Leflore County’s website lists no building, planning or permit department, and it posts no building permit form or fee schedule. Because state law requires every county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area, ask the County Administrator (662-451-7315) which county permit applies before building outside a town. Inside Greenwood, apply to the City’s Community Development Department.
Who issues building permits in Leflore County?
The Board of Supervisors governs the county, and the County Administrator, Cynthia Stanciel, runs its day-to-day operations and sees that the board’s orders, resolutions and regulations are carried out. The departments she oversees include emergency management and an ordinance officer who reports to the board; none of the county’s department pages describes a building permit or inspection service. A 2022 state law (House Bill 1163) obliges Leflore County, like every Mississippi county, to make construction outside the towns conditional on a permit, whether or not the county has adopted building codes.
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Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| County Administrator | PO Box 250, Greenwood, MS 38935-0250 |
| Phone | 662-451-7315 |
| 911 addresses | Chancery Clerk’s office |
Who permits each town in Leflore County?
- Greenwood: the City’s Department of Community Development issues building and trade permits and inspects the work (101 West Church Street, 662-455-7603 or 662-455-7604).
- Itta Bena: the city’s website covers only water and sewer bill payment; ask the City of Itta Bena (201 Fitzhugh Street) who issues building permits.
- Morgan City, Schlater and Sidon: these towns publish no permit office, code or form online; ask the town clerk before building.
Septic systems and trade work
Septic tanks and other individual onsite wastewater systems are permitted by the Mississippi State Department of Health wherever a lot cannot connect to a sewer. The county website lists no electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit for unincorporated land; inside Greenwood, trade contractors must be licensed and bonded with the City and take out City trade permits.
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Greenwood, Itta Bena, Morgan City, Schlater and Sidon each govern their own land.
The Chancery Clerk’s office assigns 911 addresses; the office finds it helpful to know your nearest street’s name and nearest neighbors.
Ask at 662-451-7315 which county permit applies and what the Board of Supervisors requires.
Apply to the Mississippi State Department of Health if the lot has no sewer.
Under the 2022 law a county permit must carry the contractor’s state licence or certificate of responsibility number and either a material purchase certificate number or a taxpayer ID.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Leflore County details worth knowing
Greenwood’s rules stop at the city limits: the City’s codes, fees, flood ordinance and historic district reviews apply inside Greenwood only. Its fee schedule values a new house at $40 per square foot, and its flood ordinance sets the lowest floor at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation.
Building code in Leflore County
The county website does not say whether the Board of Supervisors adopted the state building codes or opted out, and posts no code ordinance; ask the County Administrator. Greenwood enforces the 2015 International Codes inside the city.
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
Rather not deal with the Leflore County building department?
Get a free quote →Official Leflore County resources
- Leflore County Administrator
- Leflore County departments
- Leflore County Board of Supervisors
- City of Greenwood Community Development (city permits)
- Mississippi State Department of Health: on-site wastewater
Leflore County permit FAQs
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Who issues building permits in unincorporated Leflore County?
The county lists no building department; call the County Administrator at 662-451-7315 to find out which county permit applies.
Does the county have to require a permit?
Yes. Since 2022, state law has required every Mississippi county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area.
Who issues permits in Greenwood?
The City’s Department of Community Development at 101 West Church Street (662-455-7603).
Who issues permits in Itta Bena, Morgan City, Schlater and Sidon?
Each town decides for itself and none publishes its permit process online; ask the city or town clerk.
Who handles septic permits?
The Mississippi State Department of Health permits onsite wastewater systems.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Leflore County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.