Planning & Building

Responsibilities

The Planning Commission Office is composed of the Planning and Building offices, and has many functions. The staff serves three commissions and boards - the Planning Commission, the Board of Adjustment, License Commission, and the Board of Supervisors.

Planning

The planning personnel maintain, interpret, and update the long-range plan for county development. The DeSoto County 2030 Comprehensive Plan is designed as a planning tool to direct development and manage growth. Based on input from the community itself and from professionals, the plan states goals and policies that support ordinances and planning decisions. The Planning Department has made available the Historic Zoning Ordinances for research purposes.

The Planning Department is involved in transportation planning for the county, rezoning case evaluation, and subdivision and site plan review. They also maintain the county's adopted Zoning Map, Zoning Ordinance, and Design Standard Ordinance.

Building

In addition to processing building permits and conducting on-site inspections of all commercial, residential, and industrial building, the building personnel maintain the licensing for all general contractors in the county and sub-contractors such as plumbers, electricians, and mechanical contractors.

Medical Cannabis Zoning & Ordinance

On June 24, 2022, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors approved the DeSoto County Medical Cannabis Ordinance and Amendments to the DeSoto County Zoning Ordinance for the purpose of addressing Medical Cannabis businesses.  

Attention Builders & Contractors

The United States Postal Service has the sole authority and responsibility for establishing the method or mode of delivery, the type of mailbox, and the location of the mailbox for each street delivery address. Centralized delivery, through the use of Cluster Box Units (CBUs), is their preferred delivery method and box type. This is an updated process. See our letter (PDF) for more information.

Process for Sewer & Food Permits Has Changed

The Mississippi Department of Health's office in DeSoto County has closed, changing the process of requesting on-site wastewater services and food inspections. Rather than visiting the local MSDH office to request permits/inspections, this process will now be conducted by phone. All requests should be directed to the Department of Health's Wastewater Call Center at 855-220-0192 or Food Protection Regional Office at 662-241-7677, where questions can be answered and inspectors can be dispatched to the location provided by the applicant.

Planning Department Meeting Dates