In unincorporated Prentiss County, a Board of Supervisors ordinance of July 5, 2022 makes it unlawful to build without a county permit. The permit is free; the application is filed at the Tax Assessor’s office or the Solid Waste office with the contractor’s material purchase certificate number or W-9 and the contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility. Work in a flood hazard area also needs a county floodplain development permit, and Booneville issues its own building permits inside city limits.
Who issues permits in Prentiss County?
The county publishes no building department or building inspector. Its permits are a free construction permit required by ordinance, a floodplain development permit administered by the County Engineer, and a new 911 address for anyone building a house or setting a mobile home.
| For | Office | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| County construction permit | Tax Assessor’s office, PO Box 342, Booneville, MS 38829, or Solid Waste office, 101 North College Street, Booneville | Tax Assessor 662-728-4349; Solid Waste 662-728-0407 |
| New addresses for houses and mobile homes | 911 Office, 101 N College Street (same office as Solid Waste), Booneville | 662-728-1784; 8:00 to 5:00, Monday to Friday |
| Floodplain development permits | County Engineer (Floodplain Administrator), 200 Hotel Street, Booneville | 662-728-1790 |
| County roads, culverts and the Board | Board of Supervisors, 100 North Main Street, PO Box 477, Booneville, MS 38829 | 662-728-4610 |
| Septic systems where there is no sewer | Mississippi State Department of Health (North Region) | Wastewater Call Center 1-855-220-0192 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The Board meets on the first Monday and the third Wednesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the Board Meeting Room of the Chancery Building. Anyone who wants to bring a matter before it must notify the Clerk of the Board in advance and deliver any exhibits to the Board office.
The county construction and floodplain permits
Construction permit: the ordinance adopted on July 5, 2022 covers any construction in the unincorporated area. The county’s one-page application asks for the owner, the property address and the contractor, and the contractor must attach either a material purchase certificate number or a W-9, plus a contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility. Keep the approved copy as evidence that the permit was issued.
No county building code: on August 4, 2014 the Board voted unanimously to opt out of the building-code requirements of Senate Bill 2378, so the county permit is not a plan review or a code inspection.
Floodplain development permit: the Board replaced its 2011 flood ordinance with an updated Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance effective August 20, 2025, and the same day named a Floodplain Manager working with Cook Coggin Engineers. The ordinance requires a development permit before any work in a special flood hazard area or a community flood hazard area, which includes a buffer along blue-line streams of five times the stream’s width at the top of the bank or 20 feet on each side, whichever is greater.
- New and substantially improved homes, including manufactured homes, must have the lowest floor at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation; other buildings must be elevated, or floodproofed, to the same level. Any new or substantially improved building must also have its lowest floor at least 1 foot above the centerline of the street unless the Floodplain Administrator finds the topography does not allow it, and a house in a shallow-flooding zone with no depth number shown must sit at least 3 feet 6 inches above the highest adjacent grade.
- Elevations go on FEMA’s Elevation Certificate (Form 81-31), prepared by a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor, at application, again when the lowest floor is placed and before framing continues, and at completion.
- No floodplain permit is issued for a house, mobile home or other building until the owner has a Notice of Intent from the State Department of Health for a sewage system, or proof of service from the sewer and water district.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Prentiss County, Booneville and Baldwyn in the National Flood Insurance Program, with current maps dated November 28, 2025.
Towns in Prentiss County and who permits there
| Place | Who issues building permits |
|---|---|
| Booneville (9,257) | The City of Booneville under its own code of ordinances; City Hall 662-728-5601 |
| Baldwyn (1,836 in Prentiss County; the rest is in Lee County) | The City of Baldwyn, which says it has processed 223 building permits since 2007 and lists a code enforcement officer among its officials; City Hall, 200 West Main Street, 662-365-2383 |
| Jumpertown (436) and Marietta (197) | The published sources do not say who issues permits in these towns; ask each town clerk |
Booneville’s code: the city’s code of ordinances, adopted by the Board of Aldermen on April 7, 2026 (online edition of March 24, 2026), adopts the 2024 International Building, Existing Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Swimming Pool and Spa, Property Maintenance and Fire Codes, the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code and the 2023 National Electrical Code. Its local amendments include replacing the IRC energy chapter with the 2018 IRC version, deleting the IRC sprinkler requirement for one- and two-family homes, and banning aluminum or copper-clad aluminum wire inside buildings. Each building permit application needs a scale drawing, in duplicate, showing the lot, the structure and its height. A builder who starts work in the city without the required permits faces a fine of at least $500 for each violation. The Board adopted an updated flood damage prevention ordinance on August 5, 2025 and on October 7, 2025 tied it to the November 28, 2025 FEMA maps; the city code says the IRC’s floodplain and flood-resistant construction sections apply together with that ordinance.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Project value or item | Fee |
|---|---|
| $10,000 or less | $50, plus $25 for each inspection required |
| $10,001 to $50,000 | $50 for the first $10,000, plus $8 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $370 for the first $50,000, plus $5 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $620 for the first $100,000, plus $4 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $2,220 for the first $500,000, plus $3 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Moving a building | $100 |
| Demolition up to 100,000 cubic feet | $100 |
| Electrical inspection, residential service up to 600 amps | $20 ($30 for larger services) |
| Private sewage permit and inspection | $10 |
For example, a Booneville project valued at $200,000 pays $620 plus 100 × $4, or $1,020. The Booneville Fire Department, which has a Fire Inspector on staff, is at 662-728-4091.
Rather not deal with the Prentiss County building department?
Get a free quote →Steps for a new building in unincorporated Prentiss County
Land inside Booneville, Baldwyn, Jumpertown or Marietta follows the town’s rules, not the county’s.
The 911 Office issues new addresses to anyone building a house or setting a mobile home.
Without sewer, apply to the State Department of Health for the onsite wastewater system; in a flood zone its Notice of Intent is needed before the floodplain permit.
If the site is in a flood hazard area or near a blue-line stream, apply to the County Engineer for a floodplain development permit with an elevation certificate.
Take the application, with the contractor’s certificate number or W-9 and licence, to the Tax Assessor’s office or the Solid Waste office before work starts.
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 Prentiss County permit resources
- Prentiss County Board of Supervisors
- Prentiss County 911 Office (new addresses)
- Prentiss County Tax Assessor
- Prentiss County Solid Waste office
- Prentiss County Board of Supervisors minutes (permit and flood ordinances)
- Mississippi Secretary of State: county officials directory (2025)
- City of Booneville code of ordinances (Municode)
- City of Booneville contact page
- City of Booneville 2026 Board of Aldermen minutes
- City of Baldwyn: everyday living (building permits processed)
- City of Baldwyn
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi
- Mississippi State Department of Health: On-Site Wastewater
- House Bill 1163 (2022): county permit requirement
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Prentiss County permit FAQs
Does Prentiss County charge for a building permit?
No. The county ordinance of July 5, 2022 makes the construction permit free; file it at the Tax Assessor’s office or the Solid Waste office.
Does Prentiss County enforce a building code?
No. The Board opted out of the state code requirements in August 2014. Flood-zone work is checked through the floodplain permit’s elevation certificates.
How high must a house be built in a Prentiss County flood zone?
The lowest floor, including a basement, must be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation under the ordinance effective August 20, 2025.
Where do I get an address for a new house or mobile home?
From the county 911 Office at 101 N College Street in Booneville, 662-728-1784.
How much is a building permit in Booneville?
It depends on project value: $620 for the first $100,000 plus $4 per additional $1,000 in the $100,001–$500,000 band, so $1,020 for a $200,000 project.
Simplify Prentiss 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 Prentiss County sooner?
Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your Prentiss County permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Prentiss County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.