Mississippi · HVAC technician licensing · verified July 2026
Mississippi HVAC technician license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Mississippi licenses HVAC at the contractor/business level through the State Board of Contractors (MSBOC): a commercial Certificate of Responsibility with a Mechanical (major) or HVAC/Refrigeration/Ductwork/Boiler (specialty) classification is required for commercial work over $50,000, and since HB 1163 (effective July 1, 2022) a state residential license is required for new residential construction over $50,000, residential improvements over $10,000, and for subcontractors performing HVAC/mechanical work on residential construction or improvement projects. Individual journeymen/technicians are not licensed at the state level.
Do you need a license to work as an HVAC technician in Mississippi?
Mississippi regulates this trade at the contractor level rather than licensing individual HVAC technicians.
Note: msboc.us is the official Mississippi State Board of Contractors domain. Reciprocity waives the TRADE exam only ($50 per exam waived; all applicants still take the MS Law and Business Management exam): HVAC-relevant agreements include the Alabama Heating and Air board, the Alabama General Contractors Board (can waive HVAC but not Mechanical/Plumbing), Louisiana (can waive HVAC but not Mechanical/Plumbing), Ohio (waives Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing and/or Refrigeration), South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (waives Residential HVAC), and Tennessee, the only state whose agreement waives the Mechanical and Plumbing exams; Arkansas waives all exams EXCEPT mechanical-type (HVAC included) and electrical. Applicants have 180 days to complete the application.
What licenses does Mississippi issue?
The Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) issues the credentials below for this trade. Boards often list further classes for specialties and business licenses; these are the ones this page covers.
Hours are what each class asks for on its own terms. Where a senior class shows fewer than a journeyman, the board is counting time served after the earlier license rather than from the start; the prerequisite column says which.
| License | On-the-job hours | Classroom hours | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Certificate of Responsibility, Mechanical (major classification) or specialty classifications: Heat, Ventilation, A/C (HVAC); Refrigeration; Ductwork for Heating, A/C and Ventilation; Boiler Installation and Repair; Process Piping | not published | not published | Yes |
| Residential HVAC license (and Residential Mechanical, which requires both the Residential HVAC and Residential Plumbing tests) | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) (msboc.us). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Mississippi require?
Mississippi Law and Business Management examination (required of all applicants, open book). Administered by PSI.
Trade examinations by classification (Mechanical; HVAC; Refrigeration; Ductwork; Boiler Installation and Repair; Residential HVAC; NASCLA-accredited exam accepted for the Mechanical major classification). Administered by PSI.
How much does a Mississippi HVAC technician license cost?
Mississippi sets its fees per license class rather than as one figure for the trade, so no single total would be true of every applicant. The published items are below exactly as the board sets them.
- Application feeset per license class
- Renewal fee (recurring)set per license class
Source: fee schedule (msboc.us). Verified July 2026.
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: 1 year (annual renewal, contractor's responsibility)
How does the apprenticeship route work?
MSBOC licensure has no apprenticeship-hour prerequisite; qualification is by exam plus financial/administrative requirements. Apprenticeship training remains the normal industry route into the trade but does not feed a state technician license because Mississippi does not license individual HVAC technicians statewide.
Which states does Mississippi have license reciprocity with?
Mississippi appears in 9 published reciprocal licensing agreements for this trade, covering Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee. Boards write these as agreements between two states rather than as a one-way list, and some publish the list while their counterpart does not, so this counts every agreement naming Mississippi from either side. Recognition is never automatic: the board you apply to decides, and most require the original license to have been earned by examination and to be in good standing.
Source: reciprocity agreement (msboc.us). Verified July 2026.
How does Mississippi compare to neighboring states?
Requirements stop at the state line, which matters if you live near one or expect to move. Here is what the neighboring states ask of the same trade.
| State | Journeyman hours | Licensing model |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | not published | Contractor level only |
| Alabama | not published | Statewide |
| Arkansas | not published | Statewide |
| Louisiana | not published | Contractor level only |
| Tennessee | not published | Contractor level only |
Source: state licensing boards. Verified July 2026.
Sources and verification
Every fact on this page traces to one of these
- Apply For A License (MSBOC)
- Classifications (MSBOC)
- HB 1163 Residential Licensing Law Changes (MSBOC)
- Fee Schedule effective January 1, 2016 (MSBOC)
- Reciprocity Information and Verification Form (MSBOC, revised 07/2025)
- How Do I?, thresholds and exam administration (MSBOC)
Last verified July 2026. Found an error? Report it and it will be corrected and logged on the corrections page.
Other states with published requirements for this trade: Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to HVAC technicians overview.
Licensing requirements change between our verification sweeps. This page is informational only, so confirm current requirements with Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) before making decisions. Not legal advice.