Attala County, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

For a building project outside the towns, contact the Attala County Board of Supervisors at 230 West Washington Street, Kosciusko (662-289-2898), which governs the unincorporated county. Inside Kosciusko, the City issues permits under the 2021 International Building and Residential Codes, and Ethel, McCool and Sallis govern their own land.

Who issues building permits in Attala County?

The five-member Board of Supervisors governs unincorporated Attala County. Under House Bill 1163 of 2022, every Mississippi county must require a permit for construction outside its towns, so ask the Board’s office for the county permit application before work starts.

Who permits each town in Attala County?

• Kosciusko: the City issues building permits inside its limits. Its code adopts the 2021 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Existing Building and Property Maintenance Codes and the current National Electrical Code (ordinances of August 16, 2022 and May 21, 2024). The code’s building permit fee schedule (sec. 6-5) charges $15 for work valued at $1,000 or less, $15 plus $4 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, $211 plus $3 per $1,000 up to $100,000, $361 plus $2 per $1,000 up to $500,000, and $1,161 plus $1 per $1,000 above that; to value a new house, the code counts $31 per sq ft up to 1,500 sq ft and $36 per sq ft for larger houses. Heating, plumbing and electrical work have separate permit fees.
• Ethel, McCool and Sallis: building inside these three towns is a matter for each town; ask its clerk which office issues permits.

Septic systems and trade work

The Mississippi State Department of Health permits septic tanks and other individual onsite wastewater systems where a lot cannot connect to a sewer. For electrical, plumbing or mechanical work outside the towns, ask the Board of Supervisors’ office whether a separate county permit is needed; inside Kosciusko, the City’s adopted codes cover these trades.

Starting a project in unincorporated Attala County

Attala County details worth knowing

Work in county road rights-of-way: utilities that lay fiber, pipelines or other facilities along or across county roads apply to the county for a construction permit. The application includes drawings that cannot be changed without the Board of Supervisors’ approval, and the applicant agrees to follow the state policy for utilities in road rights-of-way.

Flood insurance program: FEMA lists Attala County, Kosciusko, Ethel and McCool as taking part in the National Flood Insurance Program, and lists Sallis as not taking part.

Building code in Attala County

Ask the Board of Supervisors’ office which code edition, if any, applies to county permits. Kosciusko’s code adopts the 2021 International Building and Residential Codes inside the city.

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

Official Attala County resources

• Attala County Board of Supervisors minutes archive
• Mississippi Secretary of State county government directory, 2024–2028 (Attala County officials)
• City of Kosciusko Code of Ordinances (city permits)
• Mississippi State Department of Health: on-site wastewater

Attala County permit FAQs

Who do I contact about a permit in unincorporated Attala County?

The Board of Supervisors’ office at 230 West Washington Street, Kosciusko (662-289-2898).

Which building code does Kosciusko use?

The 2021 International Building and Residential Codes, the 2021 International Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Existing Building and Property Maintenance Codes, and the current National Electrical Code.

Is a county permit needed to run a line along or across a county road?

Yes. Utilities apply to the county for a construction permit with drawings, which cannot be changed later without the Board of Supervisors’ approval.

Who handles septic permits?

In Attala County, as across Mississippi, septic systems are permitted by the State Department of Health.

Simplify Attala County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Mississippi. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Attala County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.