Building permits, zoning and septic rules in McComb, Mississippi

At a glance

Building permits

City Zoning, Inspections & Permits Department issues building and trade permits¹

Zoning

City zoning applies inside McComb city limits²

Septic

MSDH rules; coordinate local inspections with the county health department⁴

Lot size

R-80: 10,000 square feet; R-50: 5,000 square feet⁵⁶

Manufactured-home size

R-50: minimum 720 square feet and main-body width of 11 feet 6 inches⁷

Owner-builder

State licensing exemption for your own residence; city building permits and inspections remain separate⁸

Who to call

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

Do you need a building permit in McComb, MS?

McComb’s Inspection Department issues building, electrical, plumbing, gas, mechanical, sign and fire inspection permits, and reviews plans for new construction and alterations.¹ Start a proposed home or remodeling project with the city Zoning, Inspections & Permits Department, and request the building-permit checklist and applicable trade applications.¹

McComb lists the 2018 International Residential and International Building codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code on its building-code page.⁹ McComb performs trade inspections on new and altered buildings for code compliance; ask the department which inspection stages apply before scheduling work.¹⁰

Who issues building permits in McComb, and where do you apply?

The McComb Zoning, Inspections & Permits Department is the city contact for building permits and zoning questions at 601-249-3054.¹ McComb’s application page directs in-person returns to the Zoning Department at 122 S Broadway Street, McComb, MS 39648, or mailed returns to PO Box 667, Attn: Zoning, McComb, MS 39649.¹¹ Ask the city for current building-permit fees, required drawings and review timing before submitting.¹¹

Mississippi provides a residential-builder licensing exemption for a person constructing or improving their own residence or acting as their own general contractor, subject to statutory limits.⁸ That licensing exemption does not establish an exemption from McComb’s building permits or inspections.⁸

Does McComb have zoning, lot-size rules and setbacks?

McComb administers zoning and land-use requirements inside city limits, so ask the city Zoning Department to identify the parcel’s district before selecting a home plan.² In McComb’s R-80 Single-Family Residential district, every dwelling needs a lot of at least 10,000 square feet with 80 feet of width at the Building Setback Line.⁵ In McComb’s R-50 One- and Two-Family Residential and Manufactured Housing district, the corresponding minimums are 5,000 square feet and 50 feet of width.⁶

McComb limits buildings and structures in both R-80 and R-50 to 35 feet in height.¹²¹³ Request the parcel’s front, side and rear setbacks from the Zoning Department before placing a house, accessory building or manufactured home.¹

How do septic permits and sewer connections work in McComb?

For a new McComb water and sewer tap, residents must apply at Public Works and finish the process with the Utility Service Representative at City Hall; the tap payment excludes the water deposit.¹⁴ Ask Public Works whether sewer service is available to the specific parcel before planning an onsite system.³ Mississippi requires connection where centralized wastewater treatment is available.¹⁵

For a McComb project needing onsite wastewater, MSDH provides online applications and soil/site evaluations resulting in a permit or recommendation required for a water meter.¹⁶ MSDH sends an online fee-payment link after receiving a complete application and does not accept environmental-fee cash or checks at county offices.¹⁶ Mississippi’s onsite wastewater rules place local inspection coordination with the appropriate county health department; the Pike County Health Department is in McComb.⁴¹⁷

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in McComb?

We could not confirm McComb’s rule for living in an RV on a private lot or occupying a tiny home; ask the city Zoning Department about your proposed dwelling and parcel before buying either.¹ McComb has city zoning, so request a district-specific answer about temporary occupancy during construction and permanent residential use.²

McComb’s R-50 district requires mobile or manufactured homes to have at least 720 square feet of floor area and a main-body width of at least 11 feet 6 inches; that provision does not establish a citywide minimum for every dwelling type.⁷ Mississippi also requires factory-built homes covered by its installation program to be inspected before occupation, with necessary local approvals obtained before installation.¹⁸

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

1. Ask McComb’s Zoning Department to identify the parcel’s zoning district and confirm the proposed residential use and layout.²
2. Ask McComb Public Works about water and sewer availability and the new-tap application; if onsite wastewater is needed, contact MSDH for the application and site evaluation.³¹⁶
3. Submit the city building-permit materials through the Zoning Department and arrange the applicable construction inspections.¹¹¹⁰
4. Ask the city about flood-zone requirements before finalizing the floor elevation: in McComb special flood hazard areas with base flood elevation data, new or substantially improved residential buildings and manufactured homes need their lowest floor, including basement, at least 1 foot above base flood elevation.¹⁹

What should you check before buying land in McComb?

Ask the city Zoning Department about district requirements and Public Works about utility service before committing to a McComb lot.¹³ For a parcel needing septic, Pike County’s soil rating provides useful caution: only 0.1% of county soils are rated “not limited” for conventional drain fields, making site evaluation essential rather than proving septic impossible.²⁰

Mississippi generally requires a groundwater withdrawal permit for wells with surface casing diameters of 6 inches or greater, subject to exclusions; ask about a proposed well rather than assuming city water can be replaced without review.²¹ For land outside McComb city limits, use the Pike County guide for the unincorporated-area building-permit question, which remains unconfirmed.²²

Watch-outs

• McComb’s R-50 manufactured-home minimum is district- and dwelling-specific; do not treat it as permission for an RV or every tiny-home design.⁷
• McComb flood-elevation requirements can change the home layout and foundation plan in special flood hazard areas.¹⁹
• We could not confirm McComb rules for off-grid sanitation or accessory dwellings; ask the city Zoning Department and MSDH about the specific proposal.¹¹⁶

Sources

1. McComb Zoning, Inspections & Permits Department (mccomb-ms.gov)
2. Zoning, Inspections & Permits (McComb), quoted and re-checked
3. Water & Sewer Division (McComb), quoted and re-checked
4. Mississippi State Department of Health Current Regulations: On-site Wastewater (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
5. Sec. 3.1. - R-80 Single-Family Residential (McComb), quoted and re-checked
6. Sec. 3.3. - R-50 One- and Two-Family Residential and Manufactured Housing (McComb), quoted and re-checked
7. Sec. 3.3. - R-50 One- and Two-Family Residential and Manufactured Housing (McComb), quoted and re-checked
8. Mississippi Senate Journal, March 9, 2022 (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Building Codes (McComb), quoted and re-checked
10. Zoning, Inspections & Permits (McComb), quoted and re-checked
11. Zoning, Inspections & Permits (McComb), quoted and re-checked
12. Sec. 3.1. - R-80 Single-Family Residential (McComb), quoted and re-checked
13. Sec. 3.3. - R-50 One- and Two-Family Residential and Manufactured Housing (McComb), quoted and re-checked
14. McComb Public Works — Water & Sewer Division (mccomb-ms.gov)
15. Mississippi State Department of Health Current Regulations: On-site Wastewater (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Mississippi State Department of Health — Division of On-Site Wastewater (msdh.ms.gov)
17. Pike County Health Department (msdh.ms.gov)
18. MH-5 Uniform Standards Code for Factory-Built Homes Law (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Sec. 62-85. - Same—Specific (McComb), quoted and re-checked
20. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
21. Guidelines for Securing the Services of a Water Well Driller (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. (2026 county census)

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.