Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

Inside Bay St. Louis, permits come from the city’s Building Department at City Hall, 688 Highway 90 (228-469-0531), and since August 14, 2025 every application, plan upload, contractor licence and inspection request goes through the MGO Connect portal. Under the fee resolution adopted on September 8, 2026 for fiscal year 2027, a building permit costs a $90 base fee plus $9 per $1,000 of ICC-based valuation, with half that again for plan review.

Who issues building permits in Bay St. Louis?

The Building Department reviews plans and issues building, trade, tree, sign and floodplain development permits for property inside the city, licenses contractors and carries out inspections. Rickey Ladner is the Building Official. The department went fully electronic on August 14, 2025 and no longer takes paper forms; a public computer in the City Hall lobby, with MGO help desk support, is available for anyone who needs it.

Permits and the MGO Connect portal

Create a free MGO Connect account, then use it to apply for all permits, upload plans and documents, apply for contractor licences, schedule inspections and follow the permit’s status. The fee schedule shows the range of permits the department issues:

New buildings also need an address notification form from the department.

Bay St. Louis permit fees

The City Council adopted the fiscal year 2027 fee resolution on September 8, 2026, effective October 1, 2026; its Exhibit A reproduces the fee schedule the City Council approved on September 10, 2024, and the resolution supersedes the earlier dates on it. Section 12-2 of the city code adopts the ICC Building Valuation Data formula with a 0.009 fee multiplier and/or the city’s permit fee schedule.

For a project valued at $200,000, the building permit is $90 plus 200 × $9, or $1,890, and plan review adds $945, for $2,835 before trade permits. Work started before the permit is issued pays double.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits

Contractors apply for their city licence through MGO Connect and pay $125 for each licence held, with a $50 late fee once a licence has been expired for 30 days. The city adopted electrical material and installation standards (section 12-25) by Ordinance 676-11-2025 on November 18, 2025.

Before you upload

The fee schedule warns that no permit is issued until all the proper documentation is in, so assemble the package before starting the MGO Connect application:

• Construction plans to the 2024 codes, uploaded as files in the portal, and an engineer-stamped plan for any cargo lift.
• The project valuation; the department prices the permit from ICC building valuation data.
• For flood zone sites, the elevation information the floodplain development permit needs, and in V zones the engineer’s certification and a non-conversion agreement recorded with the deed.
• The contractor’s city licence, also issued through MGO.

Single-family and two-family homes must also meet the city’s design regulations: roofing of laminated asphalt or composition shingles, cedar shake, standing-seam or 5V crimp metal, or slate, and siding of brick, wood, fiber cement, stucco or premium vinyl rated for 130 mph. Where the historic design guidelines or zoning ordinance differ, they control.

How to get a permit in Bay St. Louis

Inspections

Inspections are requested and tracked in MGO Connect. Re-inspections cost $40 the first time, $80 the second and $160 the third. Land disturbance permits last only 30 days, so time site work accordingly.

In flood zones, the permit holder must submit a certified elevation of the lowest floor as soon as it is placed and before framing continues, prepared by a land surveyor or engineer, and a FEMA finished-construction elevation certificate at the end. The floodplain administrator inspects at least three times: when the base flood elevation reference mark is set on site, when the lowest floor of an elevated foundation is established, and at completion.

Bay St. Louis flood and coastal rules

Elevation: Chapter 26 of the city code (Ordinance 615-04-2017) requires the lowest floor of new and substantially improved homes and commercial buildings to be at or above the base flood elevation, with mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment at or above it too. Every new or substantially improved building, inside or outside the flood zone, must also have its lowest floor at least 1 foot above the centerline of the street, unless the lot’s topography prevents it. The flood maps are based on the city’s Flood Insurance Study dated October 16, 2009.

VE zones: buildings go on pilings or columns with the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member at or above the base flood level or 1 foot above the street centerline, whichever is greater. The space below must be open or enclosed with breakaway walls rated 10 to 20 pounds per square foot, enclosures are limited to 299 sq ft, fill may not support the building, and owners record a non-conversion agreement with the deed.

Substantial improvement: improvements are added together over a ten-year period that starts with the first improvement; at 50% of the building’s current market value the building must meet the new-construction standards.

Waterfront and pools: residential lots on the Mississippi Sound, the Jordan River and connected bayous or inlets may have a separate metered power service for docks, piers, boathouses, boat winches and outdoor lighting, with underground lines and connections of no more than 30 amps. Outdoor pools more than 12 inches deep and over 16 sq ft need a fence at least 4 feet high with a lockable gate.

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

Bay St. Louis permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Bay St. Louis?

The city Building Department at City Hall, 688 Highway 90 (228-469-0531). Rickey Ladner is the Building Official.

Can I apply on paper?

No. Since August 14, 2025 all permits, plans, contractor licences and inspection requests go through MGO Connect; a lobby computer and the MGO help desk can assist.

How much is a building permit in Bay St. Louis?

A $90 base fee plus $9 per $1,000 of valuation, and plan review adds half the permit fee. A $200,000 project pays $1,890 plus $945.

Which codes does Bay St. Louis use?

The 2024 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas and Fire Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, adopted on December 2, 2025.

How long is a permit valid?

Six months, with up to two renewals at $60 each.

How high must a house be in a Bay St. Louis flood zone?

The lowest floor must be at or above the base flood elevation and at least 1 foot above the street centerline; in a VE zone the lowest horizontal structural member must meet the same test.

Official Bay St. Louis permit resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Mississippi State Board of Contractors
• Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi uniform building codes
• Bay St. Louis Building Department
• Bay St. Louis Building Department moves to MGO Connect (August 2025)
• MGO Connect portal for Bay St. Louis
• Bay St. Louis Building Department Fee Schedule
• Bay St. Louis City Council minutes, September 8, 2026 (fiscal year 2027 fees)
• Bay St. Louis Code of Ordinances, Chapter 12: Buildings
• Bay St. Louis Code of Ordinances, Chapter 26: Flood Damage Prevention

Simplify Bay St. Louis 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 Bay St. Louis permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.