Byram, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

The City of Byram issues its own building permits through the Public Works Department, 550 Executive Boulevard (601-372-7791, Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), whose building inspector also handles planning and zoning. Permit fees are calculated on construction value, and every contractor must file a state licence, a $5,000 bond, liability insurance, the project contract and a $25 annual registration fee.

Who issues building permits in Byram?

Byram’s Public Works Department covers inspections, planning and zoning, streets, parks and wastewater. Its Planning and Zoning/Building Inspector, Eric Munden, serves as the City’s Building Official, and Dexter Shelby is Director of Public Works. The Building Official also keeps the City’s contractor registration list and sits on the Development Review Committee with code enforcement and the fire chief.

Byram permits only property inside its city limits. Land outside the city is unincorporated Hinds County, where the Hinds County Permit and Zoning Department in Raymond issues permits; Jackson and Clinton have their own offices.

What needs a permit in Byram

The City’s Inspections/Permits page lists permits for building, remodeling, roofing, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, pools, demolition, mobile homes, moving a structure and signs. The building permit application and the department’s monthly reports add:

Commercial and industrial applications need a Material Purchase Certificate (MPC), and all commercial businesses must meet the City’s 2012 Knox Box Ordinance.

Byram permit fees

Byram calculates building permit fees on the construction value written on the application, using the residential and commercial fee schedule the Board of Aldermen adopted by ordinance in 2010. The building inspector’s office (601-372-7791, ext. 404) prices each permit from that value.

The Public Works monthly reports to the Board record permit fees by category, including development fees, boring, roofing and land disturbance permits. The Board’s minutes and agendas from July to October 2026 include no change to the permit fee ordinance.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in Byram

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits are issued by the same Public Works office. Under the City’s contractor licensing ordinance, master electricians, plumbers and mechanical installers must show a state Certificate of Responsibility, or a letter from an approved Mississippi examining board confirming they passed its exam and have held a licence for at least a year. For general contractors, the 2011 ordinance accepts a state residential builder or remodeler licence, a Certificate of Responsibility, or a licence from a Mississippi city or county that gives a written exam, while the City’s current Inspections/Permits page asks for a contractor licence from the State of Mississippi only.

Each trade contractor on the building permit application is listed with its licence, City registration and bond or insurance. Certificates run from October 1 to September 30 and cost $25 to renew, and the $5,000 bond and proof of liability insurance must be in force when each permit is issued.

What to submit in Byram

• The building permit application: work site, subdivision, lot and parcel number; contractor and owner; electrical, mechanical and plumbing subcontractors; estimated construction cost; heated and cooled area and total area under roof; stories and height; construction, occupancy and foundation type; sewer and gas providers and the Entergy account number
• Flood information where it applies: flood zone, floodplain certificate number, base flood elevation, lowest floor elevation and FIRM panel
• An MPC for commercial and industrial construction
• A Contractor Registration Form naming the people allowed to pull permits for the company
• The contractor’s state licence, $5,000 bond, certificate of general liability insurance and a copy of the project contract

Conditional use requests are reviewed by the City’s Development Review Committee, made up of the Building Official, code enforcement and the fire chief, which sends its recommendation to the Board of Aldermen.

How to get a Byram building permit

Inspections in Byram

The Planning and Zoning/Building Inspector carries out the City’s inspections and can be reached at 601-372-7791, ext. 404. A mobile home must have its permit completed before it is placed on a lot.

In a flood zone, the application records the base flood elevation and the lowest floor elevation, and the City’s flood ordinance requires the lowest floor and the building’s electrical, heating, plumbing and air-conditioning equipment to be at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation.

Local Byram rules

Minimum house size: an April 2025 amendment to the zoning ordinance sets a minimum of 2,000 sq ft of heated living space for each house in the R-E zone and 1,850 sq ft in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 zones, not counting porches, patios, garages or carports. It applies only in subdivisions where no house had been permitted when the amendment took effect.

Flood zones: the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance adopted in March 2021 makes the City Engineer the floodplain administrator and requires new and substantially improved homes and commercial buildings to have their lowest floor 18 inches above the base flood elevation.

Knox boxes: buildings in the fire district with sprinklers or standpipes, and alarmed buildings that are hard to enter, need a key box at a location approved by the fire official; owner-occupied one- and two-family homes are exempt.

Homeowners: the licensing ordinance lets an owner do electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work on the home they own and live in without a licence or bond, but the work still needs permits and inspections, and no unlicensed person may help.

Codes Byram lists

The City’s Inspections/Permits page lists the editions Byram has adopted: the 2012 International Building, Residential, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fire and Energy Conservation Codes and the 2011 National Electrical Code. The page also lists local amendments: the building code is adopted without sections 901 through 903 (fire protection and sprinkler systems), some administrative sections of the mechanical code are left out, and the penalty clauses are set at a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000 and 90 days.

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

Byram permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Byram, MS?

The City’s Public Works Department at 550 Executive Blvd (601-372-7791). Its Planning and Zoning/Building Inspector is the Building Official.

How are Byram permit fees calculated?

On the construction value given on the application, under the City’s 2010 permit fee ordinance; the inspector’s office prices each permit.

What do contractors need to work in Byram?

A Mississippi state contractor licence, a $5,000 bond payable to the City, a certificate of general liability insurance, a copy of the project contract and a $25 annual registration, filed before any work begins.

Is there a minimum house size in Byram?

Yes, in new subdivisions: 2,000 sq ft of heated space in the R-E zone and 1,850 sq ft in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 zones, under the April 2025 zoning amendment.

Do I need a permit for a new roof in Byram?

Yes. Roofing is on the City’s list of work that needs a permit.

Can I place a mobile home before getting a permit?

No. The permit must be completed before the mobile home is placed in the City.

Official Byram permit resources

• Byram building permit application
• Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi Uniform Building Codes
• Mississippi State Board of Contractors
• Byram Inspections/Permits
• Byram Public Works Department
• Byram Public Works applications and forms
• Byram contractor registration form
• Byram contractor bond
• Byram contractor licensing ordinance
• Byram Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (2021)
• Byram minimum square footage ordinance (2025)
• Byram Knox Box Ordinance (2012)
• Byram Zoning Ordinance (2019)
• Byram ordinances
• Byram Board agendas and minutes

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