McComb, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

In McComb, the City’s Zoning, Inspections & Permits Department reviews plans, issues building and trade permits and inspects the work. Every permit is priced on the total cost of the improvement, from a $50 minimum, and plan review adds $175 for projects up to $50,000 or $300 above that.

Who issues building permits in McComb?

The Zoning, Inspections & Permits Department, under Director of Zoning, Inspections and Planning Henry Green, issues building, electrical, plumbing, gas, mechanical, sign and fire inspection permits, reviews plans for new construction and alterations, inspects the trades and handles code complaints and condemnations. Its staff also serve the Planning Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Licensing Board of Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors and the Board of Adjustments and Appeals.

No permit for new construction is issued until both the Director of Public Works and the Director of Inspections and Zoning have approved the plans for code compliance, water and sewer service, and storm water and sewer impacts.

McComb permit types

The City’s permit application covers new structures, additions, repairs, remodels, roofs and grading, with boxes for plumbing, mechanical, gas, heating and air and fire suppression permits; electrical work and signs have their own applications. Subcontractors doing electrical, plumbing and HVAC work must be listed on the building application and pull their own permits.

McComb permit fees

The City Code leaves permit fees to resolutions of the governing body, and the department publishes the current schedule on its Permit Fees page. All permits, including electrical, mechanical and plumbing, are based on the total cost of the improvement.

For example, a $200,000 project pays $1,579 plus 100 × $9, or $2,479, for the building permit, plus $300 for plan review. Roofing and sign permits use the same table with the $50 minimum. The bands do not run on from one another (the $50,000–$100,000 band ends at $1,089, while the next band starts at $1,579), so price a project from the band its value falls in.

Trade contractors in McComb

The City Code requires electricians, plumbers and gas fitters to hold a City certificate issued after an examination by its examining boards, and the department’s staff serve the Licensing Board of Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors. Under the City Code each certificate holder posts a $5,000 surety bond, and certificates are renewed by February 1 each year. A person may do plumbing work on his own building, subject to the code inspector’s approval.

Before working in the city, every building trade, including general, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and roofing contractors, must file a certificate of insurance naming the City: at least $200,000 aggregate and $100,000 per occurrence for residential contractors, or $600,000 and $300,000 for commercial contractors. The code also calls for liability insurance of $1,000,000 for injury to one person and $500,000 per occurrence. The application asks for the contractor’s Mississippi Certificate of Responsibility number where the State Board of Contractors requires one.

Plans for a McComb permit

• Commercial work (new, renovation or repair): two hard copies and one digital copy of the plans, with an approved site plan affidavit where one applies
• Residential work: one hard copy and one digital copy
• The project address, parcel number, construction type, gross square footage, number of floors and units, total job cost and grading cost
• The general contractor, electrical, plumbing and gas, mechanical, sprinkler, fire alarm, hood and site utility contractors
• A signed asbestos statement for demolition, remodel and renovation work, following Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality rules
• The name of the person responsible for daily clean-up of mud and debris

In the office the department records the zoning class, flood zone, pre- and post-construction elevations, flood elevation certificate and whether the site is in the historic district with a Certificate of Appropriateness.

Steps to a McComb building permit

Inspections in McComb

The department inspects the trades on new and altered buildings. Electrical work must be inspected and approved before it is connected to service, and no wiring may be covered before the inspector has seen it; the inspector can approve temporary service for up to 30 days. Dirt, mud and debris left on public rights-of-way or neighboring property must be cleaned up by the end of each work day.

McComb rules that shape a project

Historic district: McComb created its local historic district in 2003; it includes the Kramertown-Railroad and McComb Downtown National Register districts. A Certificate of Appropriateness from the McComb Historic Preservation Commission is required before any exterior change, new construction or demolition in the district, and the Commission reviews work visible from a public street or building, such as additions, new siding or windows, roof changes, paint removal, masonry repointing and removal of mature trees. Applications are filed at City Hall, the signed certificate is copied to the Building Official, and work begins once the building permits are issued. Interior work and small repairs with matching materials need no certificate, and a changed design needs a new one. The 2009 McComb Design Guidelines set the standards.

Site grading: land disturbance that changes the grade needs a site grading permit from the Director of Inspections and Zoning and a land disturbance plan. Building a single-family home or an addition is exempt from the grading permit but must still follow the erosion control rules, and disturbance over 5 acres or part of a commercial site plan needs Department of Environmental Quality review first.

Flood zones: the City adopted a new Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance on September 14, 2021, and the permit application tracks the flood zone, substantial improvement and elevation certificates for each job.

Codes McComb enforces

The department lists the 2018 International Building, Residential, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Property Maintenance and Swimming Pool and Spa Codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code as the City’s building codes. The online Code of Ordinances, last updated in 2006, still shows the 2003 editions; the department’s list is the more recent statement.

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

McComb permit FAQs

How much does a building permit cost in McComb?

The fee is based on total project cost: $50 minimum, $589 at $50,000 and $2,479 for a $200,000 project, plus a plan review fee of $175 or $300.

Do I need a permit for a new roof in McComb?

Yes. Roofing permits are priced like building permits, with a $50 minimum.

Do subcontractors need their own permits?

Yes. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC subcontractors are listed on the building application and each pulls a separate permit.

What insurance does McComb require from contractors?

A certificate naming the City of at least $200,000 aggregate and $100,000 per occurrence for residential contractors, or $600,000 and $300,000 for commercial contractors.

Do I need approval to work on a downtown building?

If it is in the local historic district, exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before work starts.

What happens if I build without a permit?

The permit fee is doubled, and you still have to meet every code requirement.

Official McComb permit resources

• Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi Uniform Building Codes
• Mississippi State Board of Contractors
• McComb Zoning, Inspections & Permits
• McComb Zoning, Inspections & Permits staff
• McComb permit fees
• McComb building codes
• McComb applications, forms and permits
• McComb building permit application
• McComb erosion control and stormwater ordinance
• McComb Design Guidelines (historic district)
• McComb Code of Ordinances (Municode)

Simplify McComb 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.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about McComb permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.