Since June 2022, Marion County’s permit ordinance has made it unlawful to build in the unincorporated county without a permit. The contractor fills in a one-page application and the Tax Appraisal or Tax Assessor/Collector’s office in the courthouse issues the permit at no charge. Inside Columbia, the City Inspector’s office at City Hall issues building and gas permits and charges by construction cost.
Who issues construction permits in Marion County?
The Board of Supervisors adopted its construction permit ordinance on June 20, 2022, to meet the state law that requires every county to permit construction outside its cities (Miss. Code §19-5-9(11)). The ordinance names no building inspector and sets no plan review: the Tax Appraisal office or the Tax Assessor/Collector’s office checks that the application is complete and then issues the permit.
| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| Tax Assessor/Collector (county construction permits) | 250 Broad Street, Suite 3, Columbia, MS 39429; Tax Assessor 601-731-3798, Tax Collector 601-736-8256 |
| Board of Supervisors and Road Department | 215 Broad Street, Columbia; 601-736-7382; regular meetings the first Monday (running to the Wednesday) and the third Monday, at 9:30 a.m. |
| Chancery Clerk (Board minutes, deeds) | 250 Broad Street, Suite 2; 601-736-2691 |
| E911 addressing | E911/Solid Waste office, 217 Broad Street; 601-736-6466 |
| Emergency Management | 502 Courthouse Square; 601-736-9627 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →City of Columbia
Columbia is the county’s only incorporated place (6,525 residents). Its City Inspector’s office at City Hall, 201 Second Street (601-736-8201, Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), handles building permits, gas permits, inspections and zoning questions inside the city limits. The application can be printed and brought to City Hall or started on the city’s website, but the permit itself is issued and signed at City Hall.
Permit fees in Marion County and Columbia
County: Section 2 of the 2022 ordinance reads “There will be no cost for the permit.” No later fee order appears in the Board minutes posted online, although the ordinance’s application form still carries an office-use “Fee Paid” line.
Columbia: the city charges on the cost of construction under Ordinance No. 486 (adopted July 1, 2008), which amended Section 10 of Ordinance No. 457. Part of a $1,000 counts as a whole $1,000.
| Value of construction | Permit fee |
|---|---|
| $5,000 or less | $30 |
| $5,001 to $10,000 | $30 plus $5 for each $1,000 over $5,000 |
| $10,001 to $50,000 | $55 plus $3 for each $1,000 over $10,000 |
| $50,001 and up | $175 plus $2 for each $1,000 over $50,000 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Example: a $200,000 house in Columbia is $150,000 over the $50,000 mark, so the permit is $175 + 150 × $2 = $475.
What the county application asks for
- Property owner’s name and the property address
- Contractor’s name
- The contractor’s material purchase certificate number, or the contractor’s taxpayer ID number with a W-9 attached
- A copy of the contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility
Once the office approves the application, the signed copy is your permit; the form tells the holder to keep it as evidence. The ordinance has the contractor complete the application and does not address owners doing their own work, so ask the Tax Assessor’s office before you start if you have no contractor.
Steps for a project in Marion County
Land inside Columbia goes to the City Inspector at City Hall; everything else in the county goes to the county.
For a new home or building, ask the E911/Solid Waste office at 217 Broad Street; it helps to know the nearest street and your neighbors’ addresses.
Have the material purchase certificate number (or taxpayer ID and W-9) and the licence or certificate of responsibility ready.
Hand the application to the Tax Appraisal or Tax Assessor/Collector’s office, 250 Broad Street, Suite 3; there is no fee.
Apply to the Mississippi State Department of Health for the onsite wastewater system.
Keep your approved copy with the job records.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Floodplain, roads and other approvals
Flood zones: Marion County has a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance. The Board set its penalty for violations at $250 in September 2019 and adopted the new flood study and flood maps on October 7, 2019; FEMA lists maps effective October 18, 2019 for both the county and Columbia, and both take part in the National Flood Insurance Program. Before building in a mapped flood zone, ask the Board office (601-736-7382) what the ordinance requires for your lot.
County roads: the Road Department handles culverts, ditches and county rights-of-way. Utility work inside a county road right-of-way and heavy hauling across county roads are approved by Board order.
Septic systems: the Mississippi State Department of Health permits individual onsite wastewater systems. Apply online or send the form by fax, mail or e-mail to wastewater@msdh.ms.gov; the Department then e-mails a payment link, and county health offices take no cash or checks for these fees. Call center: 855-220-0192.
Columbia permits: a city permit lapses if work has not started within six months of issue, or if it stops for a year once started. A certificate of occupancy is needed before a finished building is used, and gas line work needs its own permit first.
Rather not deal with the Marion County building department?
Get a free quote →Business licences: outside Columbia, the county Tax Collector issues them; inside the city, the Deputy City Clerk’s office does.
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 Marion County resources
- Mississippi State Fire Marshal: Fire Code Enforcement
- Marion County Board of Supervisors
- Marion County Tax Assessor/Collector
- Marion County Chancery Clerk
- Marion County Board of Supervisors minutes (records portal)
- Marion County How Do I page (911 addresses, licences)
- Marion County Road Department
- House Bill 1163 (2022): county permit requirement
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi
- Mississippi State Department of Health: On-Site Wastewater
- City of Columbia permits and licences
- City of Columbia building permit form (PDF)
Marion County permit FAQs
Do I need a permit to build outside Columbia?
Yes. Marion County’s 2022 ordinance makes any construction in the unincorporated county unlawful without a permit, issued by the Tax Appraisal or Tax Assessor/Collector’s office at the courthouse.
How much is a Marion County building permit?
Nothing: the ordinance says there is no cost for the county permit.
Does the county inspect my house?
The county ordinance sets up a permit only, with no plan review or inspection schedule in it.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How much is a building permit in Columbia?
$30 for work up to $5,000, rising by construction cost to $175 plus $2 per $1,000 over $50,000; a $200,000 house is $475.
Who approves septic systems in Marion County?
The Mississippi State Department of Health, through its onsite wastewater program.
How do I get a 911 address in Marion County?
From the E911/Solid Waste office at 217 Broad Street in Columbia (601-736-6466).
Simplify Marion County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Mississippi. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.
Ready to break ground in Marion County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Marion County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Marion County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.