Olive Branch, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

Inside Olive Branch city limits, building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits come from the City’s Planning and Building Department, and all applications go through the online portal at obms.us/apply. Under the fee schedule in the City Code, a 2,500 sq ft house is valued at $40 per square foot and pays a $460 permit fee plus a $1 state recording fee. From January 1, 2027 a newly adopted schedule values a house at $55 per square foot.

What needs a permit in Olive Branch?

The Planning and Building Department’s permit list covers far more than new houses. Its brochure notes that the list is not meant to be complete, so ask the Building Department before starting anything not shown here.

Separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are needed for new work and renovations, and also for replacing plumbing fixtures, adding circuits or service capacity, replacing heating and cooling equipment, gas piping, water heaters, vent hoods and duct work.

Who issues building permits in Olive Branch?

The Planning and Building Department brings together the Planning Division, the Building Official and building inspectors, code enforcement, GIS and the permit clerks. Its Building Department permits all construction in the city and inspects the work as it goes up; planning staff handle zoning, plats, variances and conditional use permits. The City says the property owner is ultimately responsible for getting the permits, although the application can be left to the contractor.

Unincorporated land around the city is a DeSoto County matter, not a City one. Stormwater and floodplain questions go to the City Engineer’s office (662-892-9352).

Olive Branch permit portal and application forms

Since October 21, 2025, building and planning applications and their plans are submitted at obms.us/apply. The portal shows the status of each application, the review comments once they are posted, and which building, engineering, fire and planning reviewers are assigned, so you can contact them directly. Review fees can be paid online: e-checks cost $1.95 extra and card payments 3.75% of the fee, with a $2.50 minimum. You can also pay by cash, check or card at the Building and Permit Office on the ground floor of City Hall. The City warns that it never asks for payment by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency or peer-to-peer apps.

Forms the City publishes for specific jobs include:

• Building Plan Review Application for commercial or industrial buildings, filed for plan review before the building permit application.
• Property Owner Certificate, notarised, for a property owner without a contractor licence who acts as their own general contractor on new construction, an addition or a renovation.
• Accessory Building Permit, fence, private pool and owner pool requirement forms, each with a site plan.
• Sign and banner permits; banners must be approved by Code Enforcement before the Building Department will take payment.
• Demolition, irrigation, pallet racking, public pool and small cell applications, plus one application per trade.

Olive Branch permit fees

The fee schedule in force on the City’s published code is Exhibit A to the ordinance of May 7, 2019, effective October 1, 2019 (Code Section 14-26). The permit fee is based on valuation, and for most building work the valuation is the square footage under roof times a set rate. Every application also carries a $1 state recording fee.

The City’s own example: a 2,500 sq ft house at $40 per square foot is valued at $100,000, so the permit fee is $460 plus the $1 recording fee, $461. Trade permits, plan review and tap fees are separate. The posted fee chart carries a note of a $1,000 DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority (DCRUA) “water waste deposit fee” for new construction, and the building permit application has lines for the DCRUA fee and water, sewer and gas tap receipts.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits in Olive Branch

The Building Department issues each trade permit on its own application, and each one carries the $1 recording fee. Under the 2019 code schedule:

The City’s contractor rules follow the job value. On homes, electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors need a Mississippi State contractor licence when the contract is $10,000 or more; below that, a licence for the trade from another jurisdiction and proof of general liability insurance are filed with the permit. On commercial and industrial jobs the trade licence threshold is $50,000 of that contractor’s work. Accessory building permits, including their trade permits, must be issued to a licensed contractor.

What to submit

Commercial and industrial plans are reviewed and approved by the City’s building, planning, engineering and fire staff before any permit is issued. For houses, the slab must sit at least 18 inches above the street centerline on a level lot, at least 30 inches above finished grade at the lowest point on a lot below the street, and at least 12 inches above grade at all points on a lot above the street.

A general contractor on a new home needs a Mississippi State licence, as does a remodeler on a job of $10,000 or more; a commercial general contractor needs the state commercial licence when the building is 7,500 sq ft or larger or the contract is over $50,000.

How to get an Olive Branch building permit: 6 steps

Olive Branch inspections

Inspections are requested from the Building Department at 662-892-9333 (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm) at least one day ahead and by 4 pm the day before. No set times are given, inspectors are not to be called directly for special inspections, and work should be ready before you call, because an inspection that fails can bring a re-inspection fee. The plans and a lot number or address sign must be on site, or the inspection will not be made.

For a house, the foundation survey must be approved before any inspection. The City Engineer’s office then inspects stormwater, erosion control and the construction drive, followed by footings, plumbing rough-in and water and sewer lines, slab, framing with the rough-in trades and gas pressure test, insulation, a final survey, final culvert and drainage grade, and the final inspection. A structural engineer must also send the City a letter on the footing or slab. An optional brick tie inspection costs $25, other failed re-inspections $100 each, and no inspection is made while more than $199 in re-inspection fees is owed on a permit. No building may be occupied until the final inspection is approved.

Commercial finals also need approval from the City Engineer (parking and drainage) and the City Planner (landscaping and lighting) and an as-built survey.

Local rules that matter in Olive Branch

Floodplain: the City’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance names the City Engineer as Floodplain Administrator, and a development permit is needed before work in a special flood hazard area. New homes and substantial improvements must have the lowest floor at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation. Non-residential buildings must either be elevated the same way or, in A zones, be floodproofed so that everything below the base flood elevation plus 2 feet is watertight, certified by a registered engineer or architect. The building permit application asks for the flood zone and base flood elevation.

Accessory buildings: they may be no taller than 20 feet, no larger than 50% of the main building’s square footage and may cover no more than 30% of the rear yard. They must be at least 10 feet from the rear property line, 5 feet from a side line and 10 feet from the house; closer than 10 feet, the building counts as part of the house. Corner lots need a location inspection with the corners marked before the permit is issued.

Building codes: the code online (Section 14-26) still lists the 2018 International codes and the 2017 National Electrical Code, as does the department FAQ. On September 15, 2026 the Board adopted the 2024 International Residential, Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Swimming Pool and Spa and Existing Building Codes, the 2018 energy code and the 2023 National Electrical Code; the new editions take effect on January 1, 2027.

Work without a permit: the City’s contractor manuals say it is charged a double permit fee.

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

Olive Branch permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Olive Branch?

The City’s Planning and Building Department at City Hall, 9200 Pigeon Roost Road, for property inside the city limits. Unincorporated land nearby is handled by DeSoto County.

How do I apply for a permit in Olive Branch?

Online at obms.us/apply, where you upload plans, follow the review and pay fees. Payment is also taken at the Building and Permit Office on the ground floor of City Hall.

How much is a building permit for a new house in Olive Branch?

Under the code schedule, the house is valued at $40 per square foot under roof and the fee is read from the valuation table, so a 2,500 sq ft house pays $460 plus a $1 recording fee. From January 1, 2027 the rate becomes $55 per square foot, so the same house pays $574 plus $1.

Can a homeowner pull a permit in Olive Branch?

Yes, for a house the owner will live in. The owner acts as general contractor only and files a notarised Property Owner Certificate; trade work still goes to licensed contractors.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed in Olive Branch?

Yes. A residential fence permit is $36 in total ($41 from January 1, 2027), and sheds, detached garages, gazebos and other accessory buildings need an accessory building permit with a site plan.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call the Building Department at 662-892-9333 before 4 pm for an inspection the next business day.

Official municipal and state resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi uniform building codes
• Olive Branch Planning & Development
• Olive Branch building permit forms and online filing
• Olive Branch online permit portal
• Olive Branch Planning & Development FAQs
• Olive Branch Code Chapter 14, Buildings (fee schedule, Sec. 14-26)
• Olive Branch planning and zoning fee chart
• Olive Branch Ordinance of September 15, 2026 (2024 codes and fee schedule, effective January 1, 2027)
• Board of Aldermen minutes, September 15, 2026 (code adoption)
• Olive Branch contractor licensing requirements
• Olive Branch residential building contractors information manual
• Olive Branch commercial or industrial building contractor information manual
• Olive Branch Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance

Simplify Olive Branch 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 Olive Branch permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.