On unincorporated land, state law requires the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors to require a permit for construction; the county works from the Houston courthouse, 1 Pinson Square (662-456-2513), and the Okolona courthouse, 234 West Main Street (662-447-2092), weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Inside Houston a building permit costs $1 per $1,000 of construction cost, with a $5 minimum, and is bought at City Hall.
Who issues permits in Chickasaw County?
The county’s website covers the courthouses, the clerks, tax, roads and solid waste; it has no building, zoning or floodplain page. Chickasaw is one of the counties split into two judicial districts, and land records are filed at the courthouse of the district where the property lies. The Chancery Clerk is clerk to the Board of Supervisors, and anyone who wants to raise a matter at the Board’s regular meeting, held on the first Monday of each month, must ask that office in advance to be put on the agenda.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Area | Who handles building permits |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated Chickasaw County | Board of Supervisors; Houston courthouse, 1 Pinson Square, 662-456-2513, or Okolona courthouse, 234 West Main Street, 662-447-2092 |
| Houston (3,670), first-district seat | Zoning Administrator, under the city zoning ordinance; permits bought at City Hall, 120 East Madison Street, 662-456-2328 |
| Okolona (2,394), second-district seat | Zoning Administrator, under the city zoning ordinance; City Hall, 215 W. Main Street, 662-447-5461 |
| New Houlka (677) and Woodland (117) | The published sources do not say who issues permits in these towns; ask each town clerk |
| Septic systems where there is no sewer | Mississippi State Department of Health; Wastewater Call Center 1-855-220-0192 |
County roads: a new driveway or culvert on a county road needs county approval so drainage is not blocked; contact the supervisor for your district before any work in the county right-of-way. Streets inside Houston, Okolona and the other towns belong to the towns.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Houston and Okolona building permits
Houston: the city’s zoning ordinance makes it unlawful to start excavating or filling a lot for construction, to begin building, to move or alter a building, or to start developing land until the Zoning Administrator has issued a building permit, and no structure may be built, enlarged or materially altered without one. The fee is $1 per $1,000 of construction cost, with a $5 minimum, so a $150,000 house pays $150. Permits are bought at City Hall, and the city posts its zoning map online. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.
Okolona: the city’s zoning ordinance also gives building permits to the Zoning Administrator. A permit expires if work has not begun within 90 days of issue, and an application for a building on a septic tank must be approved by the building inspector. The ordinance sets up an F-1 Floodplain District for land subject to flooding. The City Council meets on the second Tuesday of each month; Public Works, which maintains city water, sewer lines and streets, is at 662-447-5761.
Flood insurance program: FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Chickasaw County, Houston, New Houlka and Okolona as participants. The county and Okolona maps are dated November 28, 2025, and Houston’s and New Houlka’s January 6, 2010; none of them has base flood elevations determined. Woodland participates with no special flood hazard area mapped.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Steps for a project in Chickasaw County
Find out whether the land is in Houston, Okolona, New Houlka, Woodland or the unincorporated county, and which courthouse holds its records.
Apply to the Zoning Administrator through City Hall before excavating or building.
Call your district supervisor before cutting a driveway or setting a culvert.
Ask the courthouse what the county permit requires, with the contractor’s licence and tax numbers ready.
Without sewer, apply to the State Department of Health for the onsite wastewater system.
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 Chickasaw County building department?
Get a free quote →Official Chickasaw County permit resources
- Chickasaw County courthouse hours and locations
- Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors
- Chickasaw County road maintenance and driveway culverts
- City of Houston permits and licenses
- City of Houston zoning map
- City of Okolona departments
- City of Okolona zoning ordinance
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi
- Mississippi State Department of Health: On-Site Wastewater
- House Bill 1163 (2022): county permit requirement
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Chickasaw County permit FAQs
How much is a building permit in Houston, MS?
$1 per $1,000 of construction cost, with a $5 minimum, bought at City Hall (662-456-2328).
Who issues building permits in Okolona?
The city’s Zoning Administrator; a permit expires if work does not start within 90 days.
Do I need county approval for a driveway culvert?
Yes, on a county road. Contact your district supervisor before working in the county right-of-way.
Which Chickasaw County courthouse do I use?
Records are kept by judicial district: Houston (662-456-2513) for the first district and Okolona (662-447-2092) for the second.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
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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.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Chickasaw County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.