Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-08-08
27 of Mississippi's 82 counties — 33% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 12th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Winston County (78/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 969 counties nationwide → Mississippi: no building codes → Full Mississippi profile →
27 of 82 Mississippi counties · sorted by Index score
The county's official department listing includes no planning or zoning office, consistent with an unzoned rural Mississippi county (zoning is handled by municipalities such as …
Winston County Departments ↗The official Adams County department directory contains no planning/zoning or land-use department; zoning in the area is administered only by the City of Natchez within its limits.
Adams County, Mississippi - Official County Website (department directory) ↗The county lists no planning or zoning department; land use in unincorporated Newton County is not zoned at the county level.
Newton County, MS - Departments ↗No county zoning ordinance was found; Neshoba County's unincorporated-area regulation is limited to building permitting and floodplain/land-use verification, not zoning districts.
Neshoba County Board of Supervisors - Building Permitting ↗The official Greene County departments roster lists no planning, zoning, or code-enforcement office, consistent with the county having no county-wide zoning.
Greene County MS official government site ↗No planning or zoning department or ordinance is listed among the county's official departments, consistent with unzoned rural Mississippi counties.
Montgomery County, MS - Departments ↗Attala County's official government site lists no planning or zoning department and the county has no countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas.
Attala County, Mississippi (official county website) ↗The county's official department list includes no planning-and-zoning or code-enforcement office; zoning in the county appears limited to the City of Waynesboro.
Wayne County MS - Departments ↗Lincoln County has no county zoning/planning department and is unzoned; zoning is administered only within the City of Brookhaven.
Lincoln County MS - Official Website ↗Smith County's official department list includes no planning or zoning office and there is no county-wide zoning ordinance; zoning exists only within municipalities.
Smith County - Departments ↗Claiborne County's official government site lists no planning or zoning department; zoning inquiries are directed to the City of Port Gibson, indicating no countywide zoning of …
Claiborne County, Mississippi (official county website) ↗The county's official departments page lists no planning or zoning department; county government provides no county-wide zoning.
Yalobusha County, Mississippi - Departments ↗Walthall County's government office listing shows no planning or zoning department; permit/zoning inquiries are directed to the Town of Tylertown, indicating no countywide zonin…
Walthall County Government (county office listing) ↗Pike County's official ordinance list includes only a Subdivision (2024) ordinance under Planning and Development, with no county zoning ordinance and no planning/zoning departm…
Pike County MS - Ordinances ↗No planning or zoning department appears among the county's listed elected officials and departments, indicating no county-administered zoning.
Franklin County, MS official site ↗Carroll County's official officials/departments listing includes no planning or zoning office; zoning appears to exist only within incorporated municipalities such as Carrollton…
Carroll County, MS - County Officials ↗Grenada County adopted a Comprehensive Plan (2022) hosted on its EncodePlus regulations portal but has no county-wide zoning ordinance; zoning applies within the City of Grenada.
Grenada County, MS - Comprehensive Plan Navigator (EncodePlus) ↗The official county departments page lists no planning or zoning office, consistent with this rural county having no county-wide zoning in unincorporated areas.
Tishomingo County, Mississippi - Departments ↗Marion County's official department listings show no planning or zoning office and the county has no county-wide zoning; land-use regulation exists only within municipalities su…
Marion County, MS - County Government ↗The department publishes a 'No Zoning in the County' document; unincorporated Stone County has no zoning.
Stone County Planning & Building Department ↗The county lists no Planning or Zoning department among its departments and there is no county zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas, only building inspection.
Lowndes County MS - Departments ↗The county Permit Division provides a downloadable 'No Zoning Letter,' indicating unincorporated Warren County has no county zoning.
Warren County MS Permit Division ↗Perry County's official website lists no planning/zoning department and directs property owners to the zoning officials of the relevant city, indicating no county-level zoning i…
Perry County, MS - Official Website ↗George County has no county zoning/planning office; zoning is administered only within the City of Lucedale.
George County MS - Official Website ↗Itawamba County's official department listing includes no planning or zoning office, and the county has no county-wide zoning; land-use control is municipal only.
Itawamba County, MS - Official Site ↗The county publishes no planning or zoning department among its listed departments, consistent with rural MS counties that do not enforce county-level zoning in unincorporated a…
Sharkey County, MS - County Departments ↗Sunflower County's official office listing includes no planning or zoning department; zoning is administered only within municipalities such as Indianola, not county-wide.
Sunflower County, MS - Contact Us / County Offices ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Mississippi state page for all 82 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
