Mississippi · Concrete licensing · official-source guide
Yes. The Mississippi State Board of Contractors licenses concrete contractors statewide. Commercial concrete work on contracts of $50,000 or more needs a certificate of responsibility carrying the Concrete or Concrete Paving specialty classification, and both require a trade exam. Residential concrete falls under Residential Builder or Remodeler once the job passes the statutory dollar thresholds.
Verified against agency sources on 2026-10-26. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Concrete contracting in Mississippi is licensed at the state level by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, usually written MSBOC. The board was established in 1952 and is made up of ten members appointed to staggered terms by the Governor. The board members select the executive director and set licensing policy. There is no separate state concrete board and no county concrete board. One agency in Jackson handles both the commercial side and the residential side of concrete work. Two separate bodies of law feed the same agency. Commercial licensing runs on Title 31, Chapter 3 of the Mississippi Code, which creates the certificate of responsibility. Residential licensing runs on Title 73, Chapter 59, the Residential Builders and Remodelers law. A concrete company that pours commercial slabs and foundations and also does residential driveways can end up touching both chapters, because the chapters set different dollar thresholds and use different classification names. That split matters when you are selling work rather than studying for a test. A flatwork crew that quotes a parking lot for a shopping center is in Title 31 territory. The same crew quoting a homeowner for a rear patio and footings is in Title 73 territory. The board publishes both the commercial and the residential laws and rules as separate documents, and it expects the contractor to track changes in both. The board also runs a statewide investigative team that visits job sites to check the license of contractors and subcontractors, so the classification printed on your certificate is the one you have to be able to defend on site.
The single number that decides whether a commercial concrete job needs a Mississippi certificate of responsibility is fifty thousand dollars. Section 31-3-1 defines a contractor as any person contracting or undertaking as prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier to do erection, building, construction, reconstruction, demolition, repair, maintenance or related work on any public or private project. The definition then carves out any contract, subcontract or undertaking that is less than $50,000.00. Read the phrase "of any tier" closely, because concrete is almost always subcontracted. The threshold is not measured against the general contractor's total contract. It is measured against your concrete subcontract. A foundation and slab package worth $50,000 or more on a private warehouse puts you inside the chapter even though you never signed with the owner. A $30,000 sidewalk and curb package on the same site does not. The pressure runs uphill as well as down. The commercial rules bar a contractor or subcontractor from awarding work regulated by the chapter, equal to or exceeding $50,000.00 on public and private projects, to another contractor or subcontractor who was not duly licensed by the board as of the date of the award. That is why general contractors in Mississippi ask for your certificate number before they will even cut a subcontract for a slab pour. Losing the certificate does not just expose you to the board. It removes you from the bid list of every general contractor who reads the statute. Highway projects designated as federal aid projects, where federal funds are involved, sit outside the chapter under a separate exclusion.
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MSBOC issues a specialty classification named Concrete, and the board marks it test required. The published scope is specific enough to be worth quoting when a general contractor questions what you may pour. It covers concrete forming and placing, assembling of forms, molds, slipforms and pans. The scope of work includes construction, erection, maintenance and repair of foundations for buildings, equipment or machinery, as well as centering, trenching, excavating, backfilling and grading in connection with concrete construction. The classification encompasses both flat and vertical concrete construction. The board lists concrete chimneys, floors, piers and foundations, and the placing of steel mesh or reinforcing bars or rods. It also includes construction of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and curbs. The classification picks up traffic control, signs, striping and non-electrical guardrails. There is one boundary that catches flatwork companies. The Concrete classification does not include the construction of streets, roads or highways. If your work moves from a private parking lot to a public street or a road rebuild, you are outside Concrete and into the separate Concrete Paving classification. Concrete sits as a specialty under the Building Construction major classification on the commercial list. The board states that holding a major classification entitles the license holder to perform all of the specialty classifications noted within that major classification category. An applicant who does not want a major classification may instead choose an unlimited number of specialty classifications. MSBOC offers six major commercial classifications: Building Construction, Heavy Construction, Highway Street and Bridge Work, Mechanical Work, Electrical Work, and Municipal and Public Works Construction. Building Construction is the one that carries Concrete, and its own scope already reaches parking areas, driveways and sidewalks. Testing once for Building Construction can be cheaper than buying specialties one at a time, because one classification selection is included with the application fee and each additional selection costs an extra $100 fee, with fees non-refundable. The board also notes that any question about the applicability of these definitions is ultimately subject to the final decision of the board, under its authority to classify work in Miss. Code Ann. 31-3-13(h).
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Concrete Paving is a second specialty classification, also marked test required, and it is the one that covers public roadway work. The board describes it as including the construction, rehabilitation and repair of concrete streets, roads, highways, driveways, parking lots, airport runways and aprons, and concrete work incidental to that paving. The overlap with Concrete is real but the edges are not the same. Concrete stops short of streets, roads and highways. Concrete Paving starts there and reaches runways and aprons. A contractor who pours building foundations and also bids municipal street panels needs to look at both classifications rather than assume one swallows the other. Because MSBOC charges per classification beyond the first, carrying both is a budgeting decision as much as a licensing one. This distinction decides which public bids you can legally pursue. Mississippi public agencies that award contracts involving public funds of $50,000.00 or more must return unopened any bid submitted by a contractor who does not hold the required certificate of responsibility. The classification on the certificate has to match the work advertised. Showing up with Concrete alone on a Department of Transportation style street rebuild is the kind of mismatch that gets a bid set aside before anyone reads your price. If you are unsure which side a project falls on, the board retains the final say on classifying the types of work a contractor is qualified to perform. Asking a licensing agent before you buy the wrong exam is cheaper than buying a second classification later.
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Masonry work has its own specialty classification, Masonry, Brick and Stone. Its published scope involves forming, placing, finishing, installing, repairing, maintaining and replacing masonry products. The scope includes cutting and laying brick or other baked clay products, concrete block or other unit masonry products, pre-cast block, and structural glass brick or block. The part that matters to a combined concrete and masonry company is the second half of that definition. The classification also covers pouring, placing and finishing concrete flatwork, including placement of edge forms, mesh reinforcement and plastic vapor barriers incidental to it. So a mason holding Masonry, Brick and Stone is not barred from the slab that sits under the brick. The flatwork has to be incidental to the masonry work rather than the whole job. Note also that the board does not list Masonry, Brick and Stone as test required in the classification index, while it does flag Concrete and Concrete Paving as test required. That is a meaningful difference in how long it takes to get licensed in each. Where a company's core business is flatwork, foundations and vertical concrete rather than brick and block, Concrete is the classification that matches, and the broader foundation, trenching and reinforcing language is the reason. Where the company is a brick and stone contractor that pours its own bedding slabs and footings, Masonry, Brick and Stone may be enough. Companies that do both at full scale often carry more than one specialty, which is exactly what the board's unlimited specialty option is for.
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Residential concrete runs on different numbers. Under Section 73-59-1, a residential builder is anyone who constructs a building or structure for sale for use by another as a residence, or who for compensation undertakes the construction or superintending of the construction of any building or structure not more than three floors in height to be used as a residence, when the total cost of the undertaking exceeds $50,000.00. A remodeler is anyone who for compensation undertakes the construction or superintending of the construction of improvements to an existing residence when the total cost of the improvements exceeds $10,000.00. That $10,000 remodeler threshold is the one that catches residential concrete crews. A driveway replacement, a large patio and footing package, or a foundation repair on an existing house can pass $10,000 quickly. Once it does, the work falls under the residential chapter. The residential classification list has nine entries: Residential Builder, Residential Construction Manager, Residential Electrical, Residential HVAC, Residential Mechanical, Residential Plumbing, Residential Remodeler, Residential Roofer and Residential Solar. Every one is marked test required. There is no residential concrete or residential masonry classification. Residential concrete work therefore sits inside Residential Builder or Residential Remodeler rather than in a trade-specific license. Residential Builder covers construction, remodeling, repair or improvement of any residential building or structure to be occupied by fifty or fewer families and not more than three floors in height, or any commercial structure where the job is not more than 7,500 square feet. Residential Remodeler covers remodeling, repair or improvement of any residential building or structure not more than three floors in height.
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Mississippi licenses the company, but a person stands behind it. MSBOC calls that person the qualifying party. The qualifying party is the individual responsible for taking any required exams, and must be an owner, officer or responsible managing employee. The board describes the qualifier as the person who sits for the exams and is responsible for the construction operations, and who has the relevant hands-on experience required for the license classification. The board allows multiple qualifying parties on one license. A concrete company can have one qualifying party who takes the trade exam and a different one who takes the business and law exam. The commercial rules also limit how widely one individual can spread themselves: a person cannot serve as the qualifying party for more than three separate entities without first appearing before the board and being granted special permission. MSBOC does not publish a fixed number of years of concrete experience on its application page. Instead, Section 31-3-13 directs the board to consider experience and ability, character, manner of performance of previous contracts, financial condition, personnel, work completed, work on hand, ability to perform satisfactorily, default in complying with the law, and the results of objective standardized examinations. The application has a classification and experience section where the applicant states the type of work sought, and reference letters from parties the applicant has worked with, such as another contractor, an architect or a supplier, are part of the package. Applicants have 180 days to complete the application process. After 180 days, incomplete applications are destroyed. A United States social security number is required for each qualifying party, and no other identification is accepted.
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Commercial applicants face a financial test that residential applicants do not. MSBOC requires anyone completing a commercial application to provide a reviewed financial statement prepared by a Certified Public Accountant. That statement must show a net worth of $50,000 or greater for a major classification, or $20,000 or greater for a specialty classification. Concrete and Concrete Paving are specialties, so the $20,000 figure is the one a flatwork and foundation company is measured against. The board uses the statement to judge financial responsibility to perform work of $50,000.00 or more on public and private projects. Liability insurance is required on both sides, with different standards. Commercial applicants must include a certificate of general liability insurance and must show coverage of at least $300,000 per occurrence or $600,000 aggregate. MSBOC must be listed on the policy so it is notified if coverage is cancelled. Residential applicants face no minimum coverage amount, only proof of coverage. Workers compensation is tied to headcount. An applicant with five or more employees must submit proof of workers compensation coverage. For a concrete crew that runs seasonal labor, that threshold is worth watching. Corporations, limited liability companies and limited liability partnerships must attach proof of good standing with the Mississippi Secretary of State. A Mississippi income tax identification number is required, along with a federal tax identification number for entities, or a social security number for a sole proprietor. A Mississippi sales tax number or use tax number is required on all commercial applications.
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All MSBOC exams are administered by PSI and are open book. Scheduling runs through the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin, which carries registration instructions, reference materials, exam content outlines and testing locations. You cannot schedule an exam until MSBOC has your application, notifies PSI of your eligibility, and PSI emails you a confirmation notice. Two kinds of exam exist. The Mississippi Law and Business Management exam is required for all applicants, with no exception for concrete specialties. A trade exam may also be required depending on the classification. Concrete and Concrete Paving are both flagged test required in the classification list, so a concrete contractor is normally looking at the business and law exam plus a concrete trade exam. There is an optional route for contractors who work across state lines. The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building is accepted by multiple state licensing agencies, and a general building contractor may take it instead of the Mississippi Building Construction exam. NASCLA also publishes a study aid and practice exam for the Mississippi Business and Law exam. MSBOC lists exam preparation companies on its testing page for informational purposes only, and is blunt about what they do: trade exam prep courses do not teach a trade. They are designed to help with testing formats, test-taking skills and exam anxiety. After you pass and your application is complete, it goes to the board. Completed applications are submitted weekly on Fridays, only fully completed applications are reviewed, and approved licenses are issued the following Wednesday.
MSBOC publishes a fee schedule, effective January 1, 2016, and the numbers are flat rather than scaled to contract size. A commercial application costs $400.00. A commercial license renewal is also $400.00, with a late fee of $50.00. Each additional classification on a commercial license costs $100.00, which is the figure that decides whether carrying both Concrete and Concrete Paving is worth it. A commercial name change is $50.00. The residential side is cheaper. A residential application is $50.00. A residential license renewal is $100.00, with a late fee of $10.00. A duplicate license fee is $50.00 for either commercial or residential. Several administrative fees come up over the life of a concrete business. Reciprocity or verification of license is $25.00. A request to transfer to inactive status is $25.00, and so is a request to transfer back to active status, which matters for an owner who winters down. A request for change in qualifying party is $25.00, relevant when the person who holds your concrete trade exam leaves. A request for waiver of exam is $50.00. A returned check fee is $40.00. On top of the application and renewal fees in Section 31-3-13, Section 31-3-14 requires all holders of a certificate of responsibility to pay a fee equal to $200.00 at the time of application or renewal. Application fees are non-refundable, and the board accepts checks and money orders payable to MSBOC but not cash.
A Mississippi license is an annual item. Original certificates of responsibility expire one year from the date of issuance. The board is explicit that the certificate holder has a duty to renew annually, and that failure by the board to notify the holder of the expiration date does not excuse the holder from renewing and paying the annual tax. Beginning in 2026, MSBOC relies solely on email to send annual renewal notices, roughly 60 days before the expiration date printed on the certificate, to the address of record. Keeping that email address current is now part of keeping the license. There is a grace period with a hard edge. A commercial or residential license can be processed as a late renewal for up to 180 days after the expiration date printed on the certificate. A license expired for more than 180 days cannot be renewed at all and requires a new application instead. For a concrete company, that means a lapse past 180 days sends you back through the financial statement, the references and potentially the exams. Continuing education applies to the residential side. Two credit hours of continuing education taught by a board approved provider or instructor must be obtained each year to maintain a residential license, and proof of compliance must be submitted with the renewal application by each qualifying party. A continuing education credit equals a 50 minute credit hour of instruction. The requirement applies to residential licenses issued on or after July 1, 2015, and anyone holding a valid residential license before that date is exempt. No carryover is allowed.
Mississippi has reciprocity agreements with several states, and MSBOC is precise about their limits. Reciprocity applies to waiver of a trade exam requirement only. Each agreement varies and may not cover all classifications. Applying by reciprocity does not waive any other application requirement or the board's review. All applicants are required to take the Mississippi Business and Law exam, no matter which state they come from. Concrete contractors have one named path. The North Carolina State Licensing Board for General Contractors agreement waives exams including Building Construction, Residential Building, Concrete, Excavation and Grading, Roofing, Swimming Pools, Water Lines and Sewer, Marine and Freshwater Construction and Railroads. The applicant must hold a current license, must have taken the exam, and must have had no disciplinary action during the last three years. Broad agreements exist with neighbors. The Alabama General Contractors Board and the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board waive all exams except mechanical and plumbing types. The Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors waives all exams and is the only state that waives mechanical and plumbing. Georgia, Florida, California, South Carolina and Ohio agreements are narrower and mostly aimed at building or trade-specific classifications. MSBOC no longer maintains an agreement with Louisiana but will still recognize passing Louisiana examination scores and waive the otherwise required trade exam for qualifying applicants. Two statutes widen the door further. Under the Military Family Freedom Act, Mississippi recognizes occupational licenses from other states for military members and their families. Under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licensure Act, Mississippi recognizes occupational licenses obtained from other states.
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Mississippi enforces this with both money and a lost right to sue. On the commercial side, Section 31-3-21 makes it unlawful for any person who does not hold a certificate of responsibility to submit a bid, enter into a contract, or otherwise engage in or continue in the business of a contractor. A bid submitted without a certificate number, and without that number appearing on the exterior of the bid envelope, is not considered further, and the soliciting person or public agency may not enter into a contract with that bidder. Knowingly and willfully submitting a bid without holding a certificate is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00, imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. The board also has its own lever. On a finding of a violation, after notice and hearing, MSBOC may issue an order of abatement directing the contractor to cease the violating actions until it complies with Mississippi law, and may order payment of a civil penalty of not more than three percent of the total contract being performed. The residential consequence is sharper for a concrete subcontractor's cash flow. Under Section 73-59-9, undertaking residential construction without a valid license, or knowingly filing false information to obtain one, is a misdemeanor with a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than $5,000.00, imprisonment of not less than thirty nor more than sixty days, or both. An unlicensed contractor also may not bring any action at law or in equity to enforce the contract, and is limited to recovering actual documented expenses for labor, materials or both. The board may separately levy a monetary penalty of not less than $100.00 and not more than $5,000.00 for each violation.
This is the part most concrete contractors miss, because it is a board rule rather than a headline statute. Rule 1.2, Display of Building Permit, says that once a building permit is issued to a residential builder or remodeler, or to the holder of a certificate of responsibility, by a municipal or county building official or any other authority that issues local building permits, the licensee must exhibit a sign at the permitted job site. The sign must prominently display, in lettering at least two inches high and twelve inches wide, the license or certificate of responsibility number and the state issuing it. For a driveway or foundation crew working out of a truck, that is a physical sign on the job, not a line on an invoice. Rule 1.3 adds a contract requirement. A holder of a valid residential builder, remodeler or roofer license must give written disclosure at the time of contracting about whether it carries general liability insurance. The disclosure goes on the contracting document immediately before the space reserved for the purchaser's signature, in bold and conspicuous type with a font size larger than the rest of the contract, and names the insurer and the policy number. Section 31-3-13 carries a parallel disclosure requirement for certificate holders. On public commercial bids, the certificate number has to appear on the outside of the bid envelope, or the envelope must state that the enclosed bid did not exceed $50,000.00. For a joint venture bidding a public project over that amount without its own certificate, each member contractor must place its certificate of responsibility number on the envelope. Mississippi's contractor statutes do not set out a general advertising disclosure rule for signs, vehicles or websites beyond these provisions.
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A state license does not substitute for a local permit, and for concrete work the permit is where the local layer bites. Board Rule 1.2 assumes that municipal and county building officials, or any other authority charged with issuing local building permits, are the ones issuing permits to licensed builders, remodelers and certificate holders. MSBOC maintains a separate section of its site for public works and building officials, and its investigative team works alongside that permit layer by visiting job sites to verify licenses. Mississippi also ties a tax permit to the building permit. Section 73-59-18 requires all residential contractors, in order to obtain a building permit in Mississippi, to possess a permit from the Department of Revenue issued under Section 27-65-27. For that section, a residential contractor is anyone contracting or offering to contract with an owner or possessor of residential real estate to construct a residence or appurtenant structure, or to repair or renovate any portion of one, regardless of the cost of the project. That "regardless of cost" language is important: a small concrete repair that falls under the $10,000 remodeler threshold can still require the Department of Revenue permit before a city will issue a building permit. On the Gulf Coast, the City of Gulfport runs Building Code Services inside its Urban Development department. That office publishes permit requirements, fees, project approval timelines, adopted codes and inspections, handles plan reviews, and takes applications through an online drop box, in person, or by mail to its 24th Avenue office. Expect the same pattern in Jackson, Biloxi, Southaven and Hattiesburg: the state issues the license, the city issues the permit and inspects the pour.
MSBOC runs a public license lookup, and it is the first place a general contractor, an owner or a building official will go. The Consolidated Search tool at search.msboc.us lets anyone search by name or by license number. If you search by license number the board tells you to enter numbers only, without the letter prefix or suffix. The board attaches a disclosure noting that circumstances may have changed since publication and recommending that users contact the office before making decisions based on the results. The search returns what a buyer actually cares about: the license number, the expiration date and the license status. The board points new licensees to the same tool, telling them to search the name they applied under after 12:00 PM on Wednesdays, which is when approved licenses are issued. Two practical consequences follow for a concrete company selling work. First, the name on your certificate is the name you must be searchable under. MSBOC warns that you must conduct business under the exact name shown on the application, that this is the name printed on the certificate, and that conducting business under any other name is equivalent to unlicensed construction and may subject you to a penalty. A concrete company trading under a shortened brand name that does not match the certificate will fail the search a general contractor runs. Second, MSBOC publishes a violators database alongside the contractor search. An enforcement finding is visible to the same audience that checks your license. Keeping the renewal current and the name exact is part of staying bid-eligible, not just part of staying legal.
These are common details other guides publish about Mississippi, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
Yes, if your own subcontract reaches the threshold. Section 31-3-1 defines a contractor as a prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier, and excludes only undertakings under $50,000.00. Your concrete subcontract is measured on its own, not against the general contractor's total. The general also cannot legally award you work at or above that amount unlicensed.
The Concrete specialty classification. Its published scope includes forming and placing, assembling forms, molds, slipforms and pans, and construction, maintenance and repair of foundations for buildings, equipment or machinery. It also covers trenching, excavating, backfilling and grading in connection with concrete construction, both flat and vertical work, and placing steel mesh or reinforcing bars. MSBOC marks it test required.
No. The board's Concrete classification explicitly does not include construction of streets, roads or highways. Public roadway work falls under the separate Concrete Paving classification, which covers construction, rehabilitation and repair of concrete streets, roads, highways, driveways, parking lots, airport runways and aprons. Each additional classification on a commercial license costs an extra $100.00.
No. MSBOC's residential list has nine classifications, and none is concrete or masonry specific. Residential concrete work sits inside Residential Builder or Residential Remodeler. A remodeler license is required once improvements to an existing residence exceed $10,000.00, and a residential builder license once the total cost of new residential construction exceeds $50,000.00.
Commercial applicants must submit a reviewed financial statement prepared by a Certified Public Accountant. For a specialty classification such as Concrete or Concrete Paving, that statement must show a net worth of $20,000 or greater. A major classification such as Building Construction requires $50,000 or greater. Residential applicants are not required to submit a financial statement at all.
MSBOC requires commercial applicants to show coverage of at least $300,000 per occurrence or $600,000 aggregate, and to submit a certificate of insurance with the application. MSBOC must be listed on the policy so it is notified if coverage is cancelled. Residential applicants face no minimum amount, only proof of coverage. Five or more employees triggers workers compensation proof.
The Mississippi Law and Business Management exam is required for every applicant. Concrete and Concrete Paving are both marked test required, so a concrete trade exam normally applies as well. PSI administers all MSBOC exams and they are open book. You cannot schedule until MSBOC notifies PSI of your eligibility and PSI emails a confirmation notice.
Only the trade exam, and only through a matching agreement. The North Carolina State Licensing Board for General Contractors agreement waives the Concrete exam for applicants holding a current license who took the exam and had no disciplinary action in three years. Every applicant still takes the Mississippi Business and Law exam and completes the full application.
A commercial or residential license can be processed as a late renewal for up to 180 days after the expiration date printed on the certificate. Past 180 days it cannot be renewed and you must file a new application. Commercial late renewal carries a $50.00 fee, residential $10.00. Renewal notices now go out only by email.
Yes, where a local building permit was issued. Board rule 1.2 requires the licensed residential builder, remodeler or certificate of responsibility holder to exhibit a sign at the permitted job site showing the license or certificate number and the issuing state, in lettering at least two inches high and twelve inches wide.
On residential work it is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than $5,000.00, thirty to sixty days in jail, or both, and the board may levy $100.00 to $5,000.00 per violation. You also lose the right to sue to enforce the contract, recovering only documented labor and material expenses.
At the MSBOC Consolidated Search tool, which searches by contractor name or license number and returns the license number, expiration date and status. Search by number using digits only, with no letter prefix or suffix. The board also publishes a violators database beside the contractor search, so enforcement findings reach the same audience.
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