Clinton, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

Inside Clinton city limits, building permits come from the City’s Community Development Department at the Municipal Annex, 961 Highway 80 East (601-924-2256, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). No permit is issued until the general, electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors have each registered with a $5,000 bond, liability insurance, a copy of their licence and a $25 fee.

Who issues building permits in Clinton?

Community Development oversees zoning, permits and the City’s ordinances, and its building section (shown on City forms as Building Code Services) issues building permits, registers contractors and carries out inspections. Under the City Code, the Building Official keeps the contractor licensing records and is also the floodplain administrator.

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

Clinton forms and approvals

Clinton posts its construction forms on the Resources & Reports page. A typical job uses:

The Runoff Control Plan describes the site before and after construction, the soils, the first named stream receiving the runoff, adjoining owners, erosion control best management practices, waste and chemical control and the maintenance plan, and it lists the electrical, plumbing and mechanical subcontractors.

Clinton permit and contractor fees

Community Development prices each building permit when the application is filed, and owner-builders agree in writing to pay a re-inspection fee for any inspection that has to be repeated. The contractor charges and the commercial plan review fee are set in the City Code and on the City’s forms:

The Board of Aldermen’s minutes from July to early October 2026, including the adoption of the 2026–2027 budget on September 15, 2026, contain no change to building permit fees.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors

Journeyman and master electricians, plumbers and mechanical installers working in Clinton must pass the state standard examination given by a testing agency approved by the Mayor and Board, or show a letter from a Mississippi examining board confirming they passed its exam and have held a licence for at least a year. Certificates run with the fiscal year and must be renewed by October 10. A certificate earned by one person for a company is valid only while that person works for it.

Each trade contractor also registers with the City, with a $5,000 bond, general liability insurance and the $25 fee, and only the representatives named on the registration form may pull permits. General contractors must show their state residential builder, remodeler or commercial licence to the Building Official before a building permit is issued, where state law requires one.

What Clinton asks for

• A completed contractor registration for every contractor on the job, with bond, insurance certificate and licence copy
• Plans for the work; the codified section 18-71 requires a design professional, an engineer or architect, for buildings of 5,000 sq ft or more, assembly, educational or industrial occupancies, or buildings of three or more stories
• A Runoff Control Plan for site work
• Sprinkler shop drawings, where a system is required, with the contractor’s details and the date
• A Homeowner Certificate of Compliance if the owner is acting as contractor
• A Certificate of Appropriateness and site plan for work in the Olde Towne Clinton District

An owner acting as contractor certifies that the property is, or on completion will be, their principal residence, that the work will be done by them or under their supervision, and that it will pass City inspections. If the Building Official finds the owner lacks the knowledge to finish the work to code, the work can be stopped until a licensed and bonded contractor takes over.

How to get a Clinton building permit

Clinton inspections

City inspectors check permitted work for code compliance at each stage, and work not ready or not in compliance when inspected must be re-inspected for a fee. For sprinkler systems, the drawings must carry a note to call the Clinton Fire Department at least 24 hours before any required test.

Rental units have their own inspection program: each rental unit is registered every year and inspected before its rental licence is valid, and a certificate of occupancy for the unit is issued only after any problems are fixed and re-inspected.

Local Clinton rules

Flood zones: under the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance dated September 17, 2019, the Building Official is the floodplain administrator, a development permit is needed before any work in a special flood hazard area, and the lowest floor of new and substantially improved homes and commercial buildings must be at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation.

Olde Towne Clinton: any action in the Olde Towne Clinton (OTC) District needs a Certificate of Appropriateness and a site plan, and public facilities, bed and breakfast inns, and new or expanded duplexes and apartments there also need a conditional use permit.

Sprinklers: the City’s sprinkler ordinance requires automatic sprinklers in all educational, hazardous and institutional buildings, in apartments, hotels and dormitories of any size, in assembly buildings for 300 or more people, in business, factory, mercantile, storage and mixed-use buildings over 10,000 sq ft, in windowless buildings and in enclosed parking or repair garages over 1,000 sq ft. It also applies when remodeling is worth 25% of the current construction cost.

Code enforcement: property maintenance and code cases are heard in the City’s environmental court.

Codes Clinton enforces

On February 1, 2022 the Board of Aldermen adopted the 2018 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Fire, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing and Property Maintenance Codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code, effective April 1, 2022. The online City Code on Municode is codified only through December 4, 2018, so its section 18-71 still shows the 2006 codes and section 18-72 the 1999 Standard Swimming Pool 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

Clinton permit FAQs

Where do I get a building permit in Clinton, MS?

At Community Development in the Municipal Annex, 961 Highway 80 East (601-924-2256), open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays except holidays.

What does a contractor need before pulling a Clinton permit?

A City registration with a $5,000 bond, general liability insurance, a copy of the current licence and a $25 yearly fee. Every contractor on the job, including the electrical, plumbing and mechanical subcontractors, must be registered.

Can I pull a permit for my own house?

Yes, for your principal residence, by signing the Homeowner Certificate of Compliance. You may do your own trade work at home, but anyone helping you must be licensed and bonded.

How high must a new house be in a Clinton flood zone?

The lowest floor must be at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation, under the City’s 2019 flood ordinance.

Do I need approval to build in Olde Towne Clinton?

Yes. Any action in the Olde Towne Clinton District needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, reviewed by the Historical Preservation and Planning Commissions and decided by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

When must trade certificates be renewed?

By October 10 each year for $25; later renewals cost $35, or $50 after 30 days.

Official Clinton permit resources

• Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi Uniform Building Codes
• Clinton resources and reports (forms, ordinances, minutes)
• Clinton Community Development
• Clinton contractor registration form
• Clinton contractor’s bond form
• Clinton homeowner certificate of compliance
• Clinton homeowner liability notice
• Clinton runoff control plan
• Clinton certificate of appropriateness and conditional use application
• Clinton Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (2019)
• Clinton automatic sprinkler ordinance
• Clinton Code of Ordinances (Municode, codified through 2018)
• Clinton Board minutes, February 1, 2022: 2018 code adoption

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