How to become a licensed electrician in Mississippi

Licensing office Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) · (601) 354-6161 [7][14]

The license pathway in Mississippi

1. 1

   Helper or apprentice electrician

   The state has no license or registration at this level. You work for an electrical contractor. In Jackson, only a master can pull a permit, and the master must supervise the people on the job. [4][7]

2. 2

   Journeyman electrician (city license; Jackson rules shown)

   • 4 years of experience
   • National Standard Journeyman Electrician Exam for the code Jackson has adopted; you pay the testing facility
   • Yearly

   Jackson requires four years of work experience (the building official may count trade or technical school), three reference letters from master electricians and a passing exam score. Other cities set their own rules. [5]

3. 3

   Master electrician (city license; Jackson Class A-1 shown)

   • 4 years of experience
   • At least four years of apprentice training, or the equivalent in a recognized technical school or college
   • National Standard Master Electrician Exam
   • Yearly

   For Jackson's unlimited Class A-1 license you need the apprentice training plus at least four years as a journeyman (or two years in charge of industrial and commercial jobs as an electrical contractor). Class A-2 (residential) needs two years of training plus four years as a journeyman. [5]

4. 4

   Residential electrical contractor (MSBOC)

   • Residential Electrician exam: 60 questions, 3 hours, open book, 70% to pass; plus the 50-question Law and Business Management exam
   • $50 application; $120 PSI fee per exam portion
   • Yearly ($100); 2 hours CE

   Needed by any electrical subcontractor working on a residential construction or improvement project, no matter the dollar amount. The application asks for three reference letters and at least three jobs you completed in the classification. [1][11][12][13][16]

5. 5

   Commercial electrical contractor (MSBOC Certificate of Responsibility)

   • Master Electrician exam (80 questions, 3 hours, open book, 70% to pass) or the NASCLA accredited electrical exam; plus Law and Business Management
   • $400 application; $120 PSI fee per exam portion
   • Yearly ($400)

   Needed for commercial jobs over $50,000. You also need a CPA-reviewed financial statement (net worth of at least $50,000 for a major classification such as Electrical) and liability insurance of $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate. [2][3][8][11][12][14]

Who needs a license in Mississippi

Mississippi licenses the business, not the worker. Under state law (Miss. Code § 73-59-3, current through the 2026 sessions; MSBOC's current FAQ says the same), any subcontractor, of any tier, doing electrical work on a residential construction or improvement project must hold an MSBOC license, "no matter the dollar amount." Commercial contractors and subcontractors need an MSBOC commercial license for jobs over $50,000 (Miss. Code § 31-3-1). Installing solar on homes has its own MSBOC license: the law requires a residential solar contractor license for anyone who installs, modifies, maintains and repairs thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems.

MSBOC's licenses go to contracting businesses. Each one names a qualifying party: an owner, officer or managing employee who takes the exams for the company and actually works in the licensed trade.

Individual journeyman and master licenses come from cities. In Jackson, all journeyman and master electricians must hold the right license before doing work that needs a permit, only a master may get a permit, and the master must supervise the people on the job. [1][2][3][4][6][7][8]

Jackson's journeyman and master electrician licenses

Jackson's planning and development department issues the city's electrician licenses. Each is valid for one year.

• Journeyman electrician: an application, four years of work experience (education at a technical or trade school may count, with the building official's approval), three reference letters from master electricians, copies of any other licenses you hold and a passing score on the National Standard Journeyman Electrician Exam for the code the city has adopted. You pay the testing fee to the testing facility.
• Master electrician, Class A-1 (all buildings): at least four years of apprentice training (or the equivalent at a recognized technical school or college) plus at least four years as a journeyman, and the National Standard Master Electrician Exam.
• Class A-2 (homes wired in nonmetallic sheathed cable): two years of training plus four years as a journeyman.
• Class B (maintenance electrician for one employer) and Class C (short circuits for air conditioning-heating or sign contractors) are narrower licenses.

Jackson grants an equivalent city license to holders of an MSBOC certificate with the matching classification, and to people licensed by another Mississippi city or county who passed a written exam. Other cities write their own rules; Gulfport, for example, has its own electrical examining board for electrical contractors. Check with the building department where you'll work. [4][5][9]

MSBOC electrical contractor licenses

• Residential Electrical: limited to residential electrical work. You take the Residential Electrician exam (60 questions, 3 hours) and the Law and Business Management exam (50 questions, 2 hours). The application fee is $50, and the license renews yearly for $100 with two hours of continuing education (CE).
• Electrical (commercial major classification): for commercial work over $50,000. You take the Master Electrician exam (80 questions, 3 hours) or the NASCLA (National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies) accredited electrical exam, plus Law and Business. The application fee is $400, and it renews yearly for $400. You need a reviewed financial statement showing a net worth of at least $50,000 and liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate.

PSI gives all the exams, and all are open book. You need 70% to pass. PSI charges $120 per exam portion. A residential license expires 12 months after it's issued or renewed; you can still renew within 180 days after it expires by paying the fee plus a 10% penalty. Both applications ask for three reference letters (one from your bank) and a list of at least three jobs you completed in the classification you want. [1][8][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

• Union: The Electrical Training Alliance lists four IBEW/NECA JATCs (short for Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee) in Mississippi: Jackson (based in Byram), Gulfport (Local 903), Meridian and Corinth-Tupelo. IBEW/NECA programs may require a diploma or GED, one year of algebra and an aptitude test.
• Open shop: The Mississippi Construction Education Foundation's Build Mississippi program runs a 4-year electrical apprenticeship with classes in Pearl or Gulfport. You must be 18 with a diploma or GED to register with the U.S. Department of Labor.

A 2026 law (House Bill 1696) created the Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship under the State Workforce Investment Board as the state's apprenticeship registration agency, effective July 1, 2026. [18][19][20][21]

If you're licensed in another state

MSBOC's agreements waive only the trade exam: everyone takes the Mississippi Business and Law exam and completes the full application. For electrical work, MSBOC lists exam waivers with the Alabama Electrical Board, the North Carolina Electrical Contractors Board (after one year licensed), the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, the South Carolina Contractors Licensing Board and Residential Builders Commission, and the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. It also still accepts passing Louisiana exam scores. Arkansas's agreement does not cover electrical work.

Under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act, someone who has established Mississippi residency and has held a similar license in another state for at least one year, or worked three years in a state that doesn't license construction, can ask MSBOC to waive the trade exam. Military members and their families are covered by the Military Family Freedom Act.

The law also says nonresident contractors must be licensed by MSBOC to do residential construction or improvement work in Mississippi. [1][3][14][22][23]

Steps to get licensed in Mississippi

1. Get hired or apply to an apprenticeship

   Apply to an IBEW/NECA JATC or MCEF, or take a job with an electrical contractor. There's no state registration. [7][18][20]

2. Build your experience under a master

   Jackson's journeyman license requires four years of work experience. Keep records and ask master electricians you work for to write reference letters later. [5]

3. Pass the journeyman exam and get your city license

   In Jackson, apply to the planning and development department with your application, three reference letters from master electricians and a passing score on the National Standard Journeyman Electrician Exam. Other cities have their own rules. [4][5]

4. Move up to master

   Jackson's Class A-1 master license needs apprentice training plus at least four more years as a journeyman and the National Standard Master Electrician Exam. [5]

5. License your business with MSBOC

   To contract electrical work yourself, apply to MSBOC, pass the trade exam and the Law and Business Management exam with PSI, and renew every year. [7][11][15]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train electricians in or for Mississippi, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  IBEW/NECA electrical JATCs in Mississippi

  The Electrical Training Alliance lists four joint apprenticeship and training committees (JATCs) in Mississippi: Jackson JATC (Byram), Local Union 903 IBEW/JATC (Gulfport), Meridian Area Electricians JATC and Corinth-Tupelo JATC. [18]

• Open shop

  MCEF electrical apprenticeship (Build Mississippi)

  The Mississippi Construction Education Foundation runs a 4-year electrical apprenticeship with NCCER credentials. You work full time for an employer and train part time in Pearl or Gulfport. [20]

• Other

  MCEF Kickstart electrical class

  An 8-week paid class that teaches wiring, safety and electrical basics and includes OSHA 10 (OSHA 10-hour safety course) and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)/first aid certification. [20]

Licensed in another state?

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