Transfer Your Plumber License to Mississippi: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) — licenses plumbing CONTRACTORS only; no individual journeyman/master plumber license is issued by the state ↗

No — Mississippi issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is no state credential to receive by reciprocity and no state exam to waive. Not applicable at the individual level: Mississippi issues no state journeyman or master plumber license to individuals, so there is no state journeyman exam to waive or transfer, and individual plumbers are licensed (where required) only by cities/municipalities. At the state level only plumbing CONTRACTORS/companies are licensed, by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors; that contractor reciprocity waives only the trade exam, and every contractor applicant must still pass the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam.. You apply to the contractor board or the specific city or county that governs your worksite.

Moving to Mississippi from a specific state?

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Verdict

Full re-application required

The structural fact first: Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so "which board do I apply to" has no state-level answer and there is no state credential to carry across. Your first task is to identify the authority that governs the jobsite — a contractor-level board, or the city or county where you will work — and read its exam and experience rules directly. Just as important on the way out: a credential earned under Mississippi's regime generally will not satisfy another state's condition that you hold a state license earned by examination, so expect new-applicant treatment if you later move to a state that does license at the state level. Treat the notes below as directions to the right authority, not a transfer checklist.

Mississippi has no state-level individual journeyman or master plumber license — the canonical credential for this dataset does not exist here; individual plumbers are regulated (if at all) by municipalities. The only state plumbing credential is the MSBOC contractor Certificate of Responsibility for companies (commercial work over $50,000; residential plumbing of $10,000 or more). MSBOC contractor reciprocity waives only the trade exam and varies by classification; all applicants must still pass the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam. MSBOC runs a public contractor license search at http://search.msboc.us/ConsolidatedSearch.cfm, but there is no state individual-plumber lookup, so verification_system_url is null.

Mississippi requirements at a glance

Out-of-state plumbing license transfer requirements for Mississippi, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	Not applicable at the individual level: Mississippi issues no state journeyman or master plumber license to individuals, so there is no state journeyman exam to waive or transfer, and individual plumbers are licensed (where required) only by cities/municipalities. At the state level only plumbing CONTRACTORS/companies are licensed, by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors; that contractor reciprocity waives only the trade exam, and every contractor applicant must still pass the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam.
Additional requirements	No Mississippi state-issued individual journeyman/master plumber license exists; check the city or county where you will work for any local plumber licensing State-level plumbing licensing applies to CONTRACTORS/companies via a MSBOC Certificate of Responsibility held by a qualifying individual A state contractor license is required for commercial plumbing work over $50,000 and residential plumbing work of $10,000 or more Contractor applicants must pass the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam; the trade exam may be waived by reciprocity
Fees	No individual state journeyman/master plumber license exists, so there is no state application fee; MSBOC contractor Certificate of Responsibility fees are company-level and separate, and any municipal plumber license fee is set locally.
Processing time	Not applicable; the state issues no individual journeyman plumber license.

Step by step

Confirm Mississippi's current requirements on the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) — licenses plumbing CONTRACTORS only; no individual journeyman/master plumber license is issued by the state website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) — licenses plumbing CONTRACTORS only; no individual journeyman/master plumber license is issued by the state.
Arrange license verification from your current state.
No Mississippi state-issued individual journeyman/master plumber license exists; check the city or county where you will work for any local plumber licensing.
State-level plumbing licensing applies to CONTRACTORS/companies via a MSBOC Certificate of Responsibility held by a qualifying individual.
A state contractor license is required for commercial plumbing work over $50,000 and residential plumbing work of $10,000 or more.
Contractor applicants must pass the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam; the trade exam may be waived by reciprocity.
Pay the fees (No individual state journeyman/master plumber license exists, so there is no state application fee; MSBOC contractor Certificate of Responsibility fees are company-level and separate, and any municipal plumber license fee is set locally.) and allow Not applicable; the state issues no individual journeyman plumber license..

Official links

Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) — licenses plumbing CONTRACTORS only; no individual journeyman/master plumber license is issued by the state ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Mississippi:

California → Mississippi Florida → Mississippi Georgia → Mississippi Illinois → Mississippi Michigan → Mississippi New York → Mississippi North Carolina → Mississippi Ohio → Mississippi Pennsylvania → Mississippi Texas → Mississippi

Frequently asked questions

Does my plumbing license transfer to Mississippi?

Will I have to take Mississippi's plumbing exam?

Not applicable at the individual level: Mississippi issues no state journeyman or master plumber license to individuals, so there is no state journeyman exam to waive or transfer, and individual plumbers are licensed (where required) only by cities/municipalities. At the state level only plumbing CONTRACTORS/companies are licensed, by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors; that contractor reciprocity waives only the trade exam, and every contractor applicant must still pass the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam..

Does Mississippi issue a state plumbing license?

No — Not applicable at the individual level: Mississippi issues no state journeyman or master plumber license to individuals, so there is no state journeyman exam to waive or transfer, and individual plumbers are licensed (where required) only by cities/municipalities. At the state level only plumbing CONTRACTORS/companies are licensed, by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors; that contractor reciprocity waives only the trade exam, and every contractor applicant must still pass the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam.. Because there is no statewide journeyman license, an out-of-state credential is not transferred by reciprocity; you meet the contractor board's or the specific city or county's requirements (verified 2026-07-21).

What will licensing in Mississippi cost an out-of-state plumber, and how long does it take?

No individual state journeyman/master plumber license exists, so there is no state application fee; MSBOC contractor Certificate of Responsibility fees are company-level and separate, and any municipal plumber license fee is set locally.; processing Not applicable; the state issues no individual journeyman plumber license..

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

MSBOC — Reciprocity (contractor trade-exam waiver; Business & Law exam still required) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
MSBOC — Classifications (plumbing is a company/contractor classification) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
MSBOC — Frequently Asked Questions (who must be licensed) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
MSBOC — One-Stop-Shop (monetary thresholds and contractor license search) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]