Bolivar County, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

Bolivar County lists no building department. Its Planning Division, reached through the County Administrator’s office, covers the county’s Land Use Development Code (adopted July 21, 2008) and subdivision regulations (March 2001), and the county’s only posted permit form is a floodplain development permit. State law requires every county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area, so call the Administrator’s office (662-846-5877) before building outside a town.

Who issues building permits in Bolivar County?

For land outside the towns, the starting point is the County Administrator, Will Hooker, whose duties include general supervision and administration of all planning, zoning and building code ordinances adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The county’s Planning Division page sends all questions to the Administrator’s office; the website lists no separate building inspector or building permit office and posts no building permit application or fee schedule. Since House Bill 1163 of 2022, Mississippi law has required each county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area, showing the contractor’s material purchase certificate or taxpayer number and licence number.

Who permits each town in Bolivar County?

• Cleveland: the City’s Department of Community Development issues building, trade and floodplain permits inside the city limits (207 E Carpenter Street, 662-843-4601).
• Rosedale, Mound Bayou, Shelby, Shaw, Merigold, Boyle, Benoit, Beulah, Duncan, Gunnison, Renova, Pace, Alligator and Winstonville: none of these towns publishes a permit office, building code or permit form online, Renova’s and Boyle’s websites cover only water and sewer billing, and Mound Bayou’s city site (City Hall, 106 Green Street West, 662-719-2193) has no permit information. Each is its own municipality, so ask the town clerk at city or town hall who issues permits there before you build. Part of Shaw lies in Sunflower County.

Septic systems and trade work

Where a lot has no public sewer, the Mississippi State Department of Health permits the individual onsite wastewater (septic) system; the Bolivar County Health Department number is 662-843-2706. The county website publishes no separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, so ask the Administrator’s office what the county requires for trade work on an unincorporated lot.

The county floodplain development permit

The Floodplain Development Permit Application on the county’s forms page asks for:

• The applicant and owner, with mailing addresses
• The property location by section, township and range
• The class of work: new, addition, repair, alteration or mobile home, with a description and the estimated cost
• The required lowest floor level and, after construction, the as-built lowest floor level, with a surveyed certification attached where required
• The water supply (private or community well) and sewer system (septic tank or community system)
• Whether the property is in a flood hazard area and, if so, whether the applicant has been advised of the flood hazard and what will be done to reduce flood damage

The local floodplain administrator signs the permit, and the applicant certifies that all laws and ordinances governing the work will be followed.

How to start a project in unincorporated Bolivar County

Bolivar County details worth knowing

Planning and zoning: the Board of Supervisors adopted subdivision regulations in March 2001 and a Land Use Development Code on July 21, 2008, and the county posts its adopted land use map and comprehensive strategic plan. The Bolivar County Planning Commission meets on the third Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the Bolivar County Courthouse Annex. The code text itself is not posted online, so ask the Administrator’s office (662-846-5877) how it applies to your lot.

Board meetings: the Board of Supervisors meets in Rosedale in even-numbered months and in Cleveland in odd-numbered months, on the first and third Mondays at 9 a.m. Board orders and resolutions are carried out through the County Administrator.

Mobile homes: the county’s floodplain form treats placing a mobile home as its own class of work, so a mobile home placed in a flood hazard area goes through the same floodplain permit as a new building.

Building code in Bolivar County

The county website does not say whether the Board of Supervisors adopted the state building codes or opted out of them, and it posts no building code ordinance; ask the County Administrator. Cleveland says it has adopted and enforces the 2021 International 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 Bolivar County resources

• Bolivar County Planning Division
• Bolivar County adopted land use map
• Bolivar County Administrator
• Bolivar County contacts
• Bolivar County forms library
• Bolivar County floodplain development permit application
• City of Cleveland Community Development (city permits)
• Mississippi State Department of Health: on-site wastewater

Bolivar County permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in unincorporated Bolivar County?

The county publishes no building permit office; the County Administrator administers the board’s building and zoning ordinances, so call 662-846-5877 before you build.

Do I need a county permit outside the towns?

State law has required every county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area since 2022, and the county posts a floodplain development permit for work in flood zones.

Who issues permits in Cleveland?

The City of Cleveland’s Department of Community Development, 207 E Carpenter Street, 662-843-4601.

Who issues permits in Rosedale, Shelby or Mound Bayou?

Each town decides for itself, and none publishes its permit process online; ask the town clerk.

Who handles septic permits?

The Mississippi State Department of Health; the Bolivar County Health Department is on 662-843-2706.

Simplify Bolivar 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 Bolivar County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.