Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Mississippi's official board.
Mississippi licenses the fire sprinkler contracting firm, not the individual fitter, through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, which since July 10, 2014 treats Fire Sprinkler Work as a stand-alone classification requiring proof of NICET Level III certification or higher. The Certificate of Responsibility is required once a fire protection systems contract reaches $5,000 on a public project or $10,000 on a private project, and the Mississippi State Fire Marshal's own published list of licensing programs (factory-built homes, elevator and escalator, electronic protection systems, and liquefied compressed gas) contains no separate fire sprinkler contractor license, so the Board of Contractors is the licensing body.
| Requirements | The Mississippi State Board of Contractors states that effective July 10, 2014 the classification of Fire Sprinkler Work is a stand-alone classification that is not covered under any other major classification, that contractors applying for it must submit proof of NICET Level III certification or higher, and that applicants should also contact the Mississippi State Fire Marshal about possible additional requirements. The board describes the classification as covering fabrication and installation of wet-pipe and dry-pipe fire suppression systems including all mechanical apparatus, devices, piping and equipment appurtenant thereto. A Certificate of Responsibility is defined in the board's law and rules as a certificate numbered and held by a contractor issued by the board after payment of the special privilege license tax. The board conducts an objective standardized examination in the category applied for, and Miss. Code Ann. Section 31-3-15 makes it unlawful to submit a bid or perform work without a certificate of responsibility number. The statutory thresholds are specific for this trade: the licensing law does not apply to a contract or undertaking on a public project involving construction, reconstruction, repair or maintenance of fire protection systems where the contract is less than $5,000.00, or on a private project where it is less than $10,000.00, and it does not apply to technically specialized installations performed by a Mississippi contractor who has been in the business of installing fire protection sprinkler systems on or before July 1, 2000. The general commercial threshold is $50,000.00 for other work. |
| Reciprocity | The board's rules provide that the Executive Director may accept and adopt as the required standardized examination under Miss. Code Ann. Section 31-3-13(a) any comparable examination passed by an applicant who holds a license or certificate in good standing in a comparable classification in another state recognized as a reciprocity state, and the board's fee schedule lists a $25.00 Reciprocity/Verification of License fee. The rules also address issuance of a certificate of responsibility by reciprocity to a military-trained applicant or military spouse. |
| Renewal | The board's law provides that all original certificates expire one year from the date of issuance, and that an application for renewal together with payment of the special privilege license tax extends the current certificate until the board either renews it or denies the application. The rules state that the certificate holder has a duty to renew annually and that failure of the board to give notice of the expiration date does not excuse the holder from renewing. Applicants for new and renewal certificates must furnish a balance sheet prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. |
| Notes | Mississippi licenses the fire sprinkler contracting firm, not the individual fitter, through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, which since July 10, 2014 treats Fire Sprinkler Work as a stand-alone classification requiring proof of NICET Level III certification or higher. The Certificate of Responsibility is required once a fire protection systems contract reaches $5,000 on a public project or $10,000 on a private project, and the Mississippi State Fire Marshal's own published list of licensing programs (factory-built homes, elevator and escalator, electronic protection systems, and liquefied compressed gas) contains no separate fire sprinkler contractor license, so the Board of Contractors is the licensing body. |
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Sources: www.msboc.us, www.msboc.us, www.mid.ms.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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