For land outside West Point, state law requires the Clay County Board of Supervisors to require a permit for construction. The Board and the Chancery Clerk share the mailing address PO Box 815, West Point, MS 39773; the Board’s number is 662-494-3313 and the Chancery Clerk’s 662-494-3124. Inside West Point, ask the city which permits apply.
Who issues permits in Clay County?
Clay County, formed in 1871 as Colfax County and renamed in 1876, has a single incorporated place, the City of West Point (9,743 residents by the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 estimate). The contacts below come from the Secretary of State’s 2025 directory of county officials; no county building office, permit form or fee schedule is published.
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Get a free quote →| Area or task | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| Construction in unincorporated Clay County | Board of Supervisors, PO Box 815, West Point, MS 39773; 662-494-3313 |
| County records | Chancery Clerk, PO Box 815, West Point; 662-494-3124 |
| Property and mobile home taxes | Tax Assessor/Collector, PO Box 795, West Point; 662-494-3432 |
| Inside the City of West Point | The published sources do not say which city office issues permits; ask West Point City Hall |
| Septic systems where there is no sewer | Mississippi State Department of Health (North Region); Wastewater Call Center 1-855-220-0192 |
Under Miss. Code §19-5-9(11), added in 2022, every county permit must show in conspicuous print the contractor’s material purchase certificate number or federal taxpayer identification number, and the contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility number.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Flood maps and septic systems in Clay County
Flood insurance program: FEMA’s Community Status Book lists both Clay County and the City of West Point as participants in the National Flood Insurance Program, each with a current flood map dated November 28, 2025. The county’s first flood insurance rate map dates from 1990 and West Point’s from 1978, so a site’s zone may have changed with the 2025 maps; check it before you build or buy.
Septic systems: the State Department of Health issues onsite wastewater permits in Clay County. Applications can be filed online or sent by fax, by mail or by e-mail to wastewater@msdh.ms.gov, and the Department’s call center helps with the forms and online payment.
Steps for building in Clay County
Confirm whether the parcel is within the city limits; if it is, ask the City of West Point which permits it requires.
Look up the parcel on FEMA’s November 28, 2025 map for Clay County or West Point.
Without public sewer, apply to the State Department of Health for the onsite system first.
Call the Board of Supervisors at 662-494-3313, with the contractor’s certificate or tax number and licence number ready.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →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 Clay County building department?
Get a free quote →Official Clay County permit resources
- Mississippi Secretary of State: county officials directory (2025)
- House Bill 1163 (2022): county permit requirement
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi
- Mississippi State Department of Health: On-Site Wastewater
Clay County permit FAQs
Who do I call about a building permit outside West Point?
The Clay County Board of Supervisors at 662-494-3313; its mailing address is PO Box 815, West Point, MS 39773.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Does Clay County have to require building permits?
Yes. Since 2022 state law has required every county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area.
Is Clay County in the flood insurance program?
Yes. Both the county and West Point participate, with flood maps dated November 28, 2025.
Who approves septic systems in Clay County?
The Mississippi State Department of Health, through its On-Site Wastewater program.
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Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →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 Clay County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.