How to Get a Mississippi Plumbing License?

We bet you don’t know that plumbing is one of the high-paying jobs in Mississippi state of the US. 

The average salary of a plumber in Mississippi is $40,153 annually. This is near the national average plumber’s salary of $55,337 per year. However, with the right courses and certifications, you can even make up to $84,000. As per the projections made by the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the plumbing industry will grow by 14% between 2021 to 2031. 

However, there are different licensing requirements statewide. Mississippi mandates that plumbing contractors have licenses after exceeding certain monetary thresholds. Keep reading to get a detailed view of Mississippi plumbing license.

Mississippi Licensing Requirements

Mostly, all states of the US require plumbers to get a license, but the licensing requirements vary from state to state. If we talk about Mississippi, the plumbing license is not mandatory for the below-mentioned situations:

Type of Plumber	Delivering Project Value Upto (in dollars)
Residential Plumber	10,000
Commercial Plumber	50,000

As per the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, when the plumber exceeds the above-mentioned limit, he or she is mandated to have a plumbing license. 

Despite the standard requirements set by the MSBOC – a contractor licensing authority, many local jurisdictions – cities, towns, and counties require a plumber to have a local license, even within the monetary thresholds.

For instance, when you are serving in cities like Gulfport and Ocean Springs of Mississippi state, you are required to apply for plumbing licenses and pass the required plumbing examination. A local license is mandatory here, irrespective of the fact that you are delivering within or outside the monetary threshold limits. 

The application formats for availing the plumbing contractors license in Gulfport and Ocean Springs are given here:

• The City of Gulfport
• The City of Ocean Springs

Quick Glances on How to Avail a Mississippi Plumbing License

There are basically two types of licenses available in Mississippi: 

• Unlimited commercial plumbing license
• Unlimited residential plumbing license 

The tasks performed by commercial as well as residential plumbers are almost similar. The unlimited commercial plumber is required to undergo certain plumbing jobs like

• pipe installation, 
• fixture removals,
• and repairs for commercial buildings.

The residential plumber can perform all these duties specified above. The only exception lies when residential contractors serve the plumbing services in commercial buildings. They cannot do plumbing contracting jobs in commercial buildings exceeding 7,500 square feet. 

Basic Requirements to Acquire Mississippi Plumbing License

To avail of the plumbing license in Mississippi, an individual must possess these basic requirements

• You are not required to attend any apprenticeship program; just the age and qualification criteria are a must.
• Your age should be at least 18 years old.
• Along with this, you must have a high school diploma or any GED for that matter.

This is the basic process that you must follow while availing of the Mississippi plumbing license. However, below there will be the detailed steps given on how to become a licensed plumber in Mississippi and ultimately get more plumbing leads.

In Mississippi, beginners, or the ones who want to start a start a plumbing business and get a license, are not mandated to enroll in Mississippi plumbing apprenticeships. However, for self-improving, you can attend certain plumbing trade and vocational schools in Mississippi offering apprenticeship-like programs.

Types of Mississippi Plumbing Licenses

Apart from the unlimited commercial and unlimited residential plumbing licenses offered by the Mississippi state board, there are certain things to focus on. 

The journeyman or the master plumbing license is not provided at the state level; however, the mechanical contracting license or the plumbing contractor license is required by the state board. 

Mississippi breaks down commercial licenses into major and specialty classifications. The major classification for commercial plumbing work includes

• Mechanical contractor

Other than this, there are 16 specialty classifications made by the Mississippi state board, which fall under the major classification of mechanical contractors license. Among those 16 specialties, a few are listed here:

• Boiler Installation and Repair
• Irrigation Systems
• Plumbing
• Process Piping
• Welding

If you are serving several commercial works listed in the specialty classifications, then you need to avail of the mechanical contractor license. However, when you are focused just on the plumbing work, then apply for a Mississippi plumbing license or on any one of the specialties. 

The scope of examinations and financial obligations are different. Here we have a comparison that clearly signifies it:

Types of License	Criteria
Mechanical Contractor	Net worth of at least $50,000
Speciality License	Net worth of at least $20,000

The examination for a mechanical contractor is rigorous, requiring knowledge of more than one subject than plumbing alone.

6 Simple Steps to Get a Mississippi Plumbing License

Here is the list of steps that residential as well as commercial contractors should perform to acquire a plumbing license:

• The minimum age limit for an individual to get a Mississippi plumbing license is 18 years. Although few employers will hire individuals having a minimum age of 16 years or more, only if parental permission is presented. 
• Plumbing contractors willing to get a license should have qualified with a high school diploma or equivalent GED.
• Since there is no compulsion to undergo several Mississippi plumbing apprenticeships, you can still find entry-level work and get trained under Mississippi plumbing apprentice jobs.
• After getting the required experience with an intent to improve your marketing and pay, you can still get trained with additional certifications.
• When the project value you are delivering while undergoing the residential contracting work exceeds $10,000, you need a license from MSCOB.
• For getting a license, you need to submit a notarized completed application with all the signatures affixed, followed by passing a Mississippi plumber exam. 

Here are the application forms for commercial or residential construction:

• Residential Application
• Commercial Application

Application Procedure Requirements to Get a Mississippi Plumbing License:

• While applying for the plumbing license application, you need to make sure that if you are applying as a corporation, LLC, or LLP, then you must get registered with MS Secretary of State’s office along with providing a certificate of good standing. 

Connect with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office for any query or concern at

• Contact details: (601) 359-1350
• Web address: www.sos.ms.gov
• Furnishing a Mississippi Income Tax I.D. A number or Federal Tax I.D. number or a

Social Security Number is necessary.

• Obtaining general liability insurance with a minimum coverage of $300,000 for each incident and $600,000 in aggregate is a must.
• In case a plumbing contractor has 5 or 5+ employees, then providing a certificate of insurance showing current workers’ compensation is required.
• Applicant should also provide three reference letters; among them, one (1) should be from the bank, and the other two (2) can be from anyone who has worked with or for the construction-related projects.
• Applicant must show at least 3 jobs as experience in the requested classifications.
• Proof of employment of the qualifying party must be provided. The acceptable forms of proof of employment include a check stub, W2 form, or Owner/Officer listed with the Mississippi Secretary of State.
• Reviewed or audited financial statements prepared and signed by a certified public accountant should be provided for the period of the last twelve (12) months. 
• The application fee of $400 is for commercial contracting, while for residential contracting, it is $50 for one classification. Add another $100 for every additional requested classification in commercial projects. 
• The completed and notarized application, fees, and required documentation are to be sent to
  MSBOC
  P.O. Box 320279
  Jackson, MS 39232-0279

Mississippi Plumbing Exam Details

The Mississippi plumbing examination has two sections: One is the Mississippi law and business management exam, and the other is the plumbing exam. The no. of questions in exams, the exam fees, duration, etc., are mentioned here below.

Type of Exam	No of Questions	Duration	Passing score %	Exam Fees
Mississippi law and Business Management	50	120 minutes	70%	$120
Mississippi Plumbing Examination	70	180 minutes	70%	$120

What’s Your Call?

That’s all for Mississippi plumbing license requirements. After walking through all the essential details regarding the plumbing license in Mississippi, you must be prepared for gearing up your plumbing business as a licensed plumbing contractor. 

Stop delaying and start applying ASAP to get the fruits of having a certified plumbing degree in your hands that will ultimately help scale up your business. 

After successfully acquiring the Mississippi plumbing license, jump to leading digitalized software like InvoiceOwl to streamline estimating & invoicing process. This will help enhance the process of managing your plumbing business.