Inside Starkville, building permits are issued by the City’s Building Department, and both residential and commercial applications can be filed online through OpenGov or dropped off at the permit desk on the second floor of City Hall. A house is charged $3 per $1,000 of valuation plus a plan review fee capped at $100, and work started without a permit costs triple.
What needs a permit in Starkville?
Section 17.3.1 of the Unified Development Code, last amended February 17, 2026, lists what needs a permit and what is exempt, for one- and two-family homes and for commercial buildings. Permits must be obtained before work starts.
Permit needed
- Any new construction
- Any addition or alteration over $2,500
- Any dwelling unit, including accessory dwellings, whatever the size
- Any work that includes electrical, plumbing, mechanical/HVAC, structural or fire sprinkler work
- Roofing work that is not a repair and is $2,500 or more, or has structural changes
- Accessory structures: garages, carports, workshops, pool houses, sheds, pools, covered outdoor areas and fences 7 feet or taller
- Clearing, grading, excavating or filling a site (land disturbance)
- Signs that need a permit and any work in the right-of-way
Exempt
- Painting, cabinetry, tiling, carpeting and similar finish work (its cost still counts in any required permit)
- Roofing work under $10,000 with no structural changes
- Fences under 7 feet
- Interior demolition with no structural changes
- Sheds or storage buildings under 100 sq ft outside a flood zone (homes)
- Low-voltage networking, camera, alarm and access-control work
- Like-for-like replacement of outlets, light fixtures, toilets, faucets and windows
In a locally designated historic district, a Certificate of Appropriateness may also be required. The City’s separate applications cover roofing, swimming pools, demolition, land disturbance and certificates of occupancy.
Who issues building permits in Starkville?
The Building Division reviews building plans, issues building permits, inspects construction and issues certificates of occupancy. Mark Nance is the Building Official. Floodplain information and determinations come from the City’s Engineering Department.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Starkville City Hall, 110 West Main Street, Starkville, MS 39759 (permit desk on the second floor) |
| Phone | 662-323-2525, option 5 |
| permits@cityofstarkville.org | |
| Online permits | OpenGov (starkvillems.portal.opengov.com) |
| Engineering and floodplain | 662-323-2525, engineering@cityofstarkville.org |
City permits cover property inside Starkville only. Unincorporated land in Oktibbeha County falls under the county, not the City’s Building Department.
Applying online in OpenGov
Residential and commercial applications are filled out in OpenGov, which routes a project through every City department whose approval it needs. If you cannot use the portal, the City posts PDF applications for building construction, certificates of occupancy, demolition, roofing, swimming pools and land disturbance, to be dropped off at the permit technician’s desk on the second floor of City Hall. The City’s Issued Building Permits page lets you search its permitting software by location or record ID.
Before work begins, contractors new to the City must give the Building Department a current record of their Mississippi State Board of Contractors licence (number, classification, expiry and a copy), liability insurance naming the City of Starkville as certificate holder, their privilege licence and a government-issued ID. Contractors also supply a copy of the applicable state licence as a condition of the permit.
Starkville permit fees
Fees are printed on the City’s permit applications. The building fee is based on the estimated construction valuation, and every permit carries a $1 Mississippi Department of Archives and History archival fee.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential, valuation $2,500–$1,000,000 | $3 per $1,000 of valuation |
| Residential, over $1,000,000 | $3,000 plus $4 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Commercial, valuation $2,500–$5,000,000 | $4 per $1,000 of valuation |
| Commercial, over $5,000,000 | $20,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Plan review | 25% of the permit fee; limit $100 residential, $250 commercial |
| Courtesy inspection | $25 |
| Land disturbance | $50 residential; $50 per acre disturbed, commercial |
| Demolition inside a structure only | $25 |
| Re-inspection | 1st free; 2nd $25; 3rd $50; 4th $75 |
| Replacement printed permit | $5 |
| Certificate of occupancy | $50 new business or location; $25 change of name or owner |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Example: a house valued at $250,000 pays 250 × $3, a $750 permit fee. A quarter of that would be $187.50, so the $100 plan review limit applies, and with the $1 archival fee the total is $851 before trade inspections. Work begun without a permit is charged triple the permit cost.
Trade inspections and fire review in Starkville
Electrical, gas, plumbing and mechanical work is listed on the same construction application, which asks for the subcontractors, the number of bathrooms, gas hookups, air conditioning units and tonnage, and plumbing clusters. A plumbing cluster is four fixtures in one room, and the exterior of a structure counts as one cluster.
| Inspection | Fee |
|---|---|
| Gas | $20 per inspection or unit |
| Residential plumbing | $20 for the first 4 clusters, plus $5 per additional cluster |
| Commercial plumbing | $40 for the first 4 clusters, plus $5 per additional cluster |
| Mechanical, new / existing | $50 / $25 |
| Electrical, new / existing (residential) | $50 / $25 |
| Electrical, multi-family | $25 per unit |
| Sprinkler and standpipe system | $100 up to 10,000 sq ft; $150 to 100,000 sq ft; $200 above |
| Fire detection system (not single-family homes) | $50 up to 10,000 sq ft; $100 to 100,000 sq ft; $200 above |
| Kitchen hood suppression | $100 new, $50 existing |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →The fire department fees apply when the general contractor pays for fire alarm, sprinkler or kitchen hood work, which is marked on the application.
What to submit
The construction application must be accompanied by a complete set of digital plans. The City lists these plans as required:
Plans
- Site plan
- Erosion control plan
- Sidewalk plan
- Floor plan
- Elevation plan
Engineering and trades
- Foundation plan stamped by a professional engineer
- Plumbing and gas plan
- Electrical plan
- Roof framing plan, for structural roof repairs
The application also asks for the estimated valuation, the zone district, the square footage of living area, porches, garages, decks and basement, the foundation type, and whether the property is in the 100-year floodplain. By signing, the permittee takes responsibility for site cleanup, contacting utility providers, keeping structures off easements, following restrictive covenants and paying any re-inspection fees, and must post the permit card and one set of approved plans on the job.
How to get a Starkville building permit: 6 steps
Confirm the property is inside Starkville and check its zone district and flood zone.
Remodel jobs on homes and commercial buildings now need a pre-inspection, at no extra fee.
Send the state licence, insurance certificate, privilege licence and ID to the Building Department.
Fill out the application and upload the full digital plan set, or drop a paper application at the second-floor permit desk.
Pay the valuation-based permit fee, plan review, trade inspection and archival fees.
Email permits@cityofstarkville.org or call 662-323-2525, option 5, through the final inspection and certificate of occupancy.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Starkville inspections and certificates of occupancy
Inspections are scheduled by email to permits@cityofstarkville.org or by calling 662-323-2525 and choosing option 5. The first re-inspection is free; after that they cost $25, $50 and $75, and the permittee pays for any re-inspection caused by work that was not ready or did not meet the code. A courtesy inspection costs $25.
No land, building or structure may be occupied until the Building Official issues a certificate of occupancy confirming it meets the Unified Development Code and the technical codes. Within three days after the owner or agent reports that the building is ready, the Building Official is to make the final inspection and issue the certificate, or give the reasons for refusing it in writing.
Local rules that matter in Starkville
Building codes: the Unified Development Code adopts the 2024 International Building, Residential, Fire, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Property Maintenance, Swimming Pool and Spa and Existing Building Codes, the 2023 National Electrical Code and ICC A117.1-2017, with local deletions, additions and changes in Section 17.2. Those amendments, last revised February 17, 2026, require automatic sprinklers in every two-family dwelling and in one-family houses with more than 5,000 sq ft of heated and cooled space, and a foundation designed by a Mississippi-licensed engineer for any habitable building or addition over 400 sq ft (unless an addition matches the existing foundation). Compaction reports from a certified soils lab go to the Building Official before concrete is poured.
Permit expiry: under Section 17.3.7, amended August 4, 2026, a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 90 days of issue or stops for 90 days or more, every building permit expires after one year, and a demolition permit expires 90 days after issue. The Building Official may extend a permit case by case. The permit must be posted on site in a document box (Doc-Box) during all phases of work.
Floodplain: the City’s floodplain ordinance requires the lowest floor to be at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, and the application asks whether a flood certificate is needed. The Engineering Department provides free flood zone determinations, copies of existing elevation certificates and base flood elevations.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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
Starkville permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Starkville?
The City’s Building Department at City Hall, 110 West Main Street, for property inside the city limits; call 662-323-2525, option 5.
How much is a building permit for a house in Starkville?
$3 per $1,000 of valuation up to $1,000,000, plus 25% for plan review with a $100 limit and a $1 archival fee. A $250,000 house pays $851 in total before trade inspections.
Can I apply online?
Yes, through OpenGov. Paper applications can also be left at the permit technician’s desk on the second floor of City Hall.
Do I need a permit for a new roof in Starkville?
It depends on the cost and the work. The Unified Development Code exempts roofing work under $10,000 with no structural changes, but it also lists roofing that is not a repair and costs $2,500 or more as needing a permit, so ask the Building Department (662-323-2525, option 5) about a re-roof between those amounts. Structural roof work always needs a permit. A permitted roof uses the roofing application, priced on the valuation, with a roof framing plan only for structural changes.
What happens if I build without a permit?
The City charges triple the permit cost and can take other legal action.
How do I schedule an inspection in Starkville?
Email permits@cityofstarkville.org or call 662-323-2525 and choose option 5.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Official Starkville permit 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
- Starkville Building Department
- Starkville OpenGov permit portal
- Starkville construction permit application and fees
- Starkville roof permit application
- Starkville certificate of occupancy application
- Starkville Unified Development Code, Section 17.2 technical codes
- Starkville Unified Development Code, Section 17.3 building permits
- Starkville floodplain administration and FEMA map update
- Starkville issued building permits search
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Starkville permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.