Since July 2022, building anything in unincorporated Leake County has required a county permit. The 2022 ordinance sets no fee and has applications filed at the Board of Supervisors’ office in the Carthage courthouse (601-267-8002), but a December 2025 county letter describes a $100 fee paid at the Chancery Clerk’s office, so ask which applies. Mapped flood zones also need a floodplain development permit, with new homes built at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation.
Who issues building permits in Leake County?
The Board of Supervisors adopted its permit ordinance in July 2022 to meet House Bill 1163, the 2022 state law that makes every county require a permit for construction outside its towns. The ordinance makes any construction in the unincorporated county unlawful without a permit, sets no fee, and has the County Administrator or a designee check that the application is complete and then issue the permit. The ordinance provides for no plan review or building inspections, and none of the county departments listed on its website is a building inspection office. The Emergency Management Director runs the separate floodplain permit.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Construction permits | Board of Supervisors’ office (County Administrator), Leake County Courthouse, 101 Court Square, Suite 309, Carthage, MS 39051; 601-267-8002 (a 2025 county letter names the Chancery Clerk’s office instead) |
| Floodplain administrator | Emergency Management Director, 123 North Pearl Street, Carthage; 601-267-5757 |
| 911 addresses | E-911 Communication Center, 123 N. Pearl Street, Carthage; 601-267-0060; weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Board of Supervisors | Meets on the first and third Monday of each month in the second-floor board room of the courthouse |
| Board minutes | Chancery Clerk, 601-267-7371 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Who permits each town in Leake County?
- Carthage: the City’s Building Official issues building permits and certificates of occupancy under the zoning ordinance adopted on May 6, 2013. City Hall is at 212 Main Street (601-267-8322), where the City lists its permits and building codes inspector.
- Walnut Grove: ask Town Hall, 139 Main Street (601-253-2321).
- Lena: the published sources do not say who issues building permits in the town; ask the Town of Lena.
- Sebastopol: the Census counts none of its residents in Leake County; they all live in the Scott County part of the town.
Land held in trust for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is covered by the tribe’s own Choctaw Building Code (Title XVII of the Choctaw Tribal Code), which adopts the 2012 International Building and Residential Codes and is run by a building official appointed by the Tribal Chief. A 2021 Bureau of Indian Affairs decision spread on the county minutes puts about 3,310 acres of trust land in Leake County, including land south of the Red Water community and near Carthage. The tribe’s own website places its Red Water and Standing Pine communities in Leake County.
Trade work and septic systems
The county ordinance has one permit for all construction and no separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permits. Every application must carry the contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility, plus the contractor’s material purchase certificate or W-9. Septic tanks and other onsite wastewater systems on lots without sewer are permitted by the Mississippi State Department of Health, not the county.
What does a Leake County permit cost?
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →The floodplain ordinance sets no permit fee. In Carthage, building permit fees are set by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen and posted in the City Clerk’s office.
What the county application asks for
Form
- Property owner and property address
- Contractor, any business name and contractor address
- Purpose: new construction, remodel or addition, demolition, accessory building or other
- Total contract amount or value of the work
Attach
- A copy of the contractor’s material purchase certificate or taxpayer ID, or a W-9
- A copy of the contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility
- In a flood zone: a FEMA Elevation Certificate for the planned lowest floor from a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor
The applicant signs that the information is true, that the work will follow the ordinances adopted by Leake County and state construction law, and that they are the owner or are authorized to act for the owner.
How to get a Leake County permit
Inside Carthage, Walnut Grove or Lena the town handles permits, and tribal trust land follows the Choctaw Building Code.
Send the E-911 Communication Center its request form with your deed or rental agreement. Under criteria the Board approved in October 2022, a permit request must also go to E-911 Addressing before Entergy connects a new address or an extra meter, a change of customer, or service that has been off for six months or more.
The Emergency Management office keeps the flood study and maps and handles floodplain development permits.
Complete the county form with your contractor’s documents and file it at the courthouse: the Board of Supervisors’ office under the 2022 ordinance, or the Chancery Clerk’s office according to the 2025 letter.
If the lot has no sewer, apply to the Mississippi State Department of Health.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Floodplain inspections
The permit ordinance provides for no building inspections. In a special flood hazard area, the floodplain administrator makes at least three inspections: after the base flood elevation reference mark is set, before the slab is poured or the lowest floor of an elevated foundation is built, and a final check against the finished-construction Elevation Certificate.
Flood rules and other local details
The Board passed its amended Flood Control Ordinance on November 6, 2017 and finally adopted it on December 18, 2017, after a public hearing at which no one appeared. It applies to the special flood hazard areas under the Board’s jurisdiction and uses FEMA’s Leake County flood study dated September 16, 2011.
- New and substantially improved homes, including manufactured homes, need the lowest floor, basement included, at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation.
- Commercial and other non-residential buildings must meet the same 18-inch rule or be dry floodproofed watertight up to 18 inches plus at least 1 more foot above the base flood elevation, allowed only where flood velocities are 5 feet per second or less, with an engineer’s or architect’s certificate.
- Critical facilities built in the flood zone, such as schools and emergency services, need the lowest floor 3 feet 6 inches above the base flood elevation, or at the 0.2 percent chance flood level if that is higher.
- Along streams with no base flood elevation, nothing may be built or filled within five times the stream’s width at the top of the bank, or 20 feet from each bank if that is greater, without an engineer’s no-rise certificate.
Rather not deal with the Leake County building department?
Get a free quote →Breaking the ordinance can bring a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both. FEMA lists Leake County, Carthage and Walnut Grove in the National Flood Insurance Program; Lena is on FEMA’s list of communities that do not take part. FEMA issued preliminary revised flood maps for Leake County and its towns on April 24, 2025, and a 90-day appeal period began with newspaper notices in February 2026; the 2011 maps apply until the new ones take effect.
Businesses: a business outside city limits gets its licence from the county Tax Collector.
Carthage rentals: a 2002 city ordinance requires a Certificate of Occupancy and an inspection by the City’s building codes inspector before a new tenant moves into a rental home or commercial space.
Building code in Leake County
On September 2, 2014 the Board of Supervisors voted 5–0 not to be subject to the state building code requirements under Senate Bill 2378, and the 2022 permit ordinance adopts no code. The permit form only has the applicant agree to follow county ordinances and state construction law.
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 Leake County resources
- Leake County Board of Supervisors
- Leake County Board minutes (2022 permit ordinance, 2017 flood ordinance)
- Leake County Emergency Management Agency
- Leake County departments and contacts
- City of Carthage ordinances
- City of Carthage Zoning Ordinance (2013)
- Town of Walnut Grove building permits
- Choctaw Tribal Code (Title XVII, Choctaw Building Code)
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi
- Mississippi State Department of Health: onsite wastewater
Leake County permit FAQs
Do I need a permit to build in unincorporated Leake County?
Yes. A county ordinance in force since July 2022 makes construction outside the towns unlawful without a permit.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a Leake County building permit?
The 2022 ordinance says there is no cost, but a county letter of December 2025 describes a $100 permit fee. Ask the County Administrator (601-267-8002) which applies.
Where do I apply?
At the Leake County Courthouse in Carthage. The 2022 ordinance names the Board of Supervisors’ office (101 Court Square, Suite 309; 601-267-8002), while the December 2025 letter names the Chancery Clerk’s office (601-267-7371).
Does Leake County inspect new houses?
The permit ordinance provides for no building inspections, and the county has adopted no building code. In a flood zone, the floodplain administrator inspects the work at least three times.
How high must a house be built in a Leake County flood zone?
The lowest floor must be at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation, shown on an Elevation Certificate from a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor.
Who issues building permits in Carthage?
The City’s Building Official, through City Hall at 212 Main Street (601-267-8322).
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Leake County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.