If the site is inside Natchez, building and trade permits come from the City’s Office of Inspections at City Hall, 124 South Pearl Street (601-445-7512). Everywhere else in Adams County is unincorporated, where state law requires the county to require a construction permit; start with the Board of Supervisors’ office at 314 State Street (601-442-2431) or the County Administrator (601-445-7934).
Who issues permits in Adams County?
The Census Bureau counts one incorporated place in Adams County, the City of Natchez (14,880 residents in 2025). The City’s permits cover only property inside its limits; the unincorporated county is governed by the five-member Board of Supervisors.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Area or need | Office |
|---|---|
| City of Natchez | Office of Inspections (Building Official), City Hall, 124 South Pearl Street, Natchez, MS 39120; 601-445-7512 |
| Natchez zoning, site plans and historic district work | City Planning and Zoning, City Hall; 601-445-7518 |
| Unincorporated Adams County | Board of Supervisors, 314 State Street, Natchez, MS 39120; 601-442-2431 |
| County administration | County Administrator, 314 State Street; 601-445-7934 |
| Chancery Clerk | 115 South Wall Street, Natchez; 601-446-6684 |
| Septic systems where there is no sewer | Mississippi State Department of Health; wastewater call center 1-855-220-0192 |
Miss. Code §19-5-9(11), as amended by House Bill 1163 of 2022, requires every county to make a permit a condition of construction in its unincorporated area, and the permit has to show the contractor’s material purchase certificate or taxpayer number and the contractor’s licence number. Adams County does not publish its permit form, fee or building code online, so ask the Board of Supervisors’ office or the County Administrator what the county requires before work starts.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Steps for a project in Adams County
Confirm whether the parcel is inside the Natchez city limits; if so, the City’s Office of Inspections and Planning Department handle the project.
Exterior work in a Natchez historic district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness application through City Planning before the building permit.
Call the Board of Supervisors’ office (601-442-2431) or the County Administrator (601-445-7934) about the county permit, its fee and any flood zone rules for the site.
Where there is no public sewer, apply to the Mississippi State Department of Health for the onsite wastewater system.
Have the contractor’s material purchase certificate or taxpayer number and licence number ready for the permit.
Flood maps and septic systems in Adams County
Flood zones: FEMA’s Community Status Book lists both Adams County and the City of Natchez as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, each with flood insurance rate maps effective June 16, 2011. Inside Natchez, development in a mapped flood zone goes through the City’s floodplain rules; outside the city, ask the county about its floodplain requirements before you design or place a building in a mapped flood zone.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Septic systems: the Mississippi State Department of Health permits individual onsite wastewater systems. Applications can be filed online, by fax, by mail or by e-mail to wastewater@msdh.ms.gov, and the fee is paid through a link the Department e-mails once the file is complete.
Mississippi building code
Some work is exempt statewide: farm structures once the owner files an affidavit (Mississippi Code §17-2-7), and manufactured housing built to federal standards, certain industrial and utility facilities, buildings on non-public fairgrounds and hunting or fishing camps with an owner’s affidavit (§17-2-9). None of these exemptions reaches floodplain rules. The state minimum codes are the Mississippi Building Code and Mississippi Residential Code, the residential code drawn from the 2021 International Residential Code. How building codes apply in Mississippi
Rather not deal with the Adams County building department?
Get a free quote →Official Adams County permit resources
- Mississippi Secretary of State: county offices and officials directory (2025)
- House Bill 1163 (2022): county permit requirement
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi NFIP communities
- City of Natchez Office of Inspections
- City of Natchez Planning, zoning and historic district applications
- Mississippi State Department of Health: On-Site Wastewater
- Mississippi State Fire Marshal: fire code enforcement
- Mississippi Insurance Department: Senate Bill 2378 code opt-out
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Adams County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Natchez?
The City of Natchez Office of Inspections at City Hall, 124 South Pearl Street (601-445-7512).
Who do I call about a permit outside Natchez?
The Adams County Board of Supervisors’ office at 314 State Street (601-442-2431) or the County Administrator (601-445-7934). State law requires the county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area.
Is Adams County in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. FEMA lists Adams County and Natchez as participating communities, with flood maps effective June 16, 2011.
Who approves septic systems in Adams County?
The Mississippi State Department of Health, through its On-Site Wastewater program.
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Inspections are where schedules slip.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Adams County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.