Mississippi Contractor License
Information For Electricians

Mississippi does not have a uniform statewide policy for electrical contractors.

While a contractor's license is needed to perform certain levels of commercial work, and an exam exists for a Mississippi master electrician license, local jurisdictions have the authority to set their own regulations and issue electrical contractor licenses on a local level.

For that reason, it is important to know the requirements in the county or city you plan to work in so you are in compliance with local ordinances.

To work at the commercial level, a Mississippi contractor license is needed. To obtain this, you must pass a two part test. One portion tests your knowledge of the electrical trade and the other portion deals with business and law. In addition, you may have to submit financial records along with your application to prove you have financial stability as a contracting business. This proves you have sufficient operating funds as well as the proper levels of insurance coverage and workmen's compensation in place.

The electrical Mississippi contractor license test is administered by PSI testing company at various locations around the state. Each portion of the exam costs $75 so the total cost is $150. The master electrician portion of the test has around 80 questions and takes three hours to complete. The business law exam has an allotted time of two hours to complete and has 50 questions. A score of at least 70% is required to pass each examination.

When you pass the test, and your electrical Mississippi contractor license application is approved, you will be able to bid on private jobs of over $100,000 and publicly funded jobs of over $50,000. If you plan to only work on lesser jobs, it may benefit you to check with local requirements instead since you can choose between a commercial or residential license depending upon the type of work you will be doing. A residential license allows you to work on commercial buildings up to 7500 square feet.

The cost of a commercial Mississippi electrical contractor license is $200. There is an additional fee of $50 for each classification you want to add. For example you can add a residential classification for $50. Other classifications include sign erection, elevators and escalators, master electrician, communication systems, conveyer systems, and alarm systems.

The Mississippi electrician license must be renewed each year. Currently there is no continuing education requirement, but the state is evaluating it as a mandatory part of license renewal and may institute it in the future. Mississippi offers reciprocity with South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama. Even with reciprocity, the state requires you to take the Mississippi business and law examination and comply with application requirements.

The forms needed to apply for a Mississippi electrical contractor license for both commercial and residential purposes can be downloaded from the Mississippi State Board of Contractors website. You can also use the site to apply for reciprocity and renew your electrician's license each year.