South Carolina to Mississippi: general contractor license reciprocity

1. 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Mississippi Law and Business Management examination through PSI: 50 questions, 2 hours, 70% to pass, open book. Every applicant for a Mississippi contractor license takes it, and no exam waiver agreement, NASCLA credential or universal-recognition waiver removes it..
2. 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($400). Commercial application fee of $400, which includes one trade classification. Each additional classification requested costs a further $100. Fees are not refundable and must be paid by check or money order. The annual renewal fee is also $400..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Request for Waiver of Exam fee: $50 for each trade examination waived, filed with the application. Fees are not refundable..
4. 4Other. Reciprocity/Verification of License fee of $25 on the board's fee schedule, charged for the verification of the out-of-state license. ($25).
5. 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($120). PSI registration fee: $120 for one examination portion, $240 for two. The fee is charged for each registration, whether the examination is a first attempt or a repeat, and is not refundable or transferable. An applicant whose trade examination is waived normally registers for the Law and Business Management portion only..
6. 6Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility of at least $50,000. Reviewed or audited financial statement prepared and signed by a certified public accountant within the last twelve months, showing a net worth of at least $50,000 for a major classification such as Building Construction, or at least $20,000 for a specialty classification. A compilation is not accepted and the board states the requirement cannot be waived or substituted; there is no bond alternative, because Mississippi issues only an unlimited commercial license rather than monetary limitation tiers. The figure shown is the major-classification minimum..
7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Certificate of general liability insurance showing at least $300,000 per occurrence and $600,000 aggregate, with the Mississippi State Board of Contractors named as certificate holder so it is notified if coverage is cancelled. The name insured must match the name the license is issued in. A workers compensation certificate is also required if the applicant has five or more employees..
8. 8Business license. Obtain a business license. The certificate of responsibility is issued to a legal entity, so a corporation, LLC, LLP or limited partnership must be registered with the Mississippi Secretary of State and show proof of good standing before the license issues, and a company domiciled outside Mississippi must first qualify to do business in the State. Commercial applicants must also supply a Mississippi sales tax or use tax number and a Mississippi income tax or federal tax identification number..
9. 9Other. Three reference letters, one of which must come from the applicant's bank or financial institution; a list of at least three completed jobs in the classification being applied for, which may be work done outside Mississippi; and proof that the qualifying party is employed by the applicant, by check stub, W-2 or a Secretary of State officer listing. Reciprocity Verification Form from the Mississippi application packet: the applicant completes Part 1 and mails it to the origin board, which completes Part 2 with the license number, the date first issued, the expiration date, current status, classifications held, whether the license was granted by examination, waiver or endorsement, the name of the qualifying party, the type of examination taken and the scores, and any disciplinary action. The completed form is filed with the application..

Published fees on this path total $570, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.