In Wayne County, the City of Waynesboro’s Building Department at City Hall (601-735-4874) issues building permits inside the city, charges by construction value (a $150,000 project pays $275) and requires a Certificate of Occupancy before use. For land outside Waynesboro and State Line, the Board of Supervisors at the courthouse, 609 Azalea Drive (601-735-3414), is the county contact.
Who issues permits in Wayne County?
The Census Bureau lists two incorporated places in Wayne County: the City of Waynesboro (4,495 residents in 2025) and the part of the Town of State Line that lies in the county (220; the rest of the town is in Greene County). Everything else is unincorporated.
| Area or work | Office |
|---|---|
| Waynesboro (city limits) | Building Department, City Hall, 714 Wayne Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367; 601-735-4874; Building Official Ken Roberts |
| Unincorporated Wayne County | Board of Supervisors, Courthouse, 609 Azalea Drive, Waynesboro, MS 39367; 601-735-3414 |
| Board minutes and land records | Chancery Clerk, Courthouse, 609 Azalea Drive; 601-735-2873 |
| State Line | Town clerk |
| Septic systems where there is no sewer | Mississippi State Department of Health |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The supervisors’ and Chancery Clerk’s numbers above are from the Secretary of State’s 2025 county directory. Since House Bill 1163 of 2022, Miss. Code §19-5-9(11) has required each county to require a permit for construction in its unincorporated area; ask the Board office how Wayne County applies it before you build outside the towns. FEMA lists Wayne County, Waynesboro and State Line in the National Flood Insurance Program, with county flood maps dated July 18, 2011.
Building in Waynesboro
The City’s Code Enforcement Division states that a building permit is required by law for residential and commercial work. Apply at City Hall with:
- a plot plan showing the house, drives and drainage;
- construction plans;
- the general contractor’s name, address and phone number;
- an elevation certificate if the lot is in a flood zone.
The contractor’s licence number must be displayed on site, and contractors must haul away their scrap and debris. For commercial work, construction documents, the statement of special inspections, a geotechnical report and other data go in with two or more sets of the application.
| Construction value | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1,000 or less | No fee, unless an inspection is required; then $25 |
| $1,000 to $50,000 | $25 for the first $1,000, plus $2.50 for each additional $1,000 |
| $50,000 to $100,000 | $100 for the first $50,000, plus $2 for each additional $1,000 |
| $100,000 to $500,000 | $200 for the first $100,000, plus $1.50 for each additional $1,000 |
| $500,000 to $1,000,000 | $800 for the first $500,000, plus $1 for each additional $1,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $1,300 for the first $1,000,000, plus $0.50 for each additional $1,000 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →For example, a project valued at $150,000 falls in the $100,000–$500,000 band: $200 plus 50 × $1.50, or $275. The chart’s bands do not join up exactly (the first band reaches $147.50 at $50,000, while the next one starts at $100), so ask City Hall how a value near a band edge is charged.
Electrical inspections are requested on the City’s form, paid in advance: $41 for the first inspection and $21 for each repeat if the first one fails, with four business days for processing. (An older 2017 copy of the form on the Zoning page shows $40 and $20.) Wiring in homes and mobile homes is inspected before it is connected to permanent power; in commercial buildings it is inspected before wallboard goes up and again before connection.
Certificate of Occupancy: required by Section 803 of the Zoning Ordinance before a new or altered building is used. Every inspection must be complete first, and the City asks you to allow one week for them. New homes and mobile homes need an outside water cutoff valve and a sewer cleanout.
Codes: the City’s posted adoption ordinance adopts the 2009 International Building Code (with Appendices C and D) and the 2009 International Fuel Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Property Maintenance, Fire and Energy Codes.
Waynesboro flood, mobile home and moving rules
Floodplain development permit: the City’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, adopted August 6, 2019, replaced its earlier flood ordinances. It uses the Flood Insurance Study dated July 18, 2011 and makes the Zoning Administrator the Floodplain Administrator. A development permit is needed before any work in a special flood hazard area, with the proposed lowest floor shown on a FEMA Elevation Certificate prepared by a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| New or substantially improved home, including a manufactured home | Lowest floor, including basement, 1 foot above the base flood elevation |
| Non-residential building | Lowest floor 1 foot above the base flood elevation, or floodproofed watertight to the base flood elevation plus at least 1 foot |
| Streams without base flood elevations | No encroachment within five times the stream width or 20 feet each side of the top of bank, whichever is greater, unless an engineer certifies it |
| Critical facilities | Lowest floor 3 feet 6 inches above the base flood elevation, or at the 0.2 percent chance flood elevation if higher |
Mobile homes: under the zoning ordinance, an individual mobile home is allowed only on a lot in a mobile home park in the R-4 district, apart from homes already there as non-conforming uses. A non-conforming dwelling that is the occupant’s legal homestead and was destroyed by a tornado, hurricane, flood or lightning fire may be replaced if the building permit application is made within 90 days of the loss.
Moving a building: a house or building wider than 12 feet or taller than 15 feet may be moved on city streets only after the mover posts a $500 bond with the City Clerk 10 days ahead, with signed notice from each affected utility. The moving permit itself costs $25.
Rather not deal with the Wayne County building department?
Get a free quote →Septic systems: outside sewer service, the Mississippi State Department of Health permits onsite wastewater systems (call center 1-855-220-0192).
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 Wayne County and Waynesboro permit resources
- Secretary of State: County Offices and Directory of State and County Officials (2025)
- City of Waynesboro Building Department
- City of Waynesboro Zoning and Planning: permit requirements and ordinances
- Waynesboro application for building permit
- Waynesboro building permit fee calculation chart
- Waynesboro request for electrical inspection
- Waynesboro ordinance adopting the 2009 International Building Code
- Waynesboro Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (August 6, 2019)
- Waynesboro house moving permit and ordinance
- FEMA Community Status Book: Mississippi NFIP communities
- House Bill 1163 (2022): county permit requirement
- Mississippi State Department of Health: On-Site Wastewater
Wayne County permit FAQs
How much is a building permit in Waynesboro?
It depends on construction value: $25 for the first $1,000 plus $2.50 per $1,000 up to $50,000, falling to lower rates per $1,000 above that. A $150,000 project pays $275.
Who is Waynesboro’s building official?
Ken Roberts, at City Hall, 714 Wayne Street (601-735-4874).
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How high must a new house be in a Waynesboro flood zone?
The lowest floor, including any basement, must be 1 foot above the base flood elevation, shown on a FEMA Elevation Certificate.
Can I put a mobile home on a lot in Waynesboro?
Only in a mobile home park in the R-4 zoning district, unless it is an existing non-conforming home.
Who do I contact about building outside Waynesboro?
The Wayne County Board of Supervisors at the courthouse, 609 Azalea Drive (601-735-3414).
How much is an electrical inspection in Waynesboro?
$41 for the first inspection and $21 for each repeat after a failed one, paid in advance.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Wayne County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.