Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Quitman, Mississippi

Quitman’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  All buildings and other structures in each Quitman zoning district, including manufactured homes.

  • Historic District properties have additional Article 3 process requirements.
  • Permit conditions must conform to the ordinance, adopted building codes, and other applicable laws unless a documented administrative review, special exception, or variance applies.
  • Permit becomes invalid if work has not begun within 90 days, subject to written extensions of up to 90 days for cause.

  commencement deadline: 90 days (Written extensions for cause may be allowed for periods not exceeding 90 days.)

  “All buildings and other structures in each zoning district, including manufactured homes, shall not be erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered without a building permit, issued by the Building Official and the City Clerk.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures in Quitman zoning districts.

  • The ordinance refers to adopted building codes but does not identify an edition in the cited passage.

  “In order to receive a building permit, conditions shall be in conformity with the provisions of this Ordinance, the adopted Building Codes, and other applicable laws”

• InspectionsRequired

  Constructed or altered buildings and converted uses requiring a certificate of occupancy inside Quitman city limits.

  • The inspection is the final inspection used before issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

  “A Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued by the Building Official upon final inspection of the constructed or altered building, or converted use.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  All new structures or buildings and major alterations inside Quitman city limits.

  • Also required for conversion of land or structures to a different use.
  • Major alterations are those substantially affecting exterior walls, columns, girders, beams, or trusses.

  “All new structures or buildings, all major alterations of buildings or structures (alterations which substantially affect major load-bearing members such as exterior walls, columns, girders, beams or trusses) shall not be occupied or otherwise utilized until a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued by the Building Official.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Quitman city limits.

  • The official zoning map is the final authority as to current zoning status.

  “The City is hereby divided into zones, or districts, as shown on the Official Zoning Map which is hereby adopted by reference and declared to be part of this Ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Quitman city limits.

  • The official zoning map is the final authority as to the current zoning status of land, water areas, buildings, and other structures.

  “Quitman Zoning Districts A-1 Agricultural District R-1 Single Family Residential District R-2 Single Family Residential District R-3 Single Family/Multiple Family Residential District R-4 Multiple Family Residential District”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Singlewide and doublewide manufactured homes in the R-4 Multiple Family Residential District/Manufactured Homes district inside Quitman city limits.

  • R-4 development requires a site plan.
  • Manufactured homes are subject to the ordinance's detailed guidelines, including age, certification, tie-down, skirting, roof, landing, and utility-connection requirements.

  “The following uses are regulated by this Residential District: [...] 5 Singlewide/Doublewide manufactured home”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units or mother-in-law suites in the R-1 Single Family Residential District inside Quitman city limits.

  • The use is a special exception.
  • Article VII provides additional regulations and procedures for special exceptions.

  “Permitted Principal Uses ¹ Special Exception Uses ² [...] 1 Single-family detached dwellings 1 Accessory dwelling unit/mother-in-law suite”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes locating or relocating inside Quitman city limits.

  • Applies where the public utility system is available.
  • The required public utility system also includes gas.
  • Connection must comply with the Building Code adopted by the City of Quitman.

  “All manufactured homes shall be required to connect to a public utility system which includes gas, water, and sewer system, where available and in compliance with the Building Code adopted by the City of Quitman.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Lots developed inside Quitman city limits.

  • A building may not be constructed on a lot that does not conform to the Quitman Subdivision Regulations.

  “No building shall be constructed on any lot which does not conform to the provisions of the Subdivision Regulations of the City of Quitman.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Access ways for lots inside Quitman city limits.

  • For frontage of 200 feet or less, no more than two curb cuts/access ways are allowed.
  • For frontage of 50 feet or less, only one access way is allowed and width may not exceed 25 feet.
  • Additional entrances or exits for frontage exceeding 200 feet require a variance.
  • Alignment must be approved by the Building Inspector with the Public Works Director or City Engineer.

  minimum access-way width: >= 15 feet · maximum access-way width: <= 45 feet (Where frontage is 50 feet or less, maximum width is 25 feet.)

  “No more than two (2) curb-cuts/access ways shall be permitted for any lot which has a frontage of two hundred (200) feet or less. Additional entrances or exits for lots having more than two hundred (200) feet of frontage shall be permitted only by a variance. Where frontage is fifty (50) feet or less, only one access way is permitted.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Quitman city limits.

  • Application includes required fee, owners' names, zoning classification, expected completion date, existing and proposed uses, and a plot diagram.
  • The Building Official may require additional information and a qualified-surveyor boundary-line survey if necessary.

  “An application for a building permit shall be filed with the Building Official and include: 1. The required fee 2. The names of the owners. 3. The present zoning classification. 4. The expected completion date of any construction. 5. The existing and proposed use of the buildings and land.”

Rules another office applies inside Quitman

Quitman does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached dwelling development in the R-1 Single Family Residential District inside Quitman city limits.

  minimum front setback: 25 feet · minimum side setback: 10 feet · minimum rear setback: 20 feet

  “Minimum Front Setback: 25 feet Minimum Side Setback: 10 feet Minimum Rear Setback: 20 feet”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  On-site wastewater systems and associated water-meter requests inside Quitman city limits.

  • If public sewer is not available, applicants must apply to the Mississippi State Department of Health Division of On-Site Wastewater for the proper paperwork.

  “If public sewer is not available in your area, you will have to apply to us for the proper paperwork.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of an on-site wastewater disposal system inside Quitman city limits.

  • The wastewater permit is also required for a water meter.

  “The Permit is required for a water meter and the installation of an on-site wastewater disposal system.”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Discharge of household gray water to the ground, ditches, or bodies of water inside Quitman city limits.

  • Mississippi classifies gray water as wastewater.
  • Wastewater must be piped to a central sewer system or septic system for proper disposal.

  “All wastewater is required to pipe into a central sewer system or a septic system for proper disposal. No “gray water” can be discharged on the ground, ditches, or bodies of water.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in the Quitman Flood Protection Overlay, whose boundaries are based on the 100-year floodplain.

  • Finished floor elevation must be 12 inches above base flood elevation.
  • Applications must be submitted in sufficient detail for FEMA and City-ordinance compliance.
  • Applications require approval by the City Engineer, Building Official, and Floodplain Administrator.

  finished floor elevation above base flood elevation: >= 12 inches

  “All applications for development in these flood prone areas shall be submitted in sufficient detail to determine compliance with the regulations of FEMA and all City Ordinances. All applications shall be approved by the City Engineer, the Building Official, and the Floodplain Administrator.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Quitman or Clarke County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Quitman city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Quitman city limits.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Quitman city limits.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Quitman city limits.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Quitman city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.