In George County, building permits inside Lucedale come from the City’s Department of Zoning, Building and Code Enforcement at City Hall (601-947-2082). For the unincorporated county, the Board of Supervisors (601-947-7506) has adopted a flood damage prevention ordinance and a subdivision order, and any development in a mapped flood zone needs a permit from the county Floodplain Administrator first.
Who issues permits in George County?
The answer depends on whether the land is inside Lucedale, which the Census Bureau lists as the county’s only incorporated place (3,232 residents in 2025). Everything else is unincorporated and under the five-member Board of Supervisors.
| Area or work | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| Lucedale (city limits) | City of Lucedale Department of Zoning, Building and Code Enforcement, City Hall, 5126 Main Street, Lucedale, MS 39452; 601-947-2082 |
| Development in a special flood hazard area outside Lucedale | George County Floodplain Administrator (the Deputy Emergency Management Director), 355 Cox Street, Lucedale; 601-947-7557; floodplain@georgecountyms.gov |
| Subdividing land in the unincorporated county | Board of Supervisors, with plat review by the County Engineer; Board office 329 Ratliff Street, Lucedale; 601-947-7506 |
| Other construction in the unincorporated county | Board of Supervisors office, 601-947-7506 |
| Septic systems where there is no sewer | Mississippi State Department of Health |
Since House Bill 1163 of 2022, Miss. Code §19-5-9(11) has required every county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area, and the permit must show the contractor’s material purchase certificate or taxpayer number and licence number. George County publishes no county building permit form, fee schedule, adopted building code or inspection service, so for any construction outside Lucedale call the Board of Supervisors’ office before work starts.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Is George County under the coastal code law? No. Miss. Code §17-2-1, enacted by House Bill 1406 of 2006, makes Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone counties and their municipalities enforce wind and flood mitigation requirements and the latest International Building and Residential Codes. George County is not named, and the 2022 amendment to §19-5-9 lists the same five counties.
Building in Lucedale
The City of Lucedale posts its building permit application, sign application, manufactured home permit information and zoning map amendment application on its Zoning & Planning page. The building permit form, from the Department of Zoning, Building and Code Enforcement, asks for the owner, contractor and any architect or engineer, the type of construction, the estimated cost, the plot dimensions, and the flood zone designation and base flood elevation. It has sign-off spaces for a zoning inspection and the building inspections, and it states that a new permit must be bought if construction is not finished within two years of the permit date.
The City’s zoning map and Land Development Code (adopted by Ordinance 453; the code is dated March 16, 2020 and the file was re-posted in June 2026) set the district rules; manufactured homes are allowed only in Agricultural and Industrial zones.
Complete the building permit application, including the flood zone and base flood elevation for the lot.
File it with the City at City Hall, 5126 Main Street (601-947-2082).
The form records a zoning inspection and each building inspection before the job is closed.
Manufactured homes in Lucedale: the trailer permit is $50 and is good for one year. Each home needs its own water and sewer connections at $250 each, plus a $100 meter deposit, and the application needs a copy of the owner’s deed and the parcel number. Mobile homes built before June 14, 1976 are not allowed in the city.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Historic districts and moving buildings: under the Land Development Code, moving a building needs a moving permit from the Building Department and a certificate of appropriateness from the Lucedale Historic Preservation Commission or the Courthouse Square Historic Preservation Commission. A certificate of zoning compliance is needed before a new or altered building is used. The City administers its own floodplain ordinance inside city limits.
Fire code and burning: Ordinance 474, adopted October 7, 2025, adopts the latest edition of the International Fire Code, enforced by the Lucedale Fire Department. Before burning any acreage or a large debris pile (over 4 feet high or 10 feet wide), the owner must contact the Fire Department (601-508-4692) and the Mississippi Forestry Commission (601-928-4140) and get both approvals; large piles need a 40-foot cleared area and a Fire Department inspection before ignition.
Flood zones, subdivisions and other local rules
Floodplain development permit: the county’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, adopted and effective November 4, 2019, covers every special flood hazard area under the Board’s jurisdiction, using the Flood Insurance Study for George County and Incorporated Areas dated September 19, 2012. A development permit is needed before any building, filling or other development starts in those areas. Apply to the Floodplain Administrator on the county’s forms, with plans in duplicate drawn to scale.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Elevation certificate at application | Proposed lowest-floor elevation on a FEMA Elevation Certificate by a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor |
| Elevation certificate at completion | A finished-construction FEMA Elevation Certificate goes to the Floodplain Administrator |
| New or substantially improved home (zones with base flood elevations) | Lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to the base flood elevation |
| Non-residential building floodproofed instead of elevated | Watertight below the base flood elevation plus at least 1 foot of freeboard, certified by an engineer or architect |
| Mechanical and utility equipment | At least at the base flood elevation |
| Streams with no base flood elevation | No fill or development within five times the stream width, or 20 feet each side of the top of bank, whichever is greater, unless an engineer certifies it |
| Manufactured home in an existing park | Lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation, or chassis on reinforced piers at least 36 inches high, anchored |
| Critical facilities | Lowest floor 3 feet 6 inches above the base flood elevation, or at the 0.2 percent chance flood elevation if higher |
Variances are heard by the Board of Supervisors. FEMA lists both George County and Lucedale as taking part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective September 19, 2012.
Subdivisions: the subdivision order the Board approved on December 16, 2024 applies when land is split into three or more lots. Lots must be at least one acre, and each needs a soil test showing it can take an onsite wastewater system approved by the health department. The developer files two copies of the preliminary plat at one inch to 200 feet, with at least $500 in cash or certified check payable to the County Engineer toward review costs, and the plat must say whether any lot lies in the flood hazard area. Protective covenants recorded with the plat must include, among other items, a minimum house size of 1,500 square feet heated and cooled. Divisions for agricultural use that create no new roads are exempt, an owner selling a tract of 10 acres or more with public road frontage or a 50-foot access easement may ask the Board to waive the formal plat, and anyone planning 10 or more residential lots is told to contact the Mississippi State Department of Health before starting. The county posts the order’s November 8, 2024 edition, prepared for the December 16, 2024 vote.
Rather not deal with the George County building department?
Get a free quote →County roads: each supervisor’s road department handles county road and drainage work in that district; the Board’s office (601-947-7506) takes questions about county roads.
Septic systems: the Mississippi State Department of Health permits onsite wastewater systems. Apply online, by fax, by mail or by e-mail to wastewater@msdh.ms.gov; after the application is complete the Department e-mails a payment link. Its wastewater call center is 1-855-220-0192.
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
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Official George County permit resources
- George County Board of Supervisors
- George County Public Safety: Emergency Management and Floodplain Administrator
- George County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (2019)
- George County Subdivision Order (2024)
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi NFIP communities
- House Bill 1406 (2006): coastal county wind and flood code law
- House Bill 1163 (2022): county permit requirement
- City of Lucedale Zoning & Planning
- City of Lucedale building permit application
- City of Lucedale manufactured home permit information
- City of Lucedale Land Development Code
- Mississippi State Department of Health: On-Site Wastewater
- City of Lucedale Ordinance 474: International Fire Code and burning rules
George County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Lucedale?
The City of Lucedale’s Department of Zoning, Building and Code Enforcement at City Hall, 5126 Main Street (601-947-2082).
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Do I need a county permit to build in a flood zone in George County?
Yes. The 2019 Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance requires a development permit from the county Floodplain Administrator (601-947-7557) before any development in a special flood hazard area, with FEMA Elevation Certificates at application and at completion.
How high must a new house be in a George County flood zone?
Where the flood maps give a base flood elevation, the lowest floor of a new or substantially improved home must be elevated to that elevation.
Is George County one of Mississippi’s coastal code counties?
No. The wind and flood code law (§17-2-1) names Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone counties only.
What is the smallest lot allowed in a George County subdivision?
One acre, and each lot needs a soil test showing it can take an approved onsite wastewater system.
How much is a manufactured home permit in Lucedale?
$50 for a permit good for one year, plus $250 each for the water and sewer connections and a $100 meter deposit.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about George County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.