Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Bentonia, Mississippi

Town of Bentonia’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Mobile-home installation in Bentonia town limits under the Town's 2026 manufactured-home process.

  • Applicant must provide the listed materials to the Mayor/Aldermen.
  • A $50 non-refundable permit fee is required in the checklist.
  • The home may be moved in only after all listed pre-move requirements are met; it may not be connected to utilities until final requirements are met.

  manufactured-home permit fee: 50 USD (Non-refundable)

  “Pay $50 non-refundable permit fee. Site Check: • Foundation and site work approved to ordinance standard”

• InspectionsRequired

  Mobile-home installation in Bentonia town limits under the Town's 2026 manufactured-home process.

  • Site check requires foundation and site work approval, water/sewer-location clearance, and compliance with State Fire Marshal Code setbacks and clearance.
  • Final requirements include anchoring, skirting, and deck/porch installation.
  • Failure at any inspection results in an additional $50 for each additional inspection.

  additional inspection fee: per 50 USD (For each additional inspection required after failure to meet manufactured-home ordinance requirements)

  “Failure to meet any requirements of the manufactured home ordinance at any point of inspection will result in an additional $50 for each additional inspection required.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Mobile-home installation in Bentonia town limits under the Town's 2026 manufactured-home process.

  • The applicant must provide a deed and a survey or legal description showing lot lines and length and width values.

  minimum lot width: >= 70 feet · minimum lot depth: >= 140 feet

  “Copy of Deed showing proof of property ownership (minimal lot size 70x140)”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Mobile-home installation in Bentonia town limits under the Town's 2026 manufactured-home process.

  • The site must have all setbacks and clearance required by State Fire Marshal Code.
  • No numeric Bentonia setback was published in the official process document.

  setback standard: State Fire Marshall Code (Manufactured-home site check)

  “Site has all setbacks and clearance to meet State Fire Marshall Code.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater (with conditions)

  A house, building, or property used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes in Bentonia town limits where a public water main is available.

  • At the owner's expense, a water/sewer account must be opened and maintained.
  • The account must be completed within five days of occupancy or within five days after official Town notice, whichever applies.

  account-completion deadline: <= 5 days (From becoming occupied and/or official Town notice)

  “SHALL at the owner's expense, open and maintain a water/sewer account”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Bentonia

Town of Bentonia does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Living in an RVLimited

  RV occupancy inside Bentonia town limits to the extent an MSDH wastewater application is required.

  • Three or more trailers, cabins, or RVs on a property must be applied for as a commercial development.
  • This is a wastewater-program classification and does not establish a Bentonia zoning authorization.

  commercial-development threshold: >= 3 trailers/cabins/RVs (MSDH residential application classification)

  “Yes. This is considered a residential application with us. If there will be three (3) or more trailers/cabins/RVs on the property, this will need to be applied for as a commercial development.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Hunting-camp use inside Bentonia town limits to the extent an MSDH wastewater application is required.

  • MSDH classifies the hunting camp as a residential application.
  • Three or more trailers, cabins, or RVs require a commercial-development application.
  • This is a wastewater condition and does not establish a Bentonia land-use authorization.

  commercial-development threshold: >= 3 trailers/cabins/RVs (MSDH wastewater application classification)

  “Yes. This is considered a residential application with us. If there will be three (3) or more trailers/cabins/RVs on the property, this will need to be applied for as a commercial development.”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Individual on-site wastewater systems, including systems serving land inside Bentonia town limits.

  • MSDH's Division of On-site Wastewater administers the application and permit process.
  • A sewer option is required before a water utility can make a connection; where public sewer is unavailable, the applicant must apply to MSDH for the appropriate paperwork.

  “If public sewer is not available in your area, you will have to apply to us for the proper paperwork.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of an individual on-site wastewater disposal system inside Bentonia town limits.

  • The permit is also required for a water meter.
  • Where sewer is available, sewer systems have first-right to provide service and MSDH refers applications within one mile of a sewer line to connect; MSDH requires a letter of rejection from the sewer provider before it proceeds with the application.

  “The Permit is required for a water meter and the installation of an on-site wastewater disposal system.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Wastewater disposal from land inside Bentonia town limits.

  • Mississippi treats gray water as wastewater.
  • Wastewater must pipe into a central sewer system or septic system for proper disposal.
  • Ground, ditch, and body-of-water discharge of gray water is prohibited.

  “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.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions inside Bentonia town limits requiring MSDH individual on-site wastewater review.

  • MSDH reviews a subdivision generally for lots sized to support a residence and septic system.
  • Individual septic-system options remain lot-specific and are determined from each lot's merits and plot plan.

  “A subdivision is reviewed by MSDH on a general basis, with the intention that the lots are sized appropriately to support a residence and septic system. The septic system options available are determined on a lot-by-lot basis.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New or altered driveway access from a state highway inside Bentonia town limits.

  • The requirement applies to new driveways, alterations to existing drives, certain trip-generating changes of use, and noncommercial-to-commercial use changes.
  • Applications follow Rule Number 941-7501-04002.
  • For access expected to exceed 100 peak-hour trips, a traffic-impact study must be submitted.

  traffic-impact-study threshold: > 100 peak-hour trips (Expected site access magnitude)

  “For State Highways a permit is required for: 1. New driveways; 2. Alterations to existing drives;”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Bentonia or Yazoo County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Bentonia town limits.
• Building code adopted — Buildings inside Bentonia town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside Bentonia town limits.
• Local zoning — Land inside Bentonia town limits.
• Zoning districts — Land inside Bentonia town 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.