Storm contractor rules in Mississippi: the emergency licence, the US$10,000 remodeler line and the Attorney General storm guide
Mississippi has two offices that speak to storm contractors: the State Board of Contractors and the Attorney General. This page restates the board's disaster page, the residential licence chapter of the Mississippi Code as the board publishes it, and the Attorney General's storm guide, as read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. The Attorney General document is consumer guidance and the board page is a notice, so neither is statute text. The residential chapter is the Mississippi Code text as the board reprints it in its 2022 edition. No source read for this page names tree work.
The sources in one table
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Board, Disaster Information Center | The board tells contractors that most work on homes and structures damaged or destroyed in natural disasters needs a valid Mississippi contractor's licence in the right classification, and that the contractor is responsible for making sure the licence or certificate of responsibility covers the work's classification |
| Residential chapter, section 73-59-1 | A residential builder is a person who for a fee undertakes a residence of up to three floors when the total cost exceeds US$50,000. A remodeler undertakes improvements to an existing residence when the total cost exceeds US$10,000 |
| Residential chapter, section 73-59-7 | After a catastrophe or emergency arising from a disaster, act of God, riot, civil commotion, conflagration or similar occurrence, the board may on application issue an emergency licence to residents or nonresidents, licensed or not. It runs up to 90 days, with one extension of another 90 days, or until a contract made during the period is completed. The fee is up to US$50 |
| Residential chapter, section 73-59-9 | Working without a required licence is a misdemeanor with a fine of US$100 to US$5,000, or 30 to 60 days in the county jail, or both. An unlicensed person may not bring an action to enforce the contract and is limited to documented labour and material expenses shown by clear and convincing evidence. The board may issue a citation and stop work |
| Attorney General, storm guide | Residential repair or improvement projects of US$10,000 or more and commercial projects of US$50,000 or more require a valid contractor's licence. Defines price gouging as charging exorbitant and unjustified prices for products or services that disaster victims have little choice but to buy, and asks that it be reported to the Attorney General |
Price rule
The Attorney General guide describes price gouging in a sentence and gives a way to report it. It does not cite a section of the Mississippi Code and sets no percentage or time window. No price statute was read for this page, so the table gives only what the guide says. The same guide suggests getting at least three itemised bids, warns about door-to-door repair offers and demands for cash payment, and lists a certificate of insurance as something to request and verify.
Licence rules
The guide's US$10,000 line for residential projects matches the chapter's remodeler line. The guide's US$50,000 line is for commercial projects, while the chapter sets US$50,000 for a residential builder. The chapter says "exceeds" and the guide says "or more", so the exact point where a project crosses a line is as each source words it. The chapter's list of persons it does not apply to includes people working on their own residence and holders of a general construction licence or certificate of responsibility. It does not list tree work, and the board's own notice says "most work" on damaged homes needs a licence in the right classification. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work.
Contracts
Section 73-59-11 says a licence holder must tell the owner in writing, at signing, whether the holder carries general liability insurance. The disclosure goes just before the signature space in bold type larger than the rest of the contract. The warnings that attorneys general issue about door-to-door tree offers are collected on the storm tree scams page.