For building in unincorporated Sunflower County, contact the county’s Code Enforcer / Building Inspector at 124 Main Street in Indianola (662-207-3786). Inside Indianola and the other towns, the town’s own rules apply.
Who issues building permits in Sunflower County?
The county’s list of officials includes a County Code Enforcer / Building Inspector, Percel Moore, based in the county offices at 124 Main Street, Indianola. That is the county’s building contact for unincorporated land: ask the inspector for the county application, the fee and any inspections before starting work.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Code Enforcer / Building Inspector | 124 Main Street, PO Box 988, Indianola, MS 38751; 662-207-3786 (fax 662-887-7054) |
| County Administrator | PO Box 988, Indianola; 662-887-2881 or 662-577-1760 |
| Chancery Clerk (Board of Supervisors records) | 200 Main Street, Indianola; 662-887-4703 |
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Get a free quote →Who permits each town in Sunflower County?
- Indianola: the City permits work inside its limits. Its online code, last supplemented in November 2017, names a city building official who issues building permits and serves as floodplain administrator, and adopts the 2009 International Codes and the 2011 National Electrical Code (ordinance of November 8, 2010).
- Ruleville, Drew, Moorhead, Inverness, Sunflower and Doddsville: each town governs building inside its own limits; ask the town clerk who issues building permits there.
- Shaw: most of the city lies in Bolivar County, with a small part in Sunflower County; ask the City of Shaw.
Septic systems and trade work
Septic tanks and other individual onsite wastewater systems are permitted by the Mississippi State Department of Health where a lot cannot connect to a sewer. For electrical, plumbing or mechanical work in the unincorporated county, ask the Code Enforcer / Building Inspector whether a separate permit is needed. Indianola’s code has its own electrical permit and inspection rules for work inside the city.
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Get a free quote →Starting a project in unincorporated Sunflower County
Indianola, Ruleville, Drew, Moorhead, Inverness, Sunflower, Doddsville and part of Shaw govern their own land.
Ask the Code Enforcer / Building Inspector (662-207-3786) for the county application, the fee and the inspections that apply.
The county takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, so ask the county office whether the site is in a mapped flood zone before you design the foundation.
Apply to the Mississippi State Department of Health if the lot has no sewer.
State law (Miss. Code §19-5-9(11)) requires a county permit to show the contractor’s material purchase certificate number or taxpayer ID, and the contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility number.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Sunflower County details worth knowing
Flood insurance program: FEMA lists Sunflower County and all seven of its own towns (Doddsville, Drew, Indianola, Inverness, Moorhead, Ruleville and Sunflower) as taking part in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Indianola historic sites: inside the city, a building permit affecting a designated historic resource is not issued without a certificate of appropriateness.
Building code in Sunflower County
For the code edition that applies to county permits, ask the Code Enforcer / Building Inspector (662-207-3786). Indianola’s code adopts the 2009 International Codes inside the city.
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
Rather not deal with the Sunflower County building department?
Get a free quote →Official Sunflower County resources
- Sunflower County officials, including the Code Enforcer / Building Inspector
- Sunflower County Administrator
- Sunflower County contact page
- City of Indianola Code of Ordinances (city permits)
- Mississippi State Department of Health: on-site wastewater
Sunflower County permit FAQs
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Who issues building permits in unincorporated Sunflower County?
The county’s Code Enforcer / Building Inspector at 124 Main Street, Indianola (662-207-3786).
How much is a county building permit?
Ask the Code Enforcer / Building Inspector (662-207-3786) for the current fee before you apply.
Does the county have to require a permit?
Yes. Since 2022, state law has required every Mississippi county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area.
Who issues permits in Indianola?
The City of Indianola; its code makes the city building official responsible for building permits and floodplain rules inside the city.
Who handles septic permits?
The Mississippi State Department of Health issues them for onsite systems anywhere in the county.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Sunflower County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.