Bolthole Index

Harrison County, Mississippi

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Long Beach, Mississippi

Long Beach, Mississippi has a city Building Department with building-permit applications; each building in a Special Use District requires a building permit and certificate of occupancy.123 Long Beach administers city zoning, while Mississippi State Department of Health handles onsite wastewater approval inside city limits.456 For land outside Long Beach, use the Harrison County guide.7

At a glance

Building permits
City applications available; explicit requirement verified for Special Use District buildings12
Zoning
City zoning under the Unified Land Use Ordinance4
Septic approval
MSDH approval required for new onsite wastewater systems65
RV living
Temporary use in legal RV parks; narrow exception at the owner’s principal residence8
Owner-builder
State licensing exemption for work on your own residence; not a local building-permit exemption9
Private wells
State withdrawal permit generally required at a surface casing diameter of 6 inches or greater, with exclusions10

Who to call

Building permits

Long Beach Building Department

City building-permit applications, zoning forms and floodplain questions

(228) 863-1554

Septic permits

Mississippi State Department of Health Division of On-site Wastewater

Onsite wastewater applications, soil/site evaluations and application assistance

1-855-220-0192

[email protected]

Online permits →

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Long Beach means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Long Beach, MS?

Long Beach publishes separate building-permit applications for X flood zone and VE/AE flood zone projects through the city Building Department.1 Long Beach requires building permits and certificates of occupancy for each building in a Special Use District under existing codes and regulations.23 We could not confirm the general citywide residential permit requirement or adopted residential code edition; ask the Long Beach Building Department which application and inspections your proposed home needs.1 The Mississippi owner-builder exemption concerns residential builder licensing for work on your own residence, rather than exemption from locally required building permits or inspections.9

Who handles building permits and zoning in Long Beach?

Start with the Long Beach Building Department for the city’s building-permit applications, variance application and zone-change request form.1 Call the department at (228) 863-1554 with the property address and proposed work, and ask for the applicable forms and current building-permit fee schedule.1 The city lists a Building Official / Floodplain Manager on the same department page, so direct parcel flood-zone and building-application questions there.1 Septic approval inside Long Beach follows a separate route through Mississippi State Department of Health, rather than the city building counter.56

Does Long Beach have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

Long Beach administers zoning under its Unified Land Use Ordinance and Planning and Development Commission.4 Long Beach RV occupancy is limited to temporary residential use in a legal recreational vehicle park, with a narrow owner exception.8 A self-contained RV may be used for no more than 2 consecutive days within a 30-day period on property where the owner’s principal residence is located.8 Permanent dwelling or indefinite-period RV use is prohibited, so the owner exception does not authorize living on a vacant lot while building.8 We could not confirm Long Beach’s tiny-home, accessory-dwelling, minimum home-size or residential setback rules; ask the Building Department to identify the parcel’s district and applicable standards before choosing a design.1

How do septic permits work inside Long Beach?

Mississippi State Department of Health administers onsite wastewater systems serving property inside Long Beach; municipal sewer service is a separate question.5 New individual onsite wastewater systems need Department approval of their design, construction or installation.6 MSDH environmentalists provide soil and site evaluations and a Permit/Recommendation required to obtain a water meter.11 Apply through MSDH’s online application system; after receiving a complete application, MSDH emails a payment link, with an additional online payment fee.11 For application help, call the Wastewater Call Center at 1-855-220-0192.11 Ask MSDH to confirm the installation-notice deadline and inspection arrangements before your installer begins work.1213

What steps should you take before building a home in Long Beach?

Use this order to resolve the city land-use questions and the separate wastewater approval.16

  1. Ask the Long Beach Building Department to identify the parcel’s zoning district and confirm your proposed residential use, dimensions and building-permit application.41
  2. Ask the city Building Official / Floodplain Manager which flood-zone application applies and what documentation to submit.1
  3. Confirm sewer availability with the city; if the proposal needs onsite wastewater, obtain MSDH’s soil/site evaluation and approval before installation.1611
  4. Ask the city for required inspections and occupancy approval; buildings in a Special Use District require a certificate of occupancy.13

For private wells, Mississippi generally requires a withdrawal permit where surface casing is 6 inches or greater, with exclusions; ask about the proposed well before drilling.10

Watch-outs

  • Long Beach’s RV exception applies at the owner’s principal residence, not as general permission to occupy an RV on vacant land.8
  • We could not confirm mandatory public water or sewer connection rules for a new Long Beach home; ask the city Building Department about the parcel before planning a well or septic system.1
  • Special Use District development requires subdivision-approval procedures and approved preliminary and final plats even when land ownership is not divided.14

Sources

  1. Long Beach Building Department (cityoflongbeachms.info)
  2. Code of Ordinances, Appendix 1, Sec. 100, Special use district (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked
  3. Code of Ordinances, Appendix 1, Sec. 100, Special use district (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked
  4. Code of Ordinances, Appendix 1, Sec. 100, Special use district (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked
  5. On-Site Wastewater - Mississippi State Department of Health (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked
  6. On-Site Wastewater program activities (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked
  7. A building permit (2026 county census)
  8. Code of Ordinances, Appendix 1, Sec. 127, Recreational vehicles (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked
  9. Mississippi Senate Journal, March 9, 2022 (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Guidelines for Securing the Services of a Water Well Driller (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Mississippi State Department of Health Division of On-site Wastewater (msdh.ms.gov)
  12. Mississippi State Department of Health Current Regulations: On-site Wastewater (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  13. apps.msdh.ms.gov (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked
  14. Code of Ordinances, Appendix 1, Sec. 100, Special use district (Long Beach), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Long Beach

Long Beach’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Each building in a Long Beach Special Use District.

    • Applies specifically to Special Use Districts; a general citywide permit rule was not established from the opened excerpts.
    • Permits are required according to existing codes and regulations.
    “Building permits and certificates of occupancy shall be required for each building according to the existing cedes and regulations.”
  • Certificate of occupancyLimited

    Each building in a Long Beach Special Use District.

    • Applies specifically to Special Use Districts.
    • The requirement is according to existing codes and regulations.
    “Building permits and certificates of occupancy shall be required for each building according to the existing cedes and regulations.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Long Beach city limits; the city adopts and administers zoning through its Unified Land Use Ordinance and Planning and Development Commission.

    “The purpose of a Special Use District is to enable the Long Beach Planning and Development Commission and City of Long Beach, Mississippi to establish zoning districts for mixed uses of land in accordance with the following procedures and regulations.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Long Beach city planning jurisdiction; the code recognizes zoning districts, including Special Use Districts, and the city publishes a zoning map link on its official Building Department page.

    • Special Use Districts must comply with regulations for like categories or functions and require Planning and Development Commission review.
    • The opened materials did not establish the complete district list or residential dimensional schedule.
    “The purpose of a Special Use District is to enable the Long Beach Planning and Development Commission and City of Long Beach, Mississippi to establish zoning districts for mixed uses of land in accordance with the following procedures and regulations.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Recreational vehicle occupancy inside Long Beach city limits.

    • RV occupancy is temporary residential use only and must occur in a legal recreational vehicle park.
    • A self-contained RV may be used by an individual owner for no more than two consecutive days within a 30-day period when parked on property where the owner's principal residence is located.
    • Continuous occupancy beyond six months in a 12-month period is presumed permanent occupancy.
    • Permanent place-of-abode, dwelling, business, or indefinite-period use is prohibited.

    owner exception duration: 2 consecutive days within 30 days (self-contained RV parked on property where owner's principal residence is located) · presumed permanent occupancy: > 6 months in a 12-month period

    “Recreational vehicles shall not be occupied or used at any time for any purpose other than temporary residential use and when used as such, it must be located in a legal recreational vehicle park. However, a self-contained recreational vehicle may be used by an individual owner for a period not to exceed two (2) consecutive days within a thirty-day period, provided that such recreational vehicle is parked on property on which the owner's principal residence is located.”
  • Subdividing landLimited

    Special Use District development inside Long Beach city limits.

    • All proposed Special Use Districts must follow subdivision-approval procedures even when ownership is not divided.
    • Preliminary and final plats are required and must be approved by the Long Beach Planning and Development Commission.
    “All proposed Special Use Districts shall follow the procedures for subdivision approval even though the ownership of land may not be divided. A preliminary and final plat, both approved by the Long Beach Planning and Development Commission, shall be required for every Special Use District.”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Short-term-rental permit applications inside Long Beach city limits.

    • The fee is non-refundable.
    • Mailing costs are additional.
    • The fee may be replaced by the most recent fee established by the Board of Aldermen.

    application fee: 200 USD (plus mailing costs or the most recent fee established by the Board of Aldermen)

    “A non-refundable application fee of two hundred dollars ($200.00) plus mailing costs or the most recent fee established by the Board of Alderman shall be paid by the applicant at the time of filing the application with said application fee concerning the costs of inspection, mailing, and labor affiliated with the processing of the application.”

Rules another office applies inside Long Beach

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

  • Who permits septicState

    On-site wastewater systems serving property inside Long Beach city limits; Mississippi State Department of Health administers the state on-site wastewater program.

    • This claim concerns on-site wastewater systems, not municipal sewer service.
    “The On-site Wastewater program develops policy and regulations and provides technical assistance to regional environmentalists in designing and inspecting Individual On-site Wastewater Disposal Systems (IOWDS), recreational vehicle campgrounds/lodging parks, septage pumpers/haulers and individual water supplies.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New individual on-site wastewater systems inside Long Beach city limits.

    • A soil/site evaluation provides a Permit/Recommendation required to obtain a water meter.
    • Department approval of design, construction, or installation is required.
    “REMINDER: Approval of the design, construction or installation of an Individual On-site Wastewater Disposal System by the Department is required.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Installation of an individual on-site wastewater disposal system inside Long Beach city limits.

    • The Certified Installer must notify the Department 24 hours before beginning installation and schedule an inspection.

    advance notice: 24 hours

    “The Certified Installer is responsible for notifying the Department 24-hours before beginning installation of your Individual On-site Wastewater Disposal System and, at that time, to schedule a time for inspection of the system with the Department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Long Beach or Harrison County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Long Beach city limits.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption inside Long Beach city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Single-family residential districts inside Long Beach city limits.
  • Minimum lot size — Single-family residential districts inside Long Beach city limits.
  • Setbacks — Single-family residential districts inside Long Beach city limits.
7 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Long Beach publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Harrison County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Harrison County: county rules, score and offices