Outside the City of Clarksdale, building permits in Coahoma County come from the county’s Planning and Building Permits office, where the Building Official reviews plans, approves zoning and setbacks and inspects the work. Applications are made in person with paper forms and paid by check or money order. Under the schedule the Board of Supervisors approved on September 2, 2025, a job valued at $50,000 pays $319, and a Health Department septic permit is needed before the building permit on an unsewered lot.
Who issues building permits in Coahoma County?
The county’s Planning Department, which also acts as its building permits and floodplain management office, handles construction in the unincorporated county. Richard Dickson is the Coahoma County Building Official; he reviews building plans, gives zoning approval for the lot and setbacks, and carries out the inspections. State law has required every Mississippi county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area since 2022, and Coahoma County has its own permit and inspection program.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Planning / Building Permits, 71 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, MS 38614 |
| Mailing address | PO Box 579, Clarksdale, MS 38614 |
| Permit office phone | 662-624-9300 (call to set up an appointment) |
| Building Official | Richard Dickson, 662-645-0657 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. |
Who permits each town in Coahoma County?
- Clarksdale: the City’s Public Works Department issues permits inside the city limits (121 Sunflower Avenue, 662-621-8142).
- Coahoma, Friars Point, Jonestown, Lula and Lyon: these towns publish no permit office, code or permit forms online, and the county’s application covers only the unincorporated area. Ask the town clerk who issues permits inside the town before you build.
Electrical, plumbing and gas permits in the county
The county issues separate electrical, plumbing and gas permits on its own forms, and every trade permit must be paid in full before the building permit is issued. Building contractors must hold a valid Mississippi state licence, and plumbers and electricians must show their certification (a privilege licence is not enough) before permits are issued.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical, new residential service | $0.50 per amp ($50 for 100 A, $100 for 200 A) plus a $20 initial fee |
| Electrical, new commercial or industrial service | $1 per amp plus a $20 initial fee |
| Electrical additions and renovations | First 25 fixtures $4, each extra fixture $0.50, circuits $2 each, special circuits $3 each, motors $5 each |
| Plumbing | $4 per fixture; line repairs $10; new water or sewer line $15; catch basin or car wash $10; sprinkler $5; $20 issue fee |
| Gas | Air test $10; first 4 outlets $10, each extra outlet $2; each furnace, boiler, central unit or water heater $10; $15 initial issue fee |
| Mechanical | $30 initial issue fee |
These are the trade fees in the schedule the Board approved on September 2, 2025, the same day it approved a new mechanical permit application. The older electrical form still posted on the Planning page shows a $25 residential initial fee.
Coahoma County permit fees
On September 2, 2025 the Board of Supervisors approved a new Schedule for Building Permit Fees and ordered it advertised; no later change appears in the board’s posted agendas. It is one table for residential, commercial and industrial work, priced on the total valuation, with no separate issue or plan review fee. The application asks for both the applicant’s and the county’s valuation, and the cost sheet on the Planning page values new heated living space at $78 per square foot, garages at $50, porches at $25, new commercial space at $125 and warehouse space at $50.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Total valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $0–$1,000 | $25 |
| $1,001–$50,000 | $25 on the first $1,000, then $6 for every further $1,000 or part |
| $50,001–$100,000 | $319 on the first $50,000, then $5 for every further $1,000 or part |
| $100,001–$250,000 | $569 on the first $100,000, then $4 for every further $1,000 or part |
| $250,001–$500,000 | $1,019 on the first $250,000, then $3 for every further $1,000 or part |
| $500,001–$1,000,000 | $1,769 on the first $500,000, then $2.50 for every further $1,000 or part |
| $1,000,000 or more | $3,019 on the first $1,000,000, then $2 for every further $1,000 or part |
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Re-inspection (the first inspection is part of the permit fee) | $25 |
| Moving a building: house or mobile home / commercial or industrial | $100 / $150 |
| Demolition: residential / commercial or industrial | $100 / $200 |
| Fence (flat fee): residential / commercial or industrial | $30 / $50 |
| Swimming pool: private / public | $100 / $200 |
| Temporary trailer | $50 |
| Temporary tent: up to 1,600 / up to 4,000 / over 4,000 sq ft | $25 / $40 / $60 |
| Manufactured or mobile home permit, from the posted steps sheet (trades extra) | $100 |
For example, if a 1,500 sq ft house is valued at the posted $78 per square foot, or $117,000, the permit is $569 plus 17 × $4, or $637, before trade permits. The $100,001–$250,000 band reaches $1,169 at $250,000 while the next band starts at $1,019, so price a project from the band its value falls in. The residential and commercial fee sheets still posted on the Planning page (a $175 minimum for houses with issue and plan review fees, and a commercial sheet dated April 6, 2015) are older than the Board’s 2025 schedule; if you are quoted those figures, ask the office which schedule it is using. Starting work before the permit is issued can bring a fine of up to $1,000, with each day a separate offense. No cash is accepted: pay by check or money order to Coahoma County.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →What to bring to the county office
- The completed building permit application: project address and tax parcel number, residential or commercial, new work, alteration, addition or demolition, valuation and total square feet, the owner and the contractor with licence number
- Building plans: one copy of stamped architectural plans for a building over 5,000 sq ft, otherwise two copies of drawings to scale
- An E911 address for the site
- The Mississippi State Department of Health permit or recommendation for the individual onsite wastewater (septic) system, applied for online
- The tax parcel ID number from the Coahoma County Tax Collector (662-624-3006)
- The trade permit applications, paid in full
The Coahoma County Road Department (662-624-3024) decides where any culvert goes and what size it must be. The county will not issue permits piecemeal.
How to get a Coahoma County building permit
Inside Clarksdale, apply to the City; for the five small towns, ask the town clerk first.
Obtain an E911 address and the tax parcel ID before applying.
Have the soil evaluated and get the Health Department’s onsite wastewater permit; the county needs a copy before it issues a permit.
Call the Road Department to set the culvert location and size.
Call 662-624-9300, then bring the application, plans and trade permit forms to 71 Sunflower Avenue and pay by check or money order.
Request each inspection at least 48 hours ahead and finish the septic paperwork before the certificate of occupancy.
Inspections and certificate of occupancy
The contractor or homeowner schedules every inspection with the Building Official (662-645-0657) at least 48 hours in advance. A permit becomes void if work has not started within 180 days of issue, or if more than 180 days pass between approved inspections.
Rather not deal with the Coahoma County building department?
Get a free quote →Before the county issues a certificate of occupancy for a home on a septic system, the Planning Department must have the installer’s maintenance agreement affidavit, the installer affidavit and the Health Department’s final inspection report.
Local rules worth knowing
Manufactured and mobile homes: get the permit before the home is moved onto the lot; the county warns that the electricity will not be turned on without one. The Health Department wastewater permit comes first, and even an existing septic system needs an affidavit from a licensed installer confirming that it works safely. The permit costs $100, with trade permits extra.
Flood zones: the county’s flood ordinance, adopted by the Board of Supervisors on December 21, 2011, requires new and substantially improved homes, commercial buildings and manufactured homes in a special flood hazard area to have the lowest floor at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation. Its general standards also set the lowest floor of new and substantially improved buildings at least 18 inches above the centerline of the street, unless the floodplain administrator finds the topography does not allow it. The county floodplain administrator, at the same office (662-624-9300), needs three elevation certificates: one before the building permit is issued, one once the lowest floor is in place to show the 18 inches of freeboard, and a final one when the building is finished. Every structure built below that level, including detached garages, carports, sheds, pole barns and hay sheds, needs flood vents.
Zoning: the county links the joint zoning regulations of the City of Clarksdale and Coahoma County, prepared in 1974, and the Building Official checks zoning and setbacks during plan review. Its subdivision regulations are posted on the same page.
Owner-builders: the county posts the Mississippi State Board of Contractors’ notice for homeowners who pull their own permit, which recommends that only owners with significant building experience and current code knowledge do so.
Building code in Coahoma County
The county’s permit forms and fee sheets do not name the code edition it enforces, and no code adoption order is published on its website; ask the Building Official which edition applies to your plans.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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 Coahoma County permit resources
- Coahoma County Planning: permit forms and fee sheets
- Coahoma County building permit application
- Coahoma County building permit steps
- Coahoma County residential building permit fees (older posted sheet)
- Coahoma County construction cost per square foot and miscellaneous fees
- Coahoma County electrical, plumbing and gas permit applications
- Coahoma County manufactured home permit steps
- Coahoma County floodplain management
- Coahoma County floodplain building permit steps
- Coahoma County Board of Supervisors agendas and minutes (BoardDocs)
- City of Clarksdale Public Works (city permits)
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Coahoma County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Coahoma County, MS?
The county Planning and Building Permits office at 71 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale, for the unincorporated county. The City of Clarksdale issues its own permits.
How much is a building permit for a house in Coahoma County?
It follows the value of the work under the schedule approved on September 2, 2025: $25 up to $1,000, $319 at $50,000 and $569 at $100,000. A house valued at $117,000 pays $637 before trade permits.
Do I need a septic permit before a building permit?
Yes, for a lot without sewer. The county needs a copy of the Health Department’s onsite wastewater permit or recommendation before it issues the building permit.
How do I schedule an inspection?
Call the Building Official at 662-645-0657 at least 48 hours ahead.
Can I pay in cash?
No. The county takes checks or money orders payable to Coahoma County.
Do I need a permit to put a mobile home on my land?
Yes, before the home is moved onto the lot. The permit is $100, and the power will not be connected without it.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Coahoma County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.