Mississippi: HVAC contractor licensing, reciprocity and contract rules.

This page lists what Mississippi publishes about licensing an HVAC or mechanical contractor and contracting with homeowners: who issues the licence, whether one is required statewide, the classes and qualifications, insurance or bond minimums, reciprocity with other states, renewal and continuing education, and the state's home-improvement contract statute if it has one.

It is built for owners of residential HVAC companies, especially those hiring across a state line or opening a second territory. Every entry is a snapshot of what the cited source published on the verification date; it is a research starting point, not legal advice.

Mississippi, field by field.

Contractor licensing authority

Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC). It issues Certificates of Responsibility to commercial contractors under Miss. Code Ann. Title 31, Chapter 3, and licenses residential builders, remodelers and residential electrical, plumbing, mechanical and HVAC subcontractors under Title 73, Chapter 59. MSBOC states "Commercial and residential contractors and roofers are required to be licensed."

HVAC licence required

Statewide — on residential construction or improvement projects "Any subcontractor, of any tier, performing the following work ... (iii) Mechanical; and/or (iv) Heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning" must be licensed by the Board "no matter the dollar amount of the construction or improvements" (Miss. Code Ann. § 73-59-3(1)(d)); on commercial and public projects a Certificate of Responsibility is required and "It shall be unlawful for any person who does not hold a certificate of responsibility issued under this chapter to submit a bid, enter into a contract, or otherwise engage in ... the business of a contractor" (§ 31-3-21(1)), with contracts "less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00)" excluded from the definition of contractor (§ 31-3-1(a)).

Licence classes & qualifications

Residential: "Residential HVAC" ("installation, maintenance, and repair of residential hvac systems"; Residential HVAC Test required) and "Residential Mechanical" (residential HVAC and plumbing; Residential HVAC Test and Residential Plumbing Test required). Commercial: major classification "Mechanical" ("all aspects of heating, cooling, refrigeration and associated equipment piping and ductwork") and specialty "Heat, Ventilation, A/C – HVAC", "Ductwork for Heating, A/C and Ventilation" and "Refrigeration" (tests required). All applicants "are required to take the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam"; passing score is 70% (Residential Rule 1.1(1)(m); Commercial Rule 1.1(9)); applicants submit a minimum of three reference letters, one from the applicant's bank or financial institution, and commercial applicants file a CPA-reviewed financial statement showing net worth of at least $50,000 (major classification) or $20,000 (specialty) (Commercial Rule 1.1(2)(i)).

Insurance / bond minimum

Commercial: "a certificate of insurance evidencing current minimum coverage of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 300,000) per occurrence and Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($ 600,000) aggregate for general liability purposes" with MSBOC listed as certificate holder (Commercial Rule 1.1(2)(j)). Residential: MSBOC states "There is no minimum coverage amount required for residential applicants, just proof of coverage"; Residential Rule 1.1(1)(k) requires an applicant for a residential builder or remodeler licence to provide a certificate of liability insurance under which the Board is notified of cancellation of coverage, and liability insurance is not required for inactive licensees. Workers' compensation proof is required "If you have 5 or more employees" (MSBOC licences page). No surety-bond requirement for licensure appears in §§ 31-3-1 et seq., §§ 73-59-1 et seq. or the MSBOC pages read.

Reciprocity

MSBOC publishes trade-exam waivers (the Mississippi Business and Law exam is still required) with: Alabama (General Contractors Board — HVAC waivable, Mechanical and Plumbing not; Electrical Board; Heating and Air; Home Builders Licensure Board; Plumbers & Gas Fitters Examining Board, commercial plumbing exam only), Arkansas (all except mechanical/HVAC and electrical), California (Commercial Building only), Florida (General Building or Residential Building Construction), Georgia, Louisiana (formal agreement ended but LA exam scores still accepted; HVAC waivable, Mechanical and Plumbing not), North Carolina (Electrical Contractors Board; General Contractors Board), Ohio ("Electrical, HVAC, Plumbing and/or Refrigeration"), South Carolina (Contractors Licensing Board; Residential Builders Commission incl. Residential HVAC), Tennessee (all exams — "This is the only state that waives Mechanical and Plumbing"). Residential Rule 1.1(1)(o) exempts a licensee of another state from the written exam if the Board finds the foreign requirements equivalent and that state extends the same privilege to Mississippi licensees; Commercial Rule 1.1(2)(o) lets the Executive Director accept a comparable examination passed in another state.

Renewal & continuing education

Annual renewal: a residential licence "shall expire on the last day of the twelfth month following its issuance or renewal" with late renewal within 180 days plus a 10% penalty (§ 73-59-3(5)); commercial certificates "shall expire one (1) year from the date of issuance" (§ 31-3-13(a)). CE: "Each qualifying party for a residential license must complete two (2) credit hours" per year from a Board-approved provider, applying to residential licences issued on or after July 1, 2015 (MSBOC Residential Rules continuing-education rule adopted under § 73-59-11(g); MSBOC CE page). No CE requirement is published for commercial Certificates of Responsibility.

Home-improvement contract rule

No stand-alone home-improvement contract or right-to-cancel statute was located on the official sources read. The licensing law requires that a licence holder "shall disclose to the owner or other person with whom the holder is contracting at the signing of a contract ... whether the holder carries general liability insurance", in writing, boldfaced, "placed immediately before the space reserved in the contract for the signature of the purchaser" (§ 73-59-11; § 31-3-13). An unlicensed residential builder/remodeler "may not bring any action, either at law or in equity, to enforce any contract for residential building or remodeling" and may recover only documented labor and material expenses proven by clear and convincing evidence (§ 73-59-9(2)); unlicensed residential construction is a misdemeanor punishable by a $100–$5,000 fine and/or 30–60 days in jail (§ 73-59-9(1)).