Since May 15, 2023, the Winston County Board of Supervisors has required an HB-1163 construction permit for construction in the unincorporated part of the county. The forms are picked up from, and returned to, the Tax Assessor/Collector’s office (662-773-3694). Work in a mapped flood zone also needs a floodplain development permit from the county’s Emergency Management Director, and Louisville issues its own building permits inside the city.
Who issues building permits in Winston County?
The Board of Supervisors set up the county’s construction permit by an order of May 15, 2023, to meet the 2022 state law (House Bill 1163) that makes every Mississippi county require a permit for construction outside its towns. The order puts the forms in the Tax Assessor/Collector’s office, which also takes them back once completed. Neither the order nor the one-page form sets a fee.
The county’s departments are emergency management, solid waste, veterans services and purchasing; none of them is a building inspection office, and the construction permit form has no plan review or inspection section. Flood zones are the exception: under the county’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance of November 7, 2022, the Emergency Management Director is the floodplain administrator, reviews development permits and inspects building sites.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Construction permit forms | Tax Assessor/Collector’s office, Winston County Courthouse, 16540 W. Main Street, Louisville; 662-773-3694 |
| Floodplain administrator | Emergency Management Director Jimmy Lovorn Jr., 117 S. Court Avenue, Louisville; 662-773-3651; the office keeps the county’s flood study and maps |
| Board of Supervisors | 662-773-7170; meets the first Monday of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the third-floor boardroom of the Winston County Annex, behind the courthouse |
| 911 addresses | 911 office, 202-A South Church Street, Louisville; 662-773-7470 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Who permits each town in Winston County?
- Louisville: the City’s Building Department reviews plans, issues building permits and inspects work inside the city (Building/Public Safety, 662-773-9201; 2373 South Church Avenue). City Ordinance 397, adopted January 7, 2025, adopts the 2021 International Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code. The City’s fee is a $25 base fee ($50 if work starts before the permit) plus an amount based on building value, starting at $5 per $1,000 up to $50,000, and building in a flood hazard area needs a separate City floodplain permit. Under the City’s flood damage prevention ordinance of April 18, 2023, the lowest floor inside Louisville must be 2 feet above the base flood elevation, compared with 1 foot in the unincorporated county.
- Noxapater: ask the Town of Noxapater who issues building permits inside the town limits.
Septic systems and trade work
Septic tanks and other individual onsite wastewater systems are permitted by the Mississippi State Department of Health wherever a lot has no sewer. The county uses the same HB-1163 form for all construction and has no separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit; the form asks for the contractor’s state licence or certificate of responsibility number. Inside Louisville, building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, fire sprinkler, sign and demolition work each need a separate City application, and the City requires HVAC, plumbing and electrical work of any amount to be done by a contractor licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →What the HB-1163 construction permit asks for
Form
- Name, address and phone of the person or company applying
- Owner’s name, address and phone
- Job address and legal description of the lot (metes and bounds if there is no recorded map), with block, section, township and range
- The material purchase certificate number from the Department of Revenue, or a taxpayer identification number
- The contractor’s licence number or certificate of responsibility number
Attach
- Either the Material Purchase Certificate or a copy of the contractor’s W-9
- In a flood zone: the floodplain development permit application, with a FEMA Elevation Certificate for the proposed lowest floor prepared by a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor
The applicant signs a statement agreeing to comply with all applicable codes, ordinances and state laws for building construction, as the owner or the owner’s agent. The county fills in the permit number, issue date and approval.
How to get a permit in unincorporated Winston County
Inside the city or town limits, the municipality’s own rules apply.
New addresses come from the 911 office at 202-A South Church Street (662-773-7470).
The Emergency Management office (662-773-3651) keeps the county’s flood study and maps and tells you whether a floodplain development permit is needed.
Collect it at the Tax Assessor/Collector’s office, complete the applicant, owner, job and contractor sections, attach the Material Purchase Certificate or the contractor’s W-9, and return it to the same office.
Apply to the Mississippi State Department of Health if the lot needs an onsite wastewater system.
In a flood zone, submit the finished-construction Elevation Certificate to the floodplain administrator when the building is complete.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Floodplain inspections
The county’s construction permit order and form provide for no building inspections. In flood zones, the floodplain administrator makes at least three inspections: when the base flood elevation reference mark is set on the site, when the footprint is set out before the slab is poured or the lowest floor of an elevated foundation is built, and a final inspection once the finished-construction Elevation Certificate is submitted. The administrator can stop work that breaks the ordinance and revoke a permit issued on false information.
Flood rules in Winston County
The Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance applies to the special flood hazard areas under the Board of Supervisors’ jurisdiction, using FEMA’s flood study for Winston County and Incorporated Areas dated September 17, 2010. Its main building rules:
- New and substantially improved homes, including manufactured homes, must have the lowest floor, basement included, at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation.
- Commercial and other non-residential buildings must meet the same 1-foot rule, or be dry floodproofed to 1 foot above the base flood elevation where flood velocities are 5 feet per second or less, with an engineer’s or architect’s certificate.
- Critical facilities built in the flood hazard area, such as shelters, schools, nursing homes and emergency services, must have the lowest floor 3 feet 6 inches above the base flood elevation, or at the 0.2 percent chance flood level if that is higher.
- In a floodway, fill and new building need an engineer’s certificate showing no rise in flood levels, and manufactured homes may go only in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision.
- Along streams without a base flood elevation, no fill or other development may be placed within five times the stream’s width at the top of the bank or 20 feet from the top of each bank, whichever is greater, without an engineer’s no-rise certificate.
- Subdivisions and other developments of five lots or five acres, whichever is less, must include base flood elevation data.
Rather not deal with the Winston County building department?
Get a free quote →Breaking the ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100, up to 30 days in jail, or both, and each day it continues counts as a separate offense. FEMA lists Winston County and the City of Louisville as taking part in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Building code in Winston County
The county’s construction permit order does not adopt a building code, and the form only has the applicant agree to follow the codes, ordinances and state laws that apply. Louisville enforces the 2021 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
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Official Winston County resources
- Winston County Board of Supervisors
- Winston County Board of Supervisors minutes archive (May 15, 2023 construction permit order; November 7, 2022 flood ordinance)
- Winston County Emergency Management
- Winston County Tax Assessor/Collector questions
- Winston County general questions: 911 addresses
- City of Louisville Building Department (city permits)
- City of Louisville floodplain permits
- Mississippi State Department of Health: on-site wastewater
Winston County permit FAQs
Do I need a permit to build in unincorporated Winston County?
Yes. Since May 15, 2023, the county has required an HB-1163 construction permit for construction outside the towns.
Where do I get the county construction permit form?
At the Tax Assessor/Collector’s office in the Winston County Courthouse, 16540 W. Main Street, Louisville (662-773-3694), where the completed form is also returned.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →What do I need to fill in the form?
The applicant and owner details, the job address and legal description, a material purchase certificate number or taxpayer ID, the contractor’s licence or certificate of responsibility number, and either the Material Purchase Certificate or a copy of the contractor’s W-9.
How high must a new house be built in a Winston County flood zone?
The lowest floor, including any basement, must be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation, shown on a FEMA Elevation Certificate from a Mississippi registered engineer or surveyor.
Who issues building permits in Louisville?
The City of Louisville Building Department (662-773-9201), which enforces the 2021 International Codes and charges a $25 base fee plus a value-based amount.
Who handles septic permits?
Septic and other onsite wastewater permits come from the Mississippi State Department of Health.
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More Mississippi permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Winston County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.