Looking for a Mississippi "Journeyman Electrician license"? Mississippi doesn't issue one at the state level. Electrical work above a certain dollar threshold is licensed through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) as a business-level Certificate of Responsibility (commercial) or Residential License — earned by a company's designated "qualifying individual" passing a trade exam plus a Law and Business Management exam. This guide covers exactly what those exams require: format, references, NEC edition, and markup rules, straight from PSI's current Mississippi Contractor Examinations bulletin.
Quick Answer: What Do You Need?
| Licensing authority | Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) |
| What's actually licensed | A business (Commercial Certificate of Responsibility or Residential License) — not an individual Journeyman/Master credential |
| Testing provider | PSI Services LLC (Jackson, MS test center, plus regional PSI sites in LA and AL) |
| Required exams | Law and Business Management exam (all applicants) + a trade exam (Master Electrician, or the NASCLA alternate, or Residential Electrician) |
| Books allowed in the exam room | Yes — every Mississippi contractor exam is open book |
| NEC edition | 2020 for the MSBOC-specific Master/Residential Electrician exams; candidate's choice of 2020 or 2023 for the NASCLA alternate exam |
| Passing score | 70% on MSBOC exams; 75% on the NASCLA alternate exam |
| Exam fee | $120 per exam portion, or $240 for two portions |
Who Regulates Electrical Work in Mississippi?
The Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC), headquartered in Jackson, licenses contractors — including electrical contractors — statewide. MSBOC has contracted with PSI Services LLC to administer its written exams. There are two license tracks: a Commercial Certificate of Responsibility (required for commercial electrical work above certain project value thresholds) and a Residential License (for residential electrical work). Both require a company to designate a "qualifying individual" who passes the required exams on the firm's behalf.
Why There's No Individual Journeyman License
If you've seen third-party sites describing a Mississippi "Journeyman Electrician license," be aware that's not how the state license actually works. MSBOC doesn't certify individual electricians to work independently the way many other states do. Instead, a licensed electrical contracting business designates one qualifying individual who takes the required exams; that person's passing scores qualify the company, not themselves personally, to operate. If that qualifying individual leaves the firm, the company has 90 days to designate and successfully test a replacement, per MSBOC's guidelines.
In practice, this means the "Master Electrician" and "Residential Electrician" exams described below function as the trade-competency portion of a contractor license application — not as a standalone personal certification.
Your Trade Exam Choice: MSBOC Master Electrician vs. NASCLA
For the Commercial Certificate of Responsibility, Mississippi gives applicants a genuine choice of trade exam. This is worth understanding before you buy study materials, since the two exams use different reference editions.
| MSBOC Master Electrician | NASCLA Accredited Exam for Electrical Contractors | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions / time | 80 questions, 3 hours | 100 questions, 270 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% | 75% |
| NEC edition | 2020 (only) | 2020 or 2023, candidate's choice |
| Ugly's Electrical References edition | 2011, 2014, or 2017 | 2023 edition specifically |
| Portability | Mississippi-specific only | Score is portable to any other NASCLA-participating state via NASCLA's National Examination Database |
The MSBOC exam covers General Electrical Knowledge, Service/Feeders/Branch Circuits, Grounding and Bonding, Conductors and Cables, Raceways and Boxes, Special Occupancies, Electrical Power, Motors, Low Voltage, Lighting, Illuminated Signs, Fire Detection/Alarm Systems, Safety, and Overcurrent Protection.
The NASCLA alternate covers Project Design & Management, Safety, Electrical Theory and Principles, General Code Requirements, Wiring and Protection, Wiring Methods & Materials, General Equipment Use, Special Occupancies/Equipment/Conditions, and Communication Systems — and a physical diagram/blueprint packet is handed out on-site as part of the exam.
Its full open-book reference list also includes CFR 29 1926 and 1910 (OSHA), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (7th ed.), ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2022, the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management (Basic 14th ed., 2024), NFPA 70E (2024), and Mike Holt's Understanding Electrical Theory for NEC Applications.
Residential Electrician Exam
For the Residential License track, MSBOC's bulletin lists a separate Residential Electrician exam: 60 questions, 70% passing, 3 hours. It covers General Electrical Knowledge, Services/Feeders/Branch Circuits, Overcurrent Protection, Grounding and Bonding, Conductors and Cables, Raceways and Boxes, Lighting, Specialty topics, and Safety. Its open-book reference list is:
- National Electrical Code, NEC, 2020
- International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2021
- Ugly's Electrical References, 2017 edition specifically
- Code of Federal Regulations, 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA) — optional
Law and Business Management Exam
Every Mississippi contractor applicant — regardless of trade — must also pass the Law and Business Management exam: 50 questions, 70% passing, 2 hours, covering Licensing, Estimating and Bidding, Lien Law, Financial Management, Tax Laws, Labor Laws, Project Management, Contracts, Business Organization, Risk Management, and Environmental and Safety. It's open book, with one allowed reference: the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management – Mississippi. As of October 1, 2023, only the 6th Edition is referenced.
Related Electrical Specialty Exams
MSBOC also administers several narrower, PSI-tested trade exams relevant to electrical-adjacent work, each open book against the 2020 NEC (or the codes noted):
| Exam | Scope | Questions / Time |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm Systems, Access Systems & Security Equipment | Fire, heat, and intrusion detection/notification systems | 60Q / 2 hrs |
| Communication Systems | Low-voltage electrical systems, excluding alarms | 50Q / 2 hrs |
| Sign Erection | Sign wiring, installation and erection | 50Q / 2 hrs |
| Transmission/Distribution Lines | Underground and overhead electrical transmission lines | 50Q / 2 hrs |
All four require 70% to pass, and each has its own open-book reference list (mostly NEC 2020 plus trade-specific standards like NFPA 72 or the National Electrical Safety Code) detailed in PSI's full bulletin.
A Note on Local City Licensing
Because Mississippi's state license operates at the business/contractor level rather than the individual level, some Mississippi cities and counties — commonly cited examples include Jackson, Hattiesburg, Tupelo, Gulfport, and Biloxi — maintain their own local electrician permitting or licensing programs layered on top of the state contractor license. We have not yet independently verified the current requirements for any specific city program, so we're not going to guess at exam formats, fees, or NEC editions here. If you're working in one of these jurisdictions, confirm directly with that city's building/permitting department before you rely on third-party summaries.
Reference Material and Markup Rules
The rules below apply uniformly across every Mississippi PSI contractor exam, per the current bulletin:
- Open book: all listed references are allowed in the exam room.
- Highlighting, underlining, and indexing are allowed if done before the exam session.
- Writing in the reference is prohibited. Any candidate caught writing in a reference during the exam will have it confiscated and reported to MSBOC.
- Permanent tabs only. Temporary tabs (e.g., Post-it notes) are not allowed and must be removed before the exam begins.
- No loose or attached papers may be brought in with an approved reference.
- Only a silent, non-printing, non-programmable calculator is permitted.
- For Code-book questions specifically, only the listed edition is allowed — earlier or later NEC editions are not accepted as substitutes.
Fees and Eligibility Window
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| One examination portion | $120 |
| Two examination portions | $240 |
Registration fees are not refundable or transferable, though PSI will hold unused exam funds for up to one year if you cancel at least two days before your scheduled date. Once MSBOC notifies PSI of your eligibility, you have 6 months to take your exam(s); you may retest an unlimited number of times within that window. If you don't pass within 6 months, you must reapply with the Board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get an individual Journeyman Electrician license in Mississippi?
Not from the state. MSBOC licenses electrical contracting businesses, not individual electricians, through a company's designated qualifying individual. Some cities maintain their own separate local licensing — check with the specific city if that applies to you.
Can I bring my NEC codebook into a Mississippi contractor exam?
Yes. Every Mississippi PSI contractor exam, including all electrical trade exams, is open book, with pre-exam highlighting/underlining/indexing and permanent tabs allowed.
Which NEC edition should I study?
Depends on your exam choice. The MSBOC-specific Master Electrician and Residential Electrician exams reference the 2020 NEC only. The NASCLA alternate exam accepts either the 2020 or 2023 NEC, your choice.
Do I have to take the NASCLA exam instead of the MSBOC exam?
No — for the Commercial Certificate of Responsibility, it's your choice. The NASCLA exam has the advantage of being portable to other NASCLA-participating states if you plan to work across state lines.
Does Your Book Spot USA guarantee I'll pass?
No. No book or study guide can guarantee an exam result, and we don't claim otherwise.
Study Materials
Because Mississippi gives you a genuine choice of trade exam, we can only make an honest, in-stock recommendation for one path: if you're taking the NASCLA Accredited Trade Examination for Electrical Contractors, our 2023 NEC + 2023 Ugly's Electrical References bundle matches the exact editions on PSI's current reference list.
If you're instead taking the MSBOC-specific Master Electrician exam (2020 NEC + Ugly's 2011/2014/2017 edition) or the Residential Electrician exam (2020 NEC + Ugly's 2017 edition specifically), we don't currently stock those exact editions, so we're not going to push a mismatched product at you. The NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management – Mississippi (6th Edition), required for the Law and Business Management exam, is also not in our catalog — PSI's bulletin points candidates to the Contractors Institute, My Contractors License, or NASCLA directly for that title.
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Official Sources
- PSI Services LLC — State of Mississippi Contractor Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (Copyright 2026, Updated 4/23/2026), obtained via msboc.us (checked September 3, 2026)
- Mississippi State Board of Contractors — License Classifications (checked September 3, 2026)
- Mississippi State Board of Contractors (checked September 3, 2026)
Your Book Spot USA is not affiliated with MSBOC, PSI Services LLC, NASCLA, or NFPA. Candidate bulletins and licensing rules change — this page reflects our verification as of the date above. Spot something outdated? Let us know and we'll correct it.
