Inside Columbus, building permits are issued by the City’s Zoning and Inspection Department at 1621 Main Street (662-245-5055), and a permit for a new house starts with a construction permit application, which can be filled out in the office, and the estimated cost of construction. Fees follow the valuation table in Section 7-100 of the City Code, and contractors need a City licence even if they hold a state one.
What needs a permit in Columbus?
The Zoning and Inspection Department keeps its list of work that needs a permit at the office, so ask there for a project not shown below. The City Code and FAQs set out these points:
Permit needed
- New buildings, additions, alterations and repairs under the City’s building and residential codes
- Moving a building and demolition
- Electrical wiring, devices and equipment, new or altered
- Plumbing and gas work
- Mechanical systems
- All in-ground pools, and above-ground pools connected to an electrical device such as a pump
No electrical permit (Code 11-31)
- Minor repairs such as repairing switches, replacing fuses, changing lamp sockets and receptacles
- Telephone, signaling and other systems operating at 50 volts or less
- Maintenance and repairs by a building’s own maintenance electrician, unless new circuits, load or equipment are added
Who issues building permits in Columbus?
The Zoning and Inspection Department serves as the building code enforcement department, and its work covers addressing, floodplain compliance, inspections, permits and zoning, along with code enforcement. Nathan Katona is the Building Official, and under the City’s flood ordinance the Building Official is also the Floodplain Administrator.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 1621 Main Street, Columbus, MS 39701 |
| Phone | 662-245-5055 (Building Official and Flood Plain Manager) |
| City Hall | 523 Main Street, 662-244-3500 |
| Applications | Construction permit application, available to fill out in the office |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →City permits apply inside Columbus. Unincorporated Lowndes County is handled by the Lowndes County Building Inspection office at 17 Airline Road.
Columbus applications and contractor licences
For a new house, the department asks for a completed construction permit application, which can be filled out at the office, and the estimated cost of construction including electrical work. Electrical work needs its own permit from the Building Official, and plumbing and gas work are regulated under their own chapters of the City Code.
Contractors need a City of Columbus licence. The City’s FAQ explains that the general contractor’s licence carries a bond that helps fund building code enforcement, because the state licence does not provide individual restitution; the bond is used for legal costs and to repair code violations once other efforts to get them corrected have failed. City law does not allow a licence from outside Mississippi to be transferred to Columbus.
- Electricians: anyone in the electrical contracting business, or offering service as a master electrician in the city or the area served by the city utilities, must pass the board’s examination (fee $40, passing grade 70%), post a $1,000 surety bond and pay the privilege taxes state law requires.
- Plumbers: the master plumber examination needs at least three years’ practical experience as a journeyman or apprentice (or equivalent schooling or training), costs $40 and has a 75% passing grade; a $1,000 bond is required before the licence issues.
- Master electrician exams are held at least once a year, normally starting in January, with notice published 10 to 20 days ahead.
A homeowner may install or maintain the electrical system in a home used only by the owner and family, doing the work personally.
Columbus permit fees
Building permit fees are set in Article V of Chapter 7 of the City Code (Sections 7-100 to 7-104) and are based on the total valuation of the work. The council agendas and minutes through October 20, 2026 show no change to them.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Valuation or item | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1,000 and less | No fee unless an inspection is needed, then $15 per inspection |
| $1,000–$50,000 | $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,000–$100,000 | $260 for the first $50,000 plus $4 per additional $1,000 |
| $100,000–$500,000 | $460 for the first $100,000 plus $3 per additional $1,000 |
| $500,000 and up | $1,660 for the first $500,000 plus $2 per additional $1,000 |
| Plan checking (valuation over $1,000 with plans required) | Half the building permit fee, added to it |
| Moving a building | $100 |
| Demolition | $50 up to 100,000 cubic feet; $0.50 per 1,000 cubic feet above that |
| Work started without a permit | Fees doubled |
Section 7-100 also states that “the fee for permitting shall not be less than $65.00/square feet for heated and cooled spaces,” so ask the department how it sets the valuation for a new house before you budget.
Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Columbus
The Building Official grants electrical permits and inspects all new installations. Electrical fees are in Section 11-53 of the City Code: the minimum permit fee is $10, charged for inspections of service repairs or replacements and added outlets, switches and circuits, and buildings wired throughout are charged by service size.
| Service size | Fee |
|---|---|
| 30–100 amp | $15 |
| 101–200 amp | $30 |
| 201–400 amp | $40 |
| 401–600 amp | $60 |
| 601–800 amp | $80 |
| 801–1,000 amp | $100 |
| 1,001–1,400 amp | $120 |
| 1,401–2,000 amp | $140 |
| 2,001–2,400 amp | $160 |
| 2,401–3,000 amp | $200 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →All electrical fees are paid before the permit issues, extra work found during the job must be paid for at once, and a belated permit for work begun without one costs double. Plumbing follows the 2021 International Plumbing Code and mechanical work the 2021 International Mechanical Code, both with City amendments.
What to submit
New house
- Completed construction permit application
- Estimated cost of construction, including electrical
- Contractor’s City licence
- Plans, where required, for plan checking
Before you apply
- Lot setbacks and coverage for the zone, in Appendix A of the Zoning Ordinance
- Permitted uses for the zoning district under the Columbus Development Code
- Flood zone, from the FEMA flood map or the Flood Plain Manager
If the project does not fit the zone, the department can say whether a major or minor conditional use, a variance or a zoning change might apply. Those go to the Planning Commission, which usually meets at 5:30 pm on the second Monday of the month; applications are due by 5 pm 25 to 30 days before the meeting.
How to get a Columbus building permit: 6 steps
Inside Columbus the City permits the work; unincorporated land goes to the Lowndes County Building Inspection office.
Look up setbacks and uses, and ask the Flood Plain Manager whether the lot is in a special flood hazard area.
General, electrical and plumbing contractors need City licences and bonds.
Complete the construction permit application with the estimated cost of construction.
Pay the valuation-based permit fee, plan checking where plans are reviewed, and the trade permit fees.
Arrange inspections with the department at 662-245-5055 as the work goes up.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Columbus inspections
The Zoning and Inspection Department inspects permitted work; call 662-245-5055 to arrange inspections. Electrical installations are inspected by the Building Official’s staff, who can stop work done contrary to the code and can disconnect service to wiring found unsafe until it is corrected. A contractor who does not correct non-conforming work within 10 days of notice can be refused further permits.
The department’s inspectors also check complaints about dilapidated buildings; where code violations appear, the owner is notified and a hearing is held to decide whether the building is closed, repaired or demolished.
Local rules that matter in Columbus
Building codes: on December 19, 2023 the City adopted the 2021 International Residential, Building, Existing Building, Mechanical and Plumbing Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, with City amendments. The residential sprinkler section of the 2021 IRC is deleted, and in commercial buildings the sprinkler rule for Group R occupancies excludes single-family and two-family dwellings and townhouses with the required fire separation.
Floodplain: the Building Official administers the City’s flood damage prevention ordinance (Appendix E of the City Code). New homes, other buildings and substantial improvements in a special flood hazard area need the lowest floor at least 12 inches above the base flood elevation, and the ordinance recommends 18 inches. FEMA’s final flood hazard determinations for Lowndes County set November 28, 2025 as the date of the current flood maps, with the City’s map repository at the Building Department, 1621 Main Street.
Incentives: the City offers tax abatement programs for housing improvements and a similar program for new developments.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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
Columbus permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Columbus, Mississippi?
The City’s Zoning and Inspection Department, 1621 Main Street (662-245-5055), for property inside the city limits. Unincorporated Lowndes County is permitted by the county.
What do I need to get a permit for a new house?
A completed construction permit application, which can be filled out in the office, and the estimated cost of construction including electrical work.
How much is a building permit in Columbus?
It is based on valuation: $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per $1,000 up to $50,000, $460 for the first $100,000 plus $3 per $1,000 to $500,000, and so on, plus half the permit fee for plan checking where plans are reviewed.
Why do I need a Columbus contractor licence if I have a state licence?
The City licence carries a bond that helps fund building code enforcement, which the state licence does not. Licences from outside Mississippi cannot be transferred to Columbus.
Does an above-ground pool need a permit in Columbus?
Yes, if it is connected to an electrical device such as a pump. All in-ground pools need a building permit.
How high must a house be built in a Columbus flood zone?
The lowest floor must be at least 12 inches above the base flood elevation; the City’s ordinance recommends 18 inches.
Official Columbus permit resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →- Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi uniform building codes
- Columbus Building Inspection and Zoning Department
- Columbus Zoning and Inspection FAQs
- Columbus Code Chapter 7, Buildings (adopted codes and fees)
- Columbus Code Chapter 11, Electricity (permits, fees, licences)
- Columbus Code Chapter 24, Plumbing
- Columbus Code Appendix E, Flood Damage Prevention
- FEMA final flood hazard determinations, Lowndes County (Federal Register, July 9, 2025)
- Columbus City Council agendas and minutes
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Columbus permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.