How to become a plumber in Mississippi

The path in Mississippi, step by step

Mississippi licenses plumbing 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 Plumbing for home work, or the commercial Plumbing or Mechanical 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 and at least three reference letters, one from your bank.
4. Get general liability insurance, 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. Renew every year and take your continuing education hours.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: plumbing 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. Most plumbers learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction each year.

License levels and exams in Mississippi

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

Trade exam. Trade exam for your classification, given by PSI, open book. Residential Plumbing and the commercial Plumbing classification both require a test.

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

Keeping it. Every year. Residential license holders with licenses issued on or after July 1, 2015 need 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 some states. What is waived depends on the state and trade. Everyone still takes the Mississippi Business and Law 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 plumbers earn in Mississippi

The median plumber in Mississippi earned $26.67 an hour in May 2025, 46th of 51 states, with 3,360 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Mississippi earned under $19.72 an hour and a tenth under $17.23. At the top, a quarter earned over $30.31 and a tenth over $36.29.

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

Jobs ahead in Mississippi

Mississippi's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 3,570 in 2022 to 4,250 in 2032, a change of 19%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 400 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 19% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% 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 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.

Starting your own plumber business in Mississippi

To contract on your own in Mississippi, the license is the Residential Plumbing (home work) or the commercial Plumbing 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.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Mississippi median of $26.67 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $117.43 per billable hour. Try your own in the plumber labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a plumbing 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.