Picayune, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

Inside Picayune, every renovation, addition and new building needs a City permit, bought from the Building Inspector’s office at 200 Highway 11 South or online through the CivicGov Citizen/Contractor Portal (601-798-9777). The fee is based on the estimated cost of the work, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work need their own permits, and commercial plans go to the Site Plan Review Committee first.

Who issues building permits in Picayune?

The City’s Planning & Zoning / Code Enforcement department, headed by Planning and Zoning Director Diane Miller, runs permitting inside the city limits. Permits are sold at the Building Inspector’s office, and City inspectors check all permitted work against the codes.

Outside the city limits, unincorporated land is under Pearl River County, whose Planning Division administers the county flood damage prevention and subdivision ordinances and whose Building Division issues county building permits. The City’s own page also refers flood questions to the county permit office in Poplarville (601-403-2202).

Picayune permit types

The City requires a building permit for all renovations, additions and new construction, plus separate electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits.

Picayune permit fees

The City prices building permits on the estimated cost of the project, so bring a contractor’s estimate when you apply. For repairs and remodels the City wants a total job valuation on a Mississippi licensed contractor’s letterhead, and the building permit valuation must include the electrical, mechanical and plumbing work. The City does not post its building permit fee table online. For electrical work, the City Code leaves permit and inspection fees to the Mayor and Council, with the amounts on file in the City Clerk’s office.

The City’s electrical, plumbing and mechanical applications each list the same inspection fees, due when the inspection is requested: $25 for residential work, $50 for commercial work and $20 for a re-inspection. Fees paid through the online portal are receipted by e-mail from CivicGov rather than from the City.

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in Picayune

Electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors need a City licence based on an examination, and a consolidated electrical and plumbing review board appointed by the Mayor and Council takes the electrical and plumbing licence applications. Anyone installing electrical wiring or air conditioning equipment must also give the City a $5,000 surety bond. A person wiring their own premises does not need the licence or bond but still needs a permit and the electrical inspector’s final approval.

The City Code bans aluminum and copper-clad aluminum wiring in homes and businesses, requires approved conduit in commercial buildings over 3,500 sq ft under roof and in any building where food is cooked for sale, and sets No. 12 AWG as the minimum conductor size in commercial buildings. Wiring may not be connected to the power supplier until the inspector approves it, and a service check is required when a meter has been off for more than 6 months. Attach a bid sheet to the electrical application.

What to bring for a Picayune permit

• New house: two sets of plans, a survey and a plot plan
• Addition: plans showing the distance of every structure on the lot from the property lines and the addition’s dimensions
• Repair or remodel: an itemized list of the work and a total job valuation from a Mississippi licensed contractor on letterhead; full construction plans if any interior or exterior walls are added
• Site plan: for a new building or an alteration that increases its footprint, a scaled drawing in duplicate showing the lot, building location and dimensions, dwelling units, parking and access points, with a boundary survey by a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor if the Building Inspector or Planning Commission requires one; the duplicate stays with the permit on site
• Commercial: the site review checklist and plans for the Site Plan Review Committee, then proof of insurance once the plans are approved
• Application details: 911 address, parcel number, the contractor’s Mississippi materials purchase certificate number, setbacks, flood zone and required base flood elevation, and the contractor’s price quote

The Site Plan Review Committee, made up of planning and zoning, engineering, the building inspector or code enforcement officer, public works, police and fire, meets every Wednesday. Plans must reach the office by 10 a.m. on the Friday before, and the City Code gives the committee 30 days to answer in writing unless there is good cause for longer.

Steps to a Picayune building permit

Inspections in Picayune

The Building Inspector inspects at each stage the City lists:

• Building: foundation (trenches dug, forms set, vapor barrier and steel in place), framing (roof, framing, fire blocking, bracing and all rough-ins complete; do not brick or insulate first) and final.
• Plumbing: underground with the stack test, top-out and final.
• Electrical: underground (commercial projects only), rough-in and final.
• Mechanical: rough-in before walls and ceilings are covered, and final.

Under the zoning ordinance, an occupancy permit is applied for together with the building permit and issued within 10 days after the work is completed in conformity; no new or structurally altered building may be used until the Building Inspector issues it. A contractor’s office trailer can get a temporary occupancy permit for up to one year.

In a special flood hazard area, three elevation documents are needed: an original ground elevation certificate before any fill is placed, a lowest floor elevation certificate within 10 days of completing the lowest floor, and a final elevation certificate before the final Certificate of Occupancy.

Picayune rules that shape a project

Flood zones: Picayune has several flood zones. Building in an AE zone requires an engineer’s certificate before the permit is issued, and development in a flood hazard area needs a floodplain development application under the City’s flood ordinance (Ordinance No. 825), which the City Code keeps in force but does not reprint. The application records whether an existing building was built before May 17, 1990, which makes it pre-FIRM.

F-1 flood plain district: land zoned F-1 is limited to agricultural and recreational uses (crops, livestock, public recreation, golf courses and fish camps) and special exceptions granted by the Planning Commission. A building permit or certificate of occupancy there needs the City Engineer’s approval and evidence that the work will not expand the flood plain, the plans must be approved by the Planning Commission and City Engineer, and filling the district is prohibited unless the Planning Commission allows it for an approved use.

Downtown fences: inside the downtown area described in the City Code, a fence needs a permit from the City Council and must be masonry or other fireproof material; fences on First Street, Canal Street and Harvey Avenue must be masonry and set back at least 3 feet from the sidewalk.

Planning Commission: it meets at City Hall at 6:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month and advises the City Council on planning and zoning. Site plan review committee decisions can be appealed to the Council within 15 days.

Codes in the Picayune City Code

The City Code, as last codified online (through 2019), adopts the 2006 International Building, Residential and Property Maintenance Codes and the 2006 International Electrical Code under Ordinance 895 of December 20, 2011. Council minutes posted online (2026) show no newer adoption; ask the Building Inspector which editions apply to your plans. As a city in Pearl River County, Picayune is covered by Miss. Code §17-2-1 (House Bill 1406 of 2006), which required the coastal counties and their cities to enforce the wind and flood provisions of the International Building and Residential Codes unless the city opted out by a resolution within 60 days in 2006. Under Miss. Code §17-2-9(5), Pearl River County and its cities may not enforce any part of the building codes imposed under §§17-2-1 to 17-2-5 that bans, or requires permit approval for, salvage lumber or green-cut timber used in construction for personal use and not for sale.

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

Picayune permit FAQs

Who issues building permits in Picayune?

The City’s Planning & Zoning / Code Enforcement department, through the Building Inspector’s office at 200 Highway 11 South (601-798-9777) or the CivicGov online portal.

How much is a building permit in Picayune?

The fee is based on the estimated cost of the project; the City does not post the fee table, so bring your estimate. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections cost $25 for residential and $50 for commercial work.

Can I apply online?

Yes. The CivicGov Citizen/Contractor Portal takes building and remodeling applications and plan uploads, schedules inspections and accepts payments.

Do I need a permit to remodel?

Yes. All renovations need a permit; bring an itemized list of the work and a licensed contractor’s valuation, and full plans if walls are added.

What is needed to build in a flood zone?

In an AE zone, an engineer’s certificate before the permit, then ground, lowest floor and final elevation certificates during construction.

How long does commercial site plan review take?

The committee meets every Wednesday on plans received by 10 a.m. the Friday before, and the City Code gives it 30 days to respond in writing.

Official Picayune permit resources

• Mississippi State Board of Contractors
• Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi Uniform Building Codes
• Picayune Planning & Zoning / Code Enforcement
• Picayune online permit portal
• Picayune forms, applications and checklists
• Picayune Building and Development Permit Application
• Picayune inspection requirements
• Picayune repair or remodel checklist
• Picayune floodplain development application
• Picayune electrical permit application
• Picayune City Code, Chapter 22: Buildings
• Picayune City Code, Chapter 66: Planning and site plan review
• Picayune City Council agendas and minutes
• Pearl River County Planning Division

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