Building permits, zoning and land rules in Hinds County, Mississippi

At a glance

Building permit

Required in unincorporated Hinds County; farm buildings on more than ten acres are exempt¹²

Zoning

Yes, countywide zoning for all unincorporated land³

Minimum lot (agricultural district)

Two acres, with 25-foot front and rear setbacks²

Septic

Soil and site evaluation and permit from the Mississippi State Department of Health⁴⁵

Tiny homes

Pre-constructed tiny homes for living are prohibited; homes must meet the 2018 IRC⁶

RV living

Not allowed on a residential lot or any location not approved for it⁷

Owner-builder

Allowed; state contractor licensing does not apply to building your own residence, but the county permit still does⁸⁹

Property tax

About 0.9% effective rate; median bill about $1,389 a year¹⁰¹¹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 29, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Hinds County, MS?

Yes. In unincorporated Hinds County, Mississippi, no building or other structure, including a manufactured home, may be put up, moved, set up, added to or structurally altered without a building permit¹². The Hinds County Permit & Zoning Department issues permits in line with the county zoning ordinance and requires homes to be built to the 2018 International Residential Code²⁶. Mississippi counties had to adopt uniform building codes unless they opted out in 2014, and Hinds County's own pages show it enforces one¹²⁶.

The main exception is farm buildings: no permit is needed for a farm building on more than ten acres used for intensive agriculture as the zoning ordinance defines it². A permit is valid for two years, and construction must begin within six months².

Fees: the county's posted schedule, approved February 19, 2019, values a house under 3,000 square feet of heated area at $85 per square foot to set the permit fee¹³. A house valued between $100,000 and $500,000 pays $460 for the first $100,000 plus $3 for each additional thousand, plus $45 per inspection¹³.

Who is the Hinds County building department, and how do you reach them?

The Hinds County Permit & Zoning Department handles building permits, zoning and mobile home permits for unincorporated Hinds County; call (601) 355-5424¹⁴¹⁵. Permits are now taken online through the county's public portal, where you create an account and can apply for all permits¹⁴. For a house, bring two complete sets of plans, including site plan, foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical and HVAC layouts².

County zoning applies outside municipal boundaries and expressly excludes Jackson, Bolton, Clinton, Edwards, Learned, Raymond, Terry and Utica; inside a municipality, contact that city or town about its rules³.

Other offices you will likely need: the Mississippi State Department of Health's on-site wastewater call center at 1-855-220-0192 for septic evaluations¹⁶, and Hinds County Public Works at 900 East Main Street, Raymond, 601-857-8732, for county roads, driveway culverts and utility permits¹⁷. Building on a state highway? Mississippi requires a state permit for a new driveway onto a state highway¹⁸.

Does Hinds County have zoning?

Yes. The Hinds County Zoning Ordinance governs land in unincorporated Hinds County, Mississippi, but municipal rules may apply inside Jackson, Bolton, Clinton, Edwards, Learned, Raymond, Terry and Utica³. The county's permit handout gives the key numbers for rural land: in the agricultural district, the minimum lot is two acres, with a 25-foot front yard, 10-foot side yards and a 25-foot rear yard². The R-1A estate residential district requires one acre per home².

Accessory buildings may not be used as living quarters or for business unless the approving authorities allow it, so a guest cottage or shop apartment needs county approval first². Placing a manufactured home or a travel trailer on property requires a permit from the board of supervisors⁷. The zoning ordinance treats a travel trailer as a vehicle, not a structure⁷. Before buying, confirm the parcel's jurisdiction and district with Permit & Zoning at (601) 355-5424¹⁴.

How do septic permits work in Hinds County?

The Mississippi State Department of Health, rather than Hinds County, issues permits for new individual on-site wastewater systems⁴⁵. A complete application and payment are required, and the resulting soil and site evaluation provides the permit or recommendation needed for installation and a water meter⁵¹⁶. Call the on-site wastewater call center at 1-855-220-0192 for application help¹⁶.

The county will not issue a building permit until it knows your sewer plan: for a treatment plant, bring the Health Department's site evaluation and system recommendation; for a community system, bring that system's approval letter²¹⁵. Where centralized sewer becomes available, state rules require connecting to it¹⁹.

Only 9% of Hinds County's soils avoid NRCS's "very limited" rating for a conventional drain field, so arrange the site evaluation before choosing a house site²⁰⁵. Mississippi does not require an existing septic system to be inspected solely because land is being sold, although MSDH recommends an inspection and a buyer, lender, utility, realtor, seller, city or county may request one²¹.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Hinds County?

Hinds County prohibits pre-constructed tiny homes and storage buildings meant for residential living in unincorporated areas, and it does not issue permits for pre-built buildings intended as dwellings⁶. Before buying one, call Permit & Zoning at 601-355-5424 to check whether the proposed building has IRC-compliant drawings and a permanent foundation plan⁶. A small house built on site to the 2018 International Residential Code is permitted like any other home⁶².

The zoning ordinance prohibits using a travel trailer, camper or motor home for living, sleeping or housekeeping on a residential lot or anywhere not approved for that use⁷. The available rules do not establish every circumstance in which RV occupancy or temporary camping might be approved, so ask Permit & Zoning about the specific parcel and proposed stay¹⁴. Placing a travel trailer on property also requires a county permit⁷.

A manufactured home is allowed with a Hinds County mobile home permit, which costs $191 and requires proof of ownership, utility approval and MSDH septic approval¹⁵. A flood-area lot also requires a flood data certificate from a registered engineer¹⁵.

Building a home in Hinds County: what are the steps, in order?

1. Confirm the parcel is outside town limits and check its zoning district with Permit & Zoning at (601) 355-5424¹⁴.
2. Check the flood map; in a special flood hazard area, plan to build two feet above base flood elevation and hire an engineer for the elevation certificate²²².
3. Apply to MSDH for a soil and site evaluation for your septic system¹⁶.
4. Get written approval for a water meter from the water association serving the lot, or Health Department approval for a well².
5. Get your address from the Hinds County Emergency Operations Center, needed before the final inspection².
6. Apply for the building permit on the county's online portal with two sets of plans, deed and utility approvals¹⁴².
7. Set the driveway culvert through Hinds County Public Works, or get a state permit for a state highway¹⁷¹⁸.
8. Start within six months and schedule inspections; the permit lasts two years².

Building it yourself? Mississippi's contractor licensing law does not apply to a person building his or her own residence, but you still need the county permit and inspections⁹⁸.

What should you check before you buy land in Hinds County, Mississippi?

Flooding: Hinds County requires two feet of freeboard above the base flood elevation, and it issues no permit until the elevation certificate and other required documents are in²². Ask Permit & Zoning whether any part of the lot is in a flood zone before you buy².

Soils and water: only 9% of the county's soils are rated free of severe drain-field limits, so get an MSDH site evaluation before closing on unsewered land²⁰¹⁶. A new water well with a surface casing 6 inches or wider needs a state groundwater withdrawal permit, but a landowner may drill a well for a single-family home without a contractor license²³.

Lot size and use: agricultural land needs at least two acres per lot, and pre-built tiny homes and RV living are off the table²⁶⁷.

Costs and climate: farmland runs about $3,474 an acre and typical homes about $133,000²⁴²⁵. Property taxes average about 0.9%, a median of $1,389 a year, and a typical home insurance premium is about $2,106¹⁰¹¹²⁶. Hinds County gets about 57 inches of rain a year and is about 65% wooded²⁷²⁸.

Watch-outs

• Pre-constructed tiny homes and storage-building conversions meant for living are prohibited in unincorporated Hinds County, and the county will not permit them⁶.
• Living in a travel trailer, camper or motor home on a residential lot in Hinds County is not allowed, and even placing a travel trailer needs a county permit⁷.
• Hinds County requires new homes in special flood hazard areas to sit two feet above base flood elevation, proven by an elevation certificate at permit, framing and final²².
• The county will not issue a building permit without written water approval and a septic or sewer approval, so start the MSDH site evaluation early²¹⁶.
• Hinds County's posted permit fee schedule is dated 2019 and its file name says 'proposed', so confirm current fees with Permit & Zoning before budgeting¹³¹⁴.

Sources

1. Hinds County Residential Building Permit Requirements (2026 county census)
2. Hinds County Permit & Zoning Department, residential building permit requirements (hindscountyms.com)
3. Permit and Zoning | Hinds County, Mississippi, quoted and re-checked
4. On-Site Wastewater - Mississippi State Department of Health, quoted and re-checked
5. On-Site Wastewater - Mississippi State Department of Health, quoted and re-checked
6. Hinds County Permit & Zoning Department, tiny home notice (hindscountyms.com)
7. Hinds County Zoning Ordinance (Permit & Zoning Department) (hindscountyms.com)
8. Mississippi Code 73-59-15 (Persons and matters exempt) (2026 county census)
9. Mississippi Senate Journal, March 9, 2022 (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
11. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
12. Mississippi Uniform Building Codes (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Hinds County permit fee schedule (posted by Permit & Zoning) (hindscountyms.com)
14. Hinds County Permit & Zoning Department (hindscountyms.com)
15. Hinds County Permit & Zoning Department, mobile home permit requirements (hindscountyms.com)
16. Mississippi State Department of Health, On-Site Wastewater (msdh.ms.gov)
17. Hinds County Department of Public Works (hindscountyms.com)
18. Mississippi Access Management Guide (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Mississippi State Department of Health Current Regulations: On-site Wastewater (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
21. WasteWater FAQ, quoted and re-checked
22. Hinds County Permit & Zoning Department, floodplain (freeboard) procedures (hindscountyms.com)
23. Guidelines for Securing the Services of a Water Well Driller (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
24. Farmland value per acre (USDA census): Bolthole Index county data
25. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
26. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data
27. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
28. Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data

Written September 29, 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.