How to become an HVAC technician in Mississippi

The path in Mississippi, step by step

Mississippi licenses HVAC work at the state level through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Pick your classification: Residential HVAC or Residential Mechanical for home work, or a commercial Mechanical or HVAC classification for commercial jobs over $50,000.
2. Name a qualifying party (an owner, officer or responsible managing employee) who will take the exams.
3. Gather project descriptions showing your HVAC experience and at least three reference letters, one from your bank.
4. Get general liability insurance with MSBOC listed for cancellation notice, and workers comp if you have 5 or more employees.
5. Send the application and fee to MSBOC, then pass the PSI trade exam and the Law and Business Management exam.
6. The board processes complete applications weekly. Renew every year and take your continuing education hours.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: HVAC license in Mississippi.

Finding an apprenticeship in Mississippi

Mississippi has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Mississippi Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Some technicians train through an apprenticeship, which usually lasts several years. Each year mixes paid on-the-job training with some classroom work on safety, blueprint reading, and heating and cooling systems.

License levels and exams in Mississippi

The license to aim for: Residential HVAC (home work) or a commercial Mechanical or HVAC classification (commercial jobs over $50,000).

Trade exam. Trade exam for your classification, given by PSI, open book. Residential HVAC requires a test.

Business exam. Mississippi Law and Business Management exam, required for every applicant, given by PSI.

Keeping it. Every year. Each qualifying party on a residential license issued on or after July 1, 2015 needs 2 hours of continuing education from a board approved provider.

Coming from another state. Mississippi can waive the trade exam for qualified license holders from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee, and still accepts passing exam scores from Louisiana. What is waived depends on the state and trade. Everyone still takes the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam.

What the Mississippi license costs

The fees the Mississippi State Board of Contractors lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What HVAC technicians earn in Mississippi

The median HVAC technician in Mississippi earned $23.41 an hour in May 2025, 49th of 51 states, with 2,700 on payrolls. The national median was $29.33.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of HVAC technicians in Mississippi earned under $19.05 an hour and a tenth under $17.39. At the top, a quarter earned over $29.51 and a tenth over $36.65.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: HVAC technician salary in Mississippi.

Jobs ahead in Mississippi

Mississippi's labor market office projects jobs for HVAC technicians growing from 2,820 in 2022 to 3,390 in 2032, a change of 20.2%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 310 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 20.2% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 5.5% projected nationally, ranking 5th of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.

Starting your own HVAC technician business in Mississippi

To contract on your own in Mississippi, the license is the Residential HVAC (home work) or a commercial Mechanical or HVAC classification (commercial jobs over $50,000).

Insurance. Proof of general liability insurance is required for every license and renewal. There is no minimum for residential licenses. Commercial licenses need at least $300,000 per occurrence or $600,000 aggregate. Send proof of workers comp if you have 5 or more employees. MSBOC must be listed on the policy for cancellation notice.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Mississippi median of $23.41 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $111.70 per billable hour. Try your own in the HVAC technician labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start an HVAC business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.