Ridgeland, Mississippi Building Permit Guide

In Ridgeland, the Building Permits and Inspections Division of the Community Development Department reviews plans, issues building permits, inspects the work and issues Certificates of Occupancy. Under the fee ordinance approved on August 19, 2025, a building permit costs $3.50 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost, plus $0.05 per sq ft for plan review and $30 per inspection.

Who issues building permits in Ridgeland?

Building permits for property inside Ridgeland come from the Community Development Department, part of the City’s Public Works and Community Development organization led by Director Alan Hart. Its Building Permits and Inspections Division reviews construction drawing packages, carries out inspections during construction and issues Certificates of Occupancy. Plans are reviewed by the City’s Building Official, Drew Smith. The same office registers general contractors and licenses subcontractors.

Unincorporated land next to Ridgeland is outside the City’s permitting; the Madison County Planning and Zoning Department handles it, and Madison, Gluckstadt and Canton each permit inside their own limits.

Ridgeland permit types and forms

The City’s building permit application covers five kinds of work: erection or construction, repair or alteration, excavation or site work, moving, and demolition. A permit is valid for six months after it is issued. Under the City’s amendments to the 2021 International Building Code, any work costing $10,000 or more, or that significantly changes the outside of a building or its site, needs a building permit even if the code would otherwise exempt it.

For houses under the International Residential Code, Ridgeland added re-covering a roof to the exempt list, provided the decking and supporting structure need no repair or replacement.

Forms on the City’s Licenses, Forms and Permits page include:

Ridgeland permit fees

Fees are set by the City’s fee ordinance approved by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen on August 19, 2025, which took effect 30 days after passage. Board minutes from July to October 2026 contain no general change to these fees.

For example, a project with an estimated construction cost of $300,000 and 2,500 sq ft pays $1,050 for the building permit and $125 for plan review, plus $30 for each inspection. Renovations estimated at more than $10,000 are classed as major for architectural review.

Trade contractors in Ridgeland

Ridgeland licenses trade contractors itself. Its subcontractor packet covers journeyman and master electricians, residential electricians, journeyman and master mechanical contractors, journeyman, master and residential plumbers, gas pipe fitters and refrigeration contractors. To be licensed, a subcontractor shows a current licence from a Mississippi municipality with a letter confirming at least one year in good standing, posts a $5,000 bond on the City’s form, proves general liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence and applies in person with photo ID. The licence costs $25, waived for a holder of a State Certificate of Responsibility who took the state exam.

General contractors register with a completed application, a copy of their State Certificate of Responsibility where it applies, an original $5,000 bond on the City’s form and photo ID in person. The City’s bond form also lists irrigation, landscape, sign, pool, fire suppression, foundation repair and remodeling contractors. Subcontractors sign the building permit application, and sprinkler system plans go to the Building Official and must be drawn by a registered design professional.

Plans and documents Ridgeland requires

The City’s building code ordinance asks for construction documents, special inspection statements, geotechnical reports and calculations in three or more identical paper sets, plus a digital copy where the Building Official or Fire Code Official asks for one. A registered design professional must seal:

• All foundation, structural and civil plans
• Buildings, systems or tenant work of 5,000 sq ft or more, or more than two stories
• All automatic sprinkler system plans

Detached one- and two-family homes and townhouses under the residential code need sealed foundation and civil plans only, unless special conditions apply. Landscape plans for other projects must come from a registered landscape architect. The application asks for the square footage for plan review, the cost of construction, utility tap and meter sizes, and the flood zone, base flood elevation and lowest floor elevation where the lot is in the floodplain.

Approved plans are stamped “Reviewed for Code Compliance”. The Building Official keeps one set, one goes to the County for record and one is returned to you to keep on site.

How to apply in Ridgeland, step by step

Inspections and certificates in Ridgeland

The Building Permits and Inspections Division inspects permitted work during construction; each inspection is charged at $30 and each re-inspection at $50. Questions about inspections go to Community Development at 601-856-3877.

No new building, or building that changes occupancy, may be used until the Building Official issues a Certificate of Occupancy. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is possible only when all life-safety and accessibility items are complete, unfinished architectural items are worth no more than 1% of the permitted cost and unfinished site work no more than 2%, backed by the contractor’s estimates. Work that does not need a Certificate of Occupancy, such as a shell building, a pool or a trade installation, gets a Certificate of Completion instead.

A decision of the Building Official can be appealed to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen by a written application filed within 10 days.

Ridgeland rules that shape a project

Architectural Review Board: commercial site plans and building elevations need approval through the ARB process and the Mayor and Board of Aldermen before construction plans are reviewed. The checklist covers site lighting, landscaping, parking, drainage, dumpster enclosures, sign and HVAC screening, and a material board with a color rendering of the main elevation.

Flood zones: the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance adopted in November 2024, which adopts the Madison County flood maps revised January 17, 2025, requires the lowest floor of new and substantially improved homes and commercial buildings to be at least 18 inches above the base flood elevation. A development permit from the floodplain administrator, the Director of Public Works or a designee, is needed before any work in a flood hazard area.

Sprinklers: a 2001 City ordinance requires automatic sprinklers in all educational and hazardous buildings, in apartments, hotels, motels and dormitories of any size, in storage buildings over 5,000 sq ft, in basements other than in single-family homes, in enclosed parking garages over 1,000 sq ft and in licensed childcare facilities. The fire department must be given at least 24 hours’ notice to witness tests. The residential code section requiring sprinklers in houses is deleted.

Local code changes: for houses, the City’s energy amendments set insulation values such as R-13 for 2x4 exterior walls and R-38 in attics. Under its swimming pool code amendment, pool barriers must be at least 72 inches high.

Codes Ridgeland enforces

Ridgeland opted out of the 2014 state code mandate on August 19, 2014 and adopts its own codes. Its Building Code Ordinance, adopted on March 7, 2023, enforces the 2021 International Building, Residential, Existing Building, Fuel Gas, Plumbing, Mechanical, Fire, Swimming Pool and Spa, and Energy Conservation Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, with local amendments. The Permits and Inspections web page still lists the 2015 codes and the 2005 electrical code; the 2023 ordinance is the adopted text.

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

Ridgeland permit FAQs

How much is a building permit in Ridgeland, MS?

$3.50 for every $1,000 of estimated construction cost, plus plan review at $0.05 per sq ft and $30 per inspection. A $300,000 job pays $1,050 for the permit itself.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Ridgeland?

For a house, Ridgeland’s residential code amendment exempts new roof coverings and flashing when the decking and supporting structure need no repair or replacement. On buildings under the International Building Code, any work costing $10,000 or more needs a permit.

Which building code does Ridgeland use?

The 2021 International Codes and the 2020 National Electrical Code, under the ordinance adopted on March 7, 2023, with local amendments.

Can an out-of-town electrician or plumber work in Ridgeland?

Yes, once licensed by the City: a current licence from another Mississippi municipality held for at least a year, a $5,000 bond, $300,000 liability insurance and a $25 fee, waived for state Certificate of Responsibility holders.

Why must a commercial project go to the Board of Aldermen?

Ridgeland requires Architectural Review Board approval, confirmed by the Mayor and Board, before commercial construction plans are reviewed. The review fee is $300 for new or major work and $100 for minor work.

How long is a Ridgeland building permit valid?

The application states that the permit is valid for six months after it is issued.

What happens if I start work without a permit?

The City issues a stop work order and charges $500 on top of the normal permit fees.

Official Ridgeland permit resources

• Mississippi Insurance Department: Mississippi Uniform Building Codes
• Ridgeland staff directory (Community Development)
• Ridgeland Permits and Inspections
• Ridgeland Building Code Ordinance, adopted March 7, 2023
• Ridgeland fee ordinance, approved August 19, 2025
• Ridgeland building permit application
• Ridgeland licenses, forms and permits
• Ridgeland general contractor requirements
• Ridgeland subcontractor licensing requirements
• Ridgeland site plan and architectural review checklist
• Ridgeland Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance
• Ridgeland automatic sprinkler ordinance
• Ridgeland ordinances and codes
• Ridgeland meetings and minutes

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