Mississippi Handyman License Requirements
Mississippi's small-job figure is $10,000. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits.
Miss. Code 73-59-1: 'Remodeler' means one who for compensation undertakes improvements to an existing residence 'when the total cost of the improvements exceeds Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00).' License required only ABOVE $10,000 (a job of exactly $10,000 is under the definition). 'Residential builder' threshold: total cost of undertaking exceeds $50,000. Owner-occupant, relatives, and owner-supervised projects exempt (73-59-15).
What counts toward it: labor+materials (statute: 'total cost of the improvements')
"undertakes or offers to undertake the construction, or superintending of the construction, of improvements to an existing residence when the total cost of the improvements exceeds Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00)."
Source: msboc.us · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) - residential builder/remodeler licensing (Miss. Code 73-59-1 et seq.) and commercial licensing (31-3-1 et seq.).
Source: msboc.us · billstatus.ls.state.ms.us · billstatus.ls.state.ms.us · checked November 2, 2026
Does Mississippi license general and residential work?
Mississippi State Board of Contractors licenses Residential Builders (new residences over $50,000) and Residential Remodelers (improvements to an existing residence over $10,000) under Miss. Code 73-59-1 et seq. Below those amounts no state residential license is required. Commercial (non-residential) contractor licensing under 31-3-1 et seq. has its own thresholds (not fetched).
Source: msboc.us · billstatus.ls.state.ms.us · billstatus.ls.state.ms.us · checked November 2, 2026
When a permit changes the answer
No - license threshold is cost-based only. However 73-59-17: local permit officials 'shall refuse to issue a permit' for any undertaking requiring a license unless applicant shows license or exemption, and must report unlicensed applicants to the board. County/municipal permits must show the contractor's license/certificate number (19-5-9(11) as quoted in 2025 HB1073 text).
Source: msboc.us · billstatus.ls.state.ms.us · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
No state registration tier below $10,000.
Source: msboc.us · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
Residential builder/remodeler licensees: proof of general liability insurance (no minimum amount found in fetched law/rules) and workers' compensation if applicable; 73-59-11 requires a written general liability insurance disclosure to customers. No license bond found.
Source: msboc.us · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in Mississippi
Statewide planning estimate: $66 to $91 an hour. It's an estimate from public data, not the market rate. City pages use local wages when we can match them.
| Step | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| Your pay (employee wage for this work in Mississippi) | $44,350 median | $56,110 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 87.0) | $28,823 | $28,823 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $102,443 | $118,907 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $66 | $91 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Mississippi (statewide figure, because we could not match a metro for this place). The top-quarter figure is in the BLS data file.
- Local prices: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, Mississippi, all items index 87.0 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
Mississippi places we cover (24)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.