifiers remain, you keep those classes; only the departed qualifier's class is removed. Planning for that scenario before it happens is the subject of our contractor qualifier contingency plan.

Can one person qualify several Mississippi companies? Up to three. A qualifying party may serve no more than three separate entities without first appearing before the board and being granted special permission for a fourth.

Can the qualifying party be a 1099 contractor? Mississippi's application asks for a check stub or a W-2 as proof of employment, records the date hired, and requires that proof at renewal as well as at application. The board's own description says the qualifier must be "really employed by the company" and "actively engaged in the licensed trade, not just on paper." We look at how boards across the country treat this question in can a qualifying agent be a 1099 contractor.

Talk to us about your Mississippi plumbing license

If your company is ready to bid Mississippi plumbing work over the state lines and you need a qualifying party who can pass the exams and be on your payroll, call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110 or start at Hire a Qualifying Agent. Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski built the company around one idea: a license should stand on a real, tested person who works for you. We will tell you plainly whether your company can be licensed, which classification fits the work you want, and what the board will ask to see.

Sources

All sources retrieved September 25, 2026.

• Mississippi State Board of Contractors, Apply For A License (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, How Do I? (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Frequently Asked Questions (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Classifications (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Testing (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Reciprocity (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Continuing Education (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Qualifying Party (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Renew Your License (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Forms (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Fee Schedule Effective January 1, 2016 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Commercial Application, Revised 2/2026 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Residential Application, Revised 2/2026 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Application to Change or Add Qualifying Party (posted April 2026, form marked Revised 10/2025) (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Commercial Laws and Rules (2022) (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• MSBOC, Residential Laws and Rules (2022) (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• 30 Miss. Code R. 802-1.1, Application for Certificate of Responsibility (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• PSI, State of Mississippi Contractor Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 4/23/2026) (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• Miss. Code Ann. § 31-3-1 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• Miss. Code Ann. § 31-3-21 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• Miss. Code Ann. § 73-59-11 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• Miss. Code Ann. § 27-17-457 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• Miss. Code Ann. § 17-25-5 (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• Miss. Code Ann. Title 73, Chapter 41 (Athlete Agents, repealed) (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• City of Gulfport, Building Code Services (retrieved 2026-09-25)
• City of Gulfport, Application for Contractor's License (retrieved 2026-09-25)

Fees, thresholds and requirements in this guide are set by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, by PSI, by cities and counties, and by your insurance carrier, and they change. Verify current figures with the board at 601-354-6161 or 800-880-6161, or at msboc.us, before relying on them. Statutory references are to the Mississippi Code of 1972 as currently published. This guide covers the licensing process; it is not exam preparation and it is not legal advice.

Related: Mississippi electrician license · Mississippi HVAC license · Mississippi contractor licensing overview · Alabama plumbing license · Louisiana plumbing license · Tennessee plumbing license · All state guides