Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Holly Springs, Mississippi

Holly Springs’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Excavation, construction, moving, alteration, or repair of buildings and structures inside Holly Springs city limits.

  • A Zoning Administrator-issued permit must state that plans, specifications, and intended use conform to the zoning ordinance.
  • A Board of Adjustment written order is the stated exception to denial for a zoning violation.

  “It shall be unlawful to commence the excavation for or the construction of any building or other structure including accessory structures, or to store building materials or erect temporary field offices, or to commence the moving alteration, or repair of any structure, including accessory structures, until the Zoning Administrator has issued for such work a building permit”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside Holly Springs city limits.

  • Inspections occur under the City's Building Contractor’s Information Manual.

  “Inspection – Inspections shall occur in accordance with the “Building Contractor’s Information Manual for the City of Holly Springs””

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land, buildings, and structures erected, moved, or altered in use inside Holly Springs city limits.

  • The Zoning Administrator must find the land or structure conforms to the zoning ordinance before issuing the certificate.

  “No land or building or other structure or part thereof hereafter erected, moved or altered in its use shall be used until the Zoning Administrator of the City shall have issued a Certificate of Occupancy stating that such land or structure or part thereof is found to be in conformity with the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Holly Springs city limits.

  • The zoning map is adopted as part of the ordinance.

  “The Zoning Map of Holly Springs and all explanatory matters thereon are hereby adopted and made a part of this ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Holly Springs city limits.

  • District boundaries are established by the zoning map; questions over exact boundaries are decided by the Planning Commission.

  “District Boundaries - The boundaries of the above districts are hereby established as shown on the Zoning Map of the municipality.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots inside Holly Springs city limits, by zoning district.

  • The posted ordinance directs readers to its Table of Dimensional Requirements for district-specific lot sizes.

  “Table of Dimensional Requirements indicates the required lots sizes, setbacks, build to lines, minimum and maximum densities and other dimensional requirements of zoning districts.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures inside Holly Springs city limits, by zoning district.

  • An official-record lot without sufficient adjacent land may be built upon only if the Planning Commission finds yards conform as closely as possible; neither side yard may be reduced below three feet.
  • A building need not be set back more than the average setback of existing residences within 100 feet on each side.

  minimum side yard under official-record-lot exception: >= 3 feet (Only where the Planning Commission applies section 5.2.1.)

  “further provided that neither side yards shall be reduced to less than three (3) feet.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures inside Holly Springs city limits, by zoning district.

  • Height limitations do not apply to church steeples, hospitals, sanitariums, barns, silos, farm structures, chimneys, flag poles, public utility poles, radio and television towers and aerials, cooling towers, water tanks, and industrial structures when required by manufacturing process.

  “Building Height - In each district each structure hereafter erected or altered shall not exceed the heights specified in the Table of Dimensional Requirements except that height limitations shall not apply to church steeples, hospitals, sanitariums, barns, silos, farm structures, chimneys, flag poles, public utility poles, radio' and television towers and aerials, cooling towers, water tanks, and industrial structures when required by manufacturing process.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Holly Springs city limits.

  • Plans must be inspected in detail and found conforming before approval or issuance.
  • Each application must conform to the City's Building Contractor’s Information Manual.

  “It shall be unlawful for the Zoning Administrator to approve any plans or issue a building permit for any excavation or construction until such plans have been inspected in detail and found in conformity with this ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Holly Springs

Holly Springs 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 (with conditions)

  Individual on-site wastewater systems, including systems serving property inside Holly Springs city limits.

  • A permanent sewage-disposal solution is required before a water utility can make a permanent connection; the solution may be a sewer line or septic system.

  “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

  Installation of an on-site wastewater disposal system inside Holly Springs city limits when an on-site system is used.

  • The 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.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Holly Springs or Marshall County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Holly Springs city limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Holly Springs city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Holly Springs city limits.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside Holly Springs city limits.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Holly Springs 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.