Bolthole Index

Simpson County, Mississippi

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Magee, Mississippi

Magee, Mississippi requires a city building permit for home construction and alterations, including work by homeowners.1 Magee’s Zoning Administrator reviews site plans for compliance with city zoning; septic approvals where public sewer is unavailable come from the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH).23 For land outside Magee, use the Simpson County guide to check the county’s building-permit requirements.4

At a glance

Building permits
Required through Magee, including homeowner construction1
Zoning
City zoning applies; review site plans with the Zoning Administrator2
Septic approvals
MSDH administers onsite wastewater approvals where public sewer is unavailable35
Minimum home size
RE district: 2,200 square feet; this is a district-specific minimum6
Owner-builder
State licensing exemption for qualifying own-residence construction does not waive Magee building permits71
Water connection
Permanent sewage disposal must be available before a permanent water-meter connection8

Who to call

Building permits

Magee Building Inspector

Magee Building Inspector services for property inside Magee

601-503-3927

[email protected]

Zoning

Magee Zoning Director

Magee Zoning Director services for property inside Magee

601-382-0446

[email protected]

Codes & inspections

City of Magee Building Department

City of Magee Building Department services for property inside Magee

Septic permits

Mississippi State Department of Health Division of On-Site Wastewater

Mississippi State Department of Health Division of On-Site Wastewater services for property inside Magee

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 Magee means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Magee, MS?

Magee requires a building permit before applicable construction, alterations, repairs, relocation or demolition, and the requirement covers homeowners as well as contractors.1 Concealed work needs inspection, and work must remain uncovered until the Building Inspector approves it.9

Mississippi’s qualifying own-residence exemption concerns residential-builder licensing; the exemption does not remove Magee’s building-permit or inspection requirements.719 Obtain the city building permit before beginning work: Magee’s published procedures say building-permit fees are doubled when work starts before issuance.2

Who issues building permits in Magee, and who reviews zoning?

Contact Magee’s Building Inspector at 601-503-3927 or [email protected] for building-permit questions.10 Contact Magee’s Zoning Director at 601-382-0446 or [email protected] for parcel zoning and site-plan questions.11

Magee’s owner or contractor must review site plans with the Zoning Administrator, and the Building Inspector reviews the project plans.2 The city’s procedures require approval from the Zoning Department, Fire Marshal and Building Official before building-permit issuance.2 City building and zoning review does not replace MSDH’s onsite wastewater approval where a Magee property needs septic.235

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

Magee requires construction to meet the city zoning ordinance, so ask the Zoning Director to identify the parcel’s district before drawing a house footprint.211 In Magee’s R-1 district, single-family detached dwellings have minimum yards of 30 feet in front, 8 feet on the sides and 25 feet in back; buffer-yard standards can require larger side yards.12

Magee’s Residential Estate district (RE) requires a minimum dwelling floor area of 2,200 square feet.6 That RE requirement is not a citywide minimum.6 In Magee’s A-1 Agricultural District, no maximum buildable-area limitation is specified, but that provision does not waive the city’s building-permit requirement.131

How do septic approvals and water connections work in Magee?

Where a Magee parcel needs onsite wastewater disposal, MSDH administers the septic program and requires approval for installation.35 A permanent sewage-disposal solution, either sewer or septic, must be available before a permanent water-meter connection.8 Magee’s water/wastewater supervisor determines city service availability; where those services are unavailable, city building-permit issuance requires documentation of MSDH acceptance.2

MSDH’s process includes application review, payment before the property visit, soil-and-site evaluation, system installation and final approval.14 The published Notice of Intent plus Final Approval fee is $197.50, with online processing fees and possible additional costs; fees can change.15 Household wastewater, including gray water, must go to sewer or septic rather than the ground, ditches or water bodies.16

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

We could not confirm Magee’s rules for living in an RV, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy or a separate accessory dwelling; ask the Magee Zoning Director about the proposed use at the specific address before buying or moving a unit onto the lot.11 Magee’s RE district minimum floor area is 2,200 square feet, so a small dwelling proposal needs district-specific review rather than an assumption that all residential lots have the same standards.62

Wastewater approval does not answer whether Magee zoning permits the proposed dwelling use: city zoning review and MSDH septic approval are separate requirements.25 A manufactured home installed in Mississippi must undergo the state installation inspection before occupation, alongside applicable local approvals.17

What are the steps to build a home in Magee?

  1. Ask Magee’s Zoning Director to confirm the district and review the proposed site plan against city zoning.112
  2. Establish city water and sewer availability with the water/wastewater supervisor; arrange MSDH acceptance where city services are unavailable.2
  3. Submit plans for city review and obtain the building permit before construction begins.21
  4. Arrange the required construction inspections and leave concealed work exposed until approved.9
  5. Complete the final inspection and obtain the city’s occupancy certificate before moving in.2

For a Magee parcel in a Special Flood Hazard Area, development must also meet the city Flood Prevention Ordinance.18 Confirm the current code editions and building-permit fee with the Building Inspector when preparing the application.10

Watch-outs

  • A Magee mailing address alone should not substitute for checking the parcel’s city jurisdiction; use the city Building Inspector for construction inside Magee.101
  • Magee flood-hazard development must meet the city Flood Prevention Ordinance.18
  • We could not confirm Magee’s agricultural building-permit exemption or subdivision approval details; ask the Building Inspector about farm structures and the Zoning Director about dividing land.1011

Sources

  1. City of Magee Building Department Policies and Procedures (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Magee Building Department (cityofmagee.ms.gov)
  3. On-Site Wastewater, Mississippi State Department of Health (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  4. Simpson County - Permits and Zoning (Office of Community Development) (2026 county census)
  5. Mississippi State Department of Health Wastewater FAQs (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  6. cityofmagee.ms.gov (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  7. Mississippi Senate Journal, March 9, 2022 (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. Mississippi State Department of Health Wastewater FAQs (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  9. City of Magee Building Department Policies and Procedures (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  10. Magee Building Inspector (cityofmagee.ms.gov)
  11. Magee Zoning Director (cityofmagee.ms.gov)
  12. cityofmagee.ms.gov (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  13. cityofmagee.ms.gov (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  14. WasteWater FAQs and Answers, quoted and re-checked
  15. WasteWater FAQs and Answers, quoted and re-checked
  16. Mississippi State Department of Health Wastewater FAQs (Magee), quoted and re-checked
  17. MH-5 Uniform Standards Code for Factory-Built Homes Law (Mississippi statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. City of Magee Building Department Policies and Procedures (Magee), 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 Magee

Magee’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, alterations, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, occupancy use, location, maintenance, removal, demolition, and attached appurtenances inside Magee.

    • The permit must be obtained before the applicable work proceeds.
    “Any person(s), homeowner or contractor needs a permit”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Concealed and residential construction work inside Magee.

    • No work may be covered before Building Inspector approval.
    • Required permits must be obtained before requesting inspection.
    • Foundation, framing, gas, sewer, and final inspections are identified in the residential inspection guide.
    “Inspections are required on all concealed work.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the Residential Estate District (RE).

    • The RE dimensional requirements apply to that district.

    minimum floor area: 2200 square feet

    “SECTION 903 – DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS 903.01 Maximum Building Height: 35 feet 903.02 Minimum Lot Area: One acre 903.03 Minimum Floor Area: 2,200 square feet 903.04 Minimum Lot Width: 150 feet 903.05 Minimum Yards: A. Front Yard: 50 feet. B. Side Yards: 25 feet, except where Section 901 (D) requires a minimum yard of 50 feet from any adjoining property line. C. Rear Yard: 50 feet.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in R-1.

    • Side yards may need to be larger to meet buffer-yard standards.

    front yard: 30 feet · side yard: 8 feet (larger yard may be required under Section 405) · rear yard: 25 feet

    “Front yard: 30 feet. [...] Rear yard: 25 feet.”
  • Lot coverageNone

    A-1 Agricultural District.

    “503.05 Maximum Buildable Area: No limitation on buildable area.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Habitable buildings in A-1.

    • Barns and agricultural storage buildings without space intended for human occupancy have no height limitation.

    maximum habitable-floor height: 35 feet (barns and agricultural storage buildings without human-occupancy space)

    “There shall be no height limitations for barns and agricultural storage buildings provided they do not contain space intended for human occupancy. No habitable floor of any other building shall exceed a height of 35 feet above the finished ground elevation measured at the front line of the building.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — Buildings in R-1.
      “603.01 Maximum Building Height: 35 feet. 603.02 Minimum Lot Area: 11,200 square feet.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development in a Special Flood Hazard Area inside Magee.

    • The development must meet the City Flood Prevention Ordinance.
    • Commercial and industrial site plans must identify floodplain design information.
    “Development in a Special Flood Hazard Area must meet the guidelines”

Rules another office applies inside Magee

Magee 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

    Individual onsite wastewater systems serving property inside Magee where public sewer is unavailable.

    • The Mississippi State Department of Health Division of On-site Wastewater administers the onsite wastewater program.
    “The On-site Wastewater program develops policy and regulations”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Installation of an onsite wastewater disposal system inside Magee.

    • The permit is also required for a water meter.
    • Public sewer may provide the permanent sewage-disposal solution instead of septic.
    “The Permit is required for [...] the installation of an on-site wastewater disposal system.”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Discharge of wastewater to ground, ditches, or bodies of water inside Magee.

    • Wastewater must be conveyed to a central sewer system or septic system.
    “Mississippi does not recognize gray water. Anything that could be considered gray water in other states is classified as wastewater in Mississippi. All wastewater is required to pipe into a central sewer system or a septic system for proper disposal. No “gray water” can be discharged on the ground, ditches, or bodies of water.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    Permanent water service for property inside Magee.

    • A permanent sewage-disposal solution must be available before a permanent water-meter connection.
    • The solution may be a sewer line or septic system.
    “permanent sewage disposal solution available to receive a permanent water meter”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Magee or Simpson County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Homeowner-performed construction inside Magee.
  • Living in an RV — RV occupancy on land inside Magee.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on land inside Magee.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy on land inside Magee.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Magee.
4 more unanswered
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Short-term rentals

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 Magee publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Simpson County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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