Mississippi · plumber licensing · verified July 2026
Mississippi plumber license requirements
The short answer
As of July 2026, Mississippi licenses plumbing only at the contractor level through the State Board of Contractors (MSBOC); there are no state journeyman, master, or apprentice plumber licenses. Commercial work requires a Certificate of Responsibility with the Plumbing classification for any contract of $50,000 or more (Miss. Code 31-3-1 et seq.), while under Miss. Code 73-59-3 any subcontractor performing plumbing on a residential construction or improvement project must hold an MSBOC residential license regardless of the dollar amount. Both tracks require the PSI-administered Mississippi Law & Business Management exam plus a plumbing trade exam, and licenses renew annually.
Do you need a license to work as a plumber in Mississippi?
Mississippi regulates this trade at the contractor level rather than licensing individual plumbers.
Classified 'hybrid': the state licenses plumbing at the contractor/business level only, and there is no state journeyman/master plumber credential, some municipalities impose their own trade-level (journeyman) card or registration requirements through local building departments, so plumbers should check city requirements (e.g., in larger cities such as Jackson). Note the asymmetry verified in statute: commercial plumbing under $50,000 is exempt, but residential plumbing subcontracting requires a license at ANY dollar amount (73-59-3(1)(d), enacted threshold-free for electrical/plumbing/mechanical/HVAC trades). Residential builder ($50,000+) and remodeler ($10,000+) thresholds apply to general residential contracting, not to the plumbing subcontractor requirement.
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 - Plumbing classification | not published | not published | Yes |
| Residential Plumbing license | not published | not published | Yes |
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) (msboc.us). Verified July 2026.
What exam does Mississippi require?
Mississippi Law & Business Management Examination (open book). Administered by PSI.
Plumbing trade examination (commercial classification, open book). Administered by PSI.
Residential Plumbing trade examination (open book). Administered by PSI.
Source: examination page (msboc.us). Verified July 2026.
How much does a Mississippi plumber 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
- Initial license feeset per license class
- Renewal fee (recurring)set per license class
How often do you renew, and what continuing education is required?
Renewal period: Annual (residential licenses expire the last day of the twelfth month after issuance; commercial certificates must be renewed annually, including while inactive)
How does the apprenticeship route work?
No state apprentice or journeyman plumber registration exists; Mississippi licensing is at the contracting-business level. Trade-level training is typically obtained through registered apprenticeship programs or on the job, but hours are not tracked by the state for licensure.
Which states does Mississippi have license reciprocity with?
Mississippi appears in 2 published reciprocal licensing agreements for this trade, covering Alabama, California. 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.
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 | 8,000 | Statewide |
| 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
- Mississippi Commercial Laws and Rules (Miss. Code Title 31, Ch. 3 and Board rules)
- Mississippi Residential Laws and Rules (Miss. Code Title 73, Ch. 59 and Board rules)
- License Classifications - Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Licenses - Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Testing - Mississippi State Board of Contractors
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: Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire.
Price the whole path with the license cost estimator, or weigh earning against paying for school with the apprenticeship comparison. Back to plumbers 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.