Unincorporated Pearl River County, Mississippi requires building permits, and the county enforces its adopted 2018 building codes through inspections123. Countywide zoning remains unconfirmed, but subdivision, floodplain and non-conventional-housing rules can still control a project456. Septic permitting is administered by the Mississippi State Department of Health78.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Required; the county Building Division issues permits12
- Building inspections
- Required where the adopted building codes call for them3
- Zoning
- Countywide status remains unconfirmed; ask Planning & Building49
- Septic permits
- Administered by the Mississippi State Department of Health78
- RV living
- Special Use Permit; 14 days per stay and 180 days per year6
- Tiny home on wheels
- Treated as a non-conventional housing unit if not code-compliant10
- Owner-builder
- Licensing exemption for work on your own residence; permits still apply1112
- Flood-hazard-area application
- Requires a surveyor-issued elevation certificate13
Who to call
Building permits
Pearl River County Planning & Building Department
Site-development and building-construction permits, building-code enforcement, inspections, planning and floodplain questions
100 S Main Street, Poplarville, MS 39470
Building permits
Pearl River County Building Division
Building permits, code enforcement and permit checklists
Planning & zoning
Pearl River County Planning Division
Subdivision and floodplain administration, including special-flood-hazard-area application requirements
Septic permits
Mississippi State Department of Health, Pearl River County Health Department
Local contact for state-administered on-site wastewater permitting and inspections
7547 Highway 11 North, Carriere, MS 39426
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 28, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Pearl River County, Mississippi?
Yes. Unincorporated Pearl River County requires building permits, and its Building Division provides permits and code enforcement under the adopted 2018 family of International Building Codes12. Structures covered by the county's adopted International Building and Residential Codes must receive the inspections those codes require3. The county has not published a complete application checklist or all building-permit fees in the reviewed material, so request the current checklist and fee calculation from Planning & Building before finalizing plans149. A lot created through subdivision cannot receive a building permit until the development has final plat approval and acceptance from the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors5.
Who issues Pearl River County building permits, and how do you reach the office?
The Pearl River County Planning & Building Department authorizes permits for site development and building construction and enforces county building codes and ordinances149. The department includes the Planning and Development, Building and Floodplain Management divisions9. For the Poplarville office, call 601-403-2202 or visit 100 S Main Street, Poplarville, MS 394709. The Building Division operates under the county's adopted 2018 code family15. Ask the office to identify the forms, plan documents, inspections and fees that apply to the exact project because the available county material describes only part of the permit process14.
Does Pearl River County have zoning?
We could not confirm a countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated Pearl River County, and that uncertainty should not be read as permission for unrestricted development4. Pearl River County separately regulates subdivisions, flood-hazard-area construction and non-conventional housing units, including RVs and tiny homes on wheels51310. General minimum lot size, dwelling size, setbacks, lot coverage and building-height rules also remain unconfirmed, so ask Planning & Building for a written parcel-specific answer before buying or designing49. For an identified Special Flood Hazard Area, a building-permit application must include an elevation certificate issued through a land surveyor13.
How do septic permits work in Pearl River County?
The Mississippi State Department of Health administers on-site wastewater systems in Pearl River County, with local service through the Pearl River County Health Department in Carriere7816. The state program handles policy and technical work for the design and inspection of individual on-site wastewater systems8. A certified installer must notify the department at least 48 hours before construction and schedule inspection with the appropriate county health department17. Only about 21.9% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make the state site and soil evaluation an early contingency rather than assuming a conventional system will fit18.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Pearl River County?
Pearl River County allows short-term occupancy of an RV or other non-conventional housing unit through a Special Use Permit, limited to 14 consecutive days per stay and 180 total days per parcel each year6. A qualifying hardship variance can authorize occupancy for up to 12 months and may be renewed annually with documentation6. The county generally allows one non-conventional housing unit per parcel, with an immediate-family hardship exception, and the permit fee is $506. Rental, lease, short-term rental and other compensated occupancy of these units are prohibited19. A tiny home on wheels that does not comply with the residential or building code is treated as a non-conventional housing unit and is subject to the permit, sanitation, water, electrical, floodplain, setback and occupancy conditions10. A code-compliant permanent tiny house follows the building-permit path; minimum dwelling size remains unconfirmed, so ask Planning & Building before choosing plans149.
Building a home in Pearl River County: what are the steps?
- Ask Planning & Building for a parcel review, the current building-permit checklist and the applicable fees149.
- Confirm that any newly divided lot has final plat approval and Board of Supervisors acceptance before relying on it as buildable5.
- Apply through the Mississippi State Department of Health for the on-site wastewater site and soil evaluation if the home will use septic716.
- If the site is in an identified Special Flood Hazard Area, obtain an elevation certificate from a land surveyor for the building-permit application13.
What should you check before buying land in Pearl River County?
Start with legal access, subdivision status and written confirmation from Planning & Building about the intended use because the general countywide zoning, setback and driveway rules remain unconfirmed459. Check the flood map early because an identified Special Flood Hazard Area triggers a surveyor-issued elevation certificate for the building-permit application13. Make septic feasibility a contract contingency: only about 21.9% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field18. The terrain is broadly gentle, with about 92.8% of land at a slope of 15% or less, but a parcel-level survey and soil evaluation still control the buildable layout20. The median property-tax bill is about $1,181 per year at an effective rate near 0.7%, useful as county context rather than a quote for a particular parcel2122.
Watch-outs
- An RV Special Use Permit does not authorize full-time living: occupancy is capped at 14 consecutive days per stay and 180 days per parcel each year6.
- A non-conventional housing unit cannot be rented, leased, offered as a short-term rental or used for other compensated occupancy19.
- A building permit cannot be issued on a subdivision lot until the development has final plat approval and Board of Supervisors acceptance5.
- General building-permit fees, minimum dwelling size and general setbacks remain unconfirmed; ask Planning & Building for a written parcel-specific answer4149.
Sources
- Pearl River County Building Division (2026 county census)
- Building Division, quoted and re-checked
- Planning & Building, quoted and re-checked
- (2026 county census)
- Planning Division, quoted and re-checked
- Recreational Vehicle Control Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
- MSDH On-Site Wastewater (2026 county census)
- On-Site Wastewater - Mississippi State Department of Health, quoted and re-checked
- Pearl River County Planning & Building Department (pearlrivercounty.net)
- Recreational Vehicle Control Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
- Miss. Code 73-59-15 (2026 county census)
- Mississippi Senate Journal, March 9, 2022 (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Planning Division, quoted and re-checked
- Planning & Building, quoted and re-checked
- Pearl River County Building Division (pearlrivercounty.net)
- Mississippi State Department of Health, Pearl River County Health Department (msdh.ms.gov)
- Mississippi State Department of Health Current Regulations: On-site Wastewater (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Recreational Vehicle Control Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
- Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
Written September 28, 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.