Off-Grid Living in Simpson County, Mississippi

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Simpson County, Mississippi, and the short version is: there's no countywide zoning code, but there IS a real building permit process now, and the state fills in the gaps on septic, wells, and water.

Zoning. Simpson County itself doesn't appear to have adopted a countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated land. Zoning only kicks in once you're inside a town like Magee, Mendenhall, D'Lo, or Braxton, each of which runs its own zoning office. If you're buying raw land, the first question is whether it's inside a town's limits or not. If it's outside, there's no central county zoning office to call, you'd deal with whichever local authority applies, or find there isn't one at all.

Dwellings. This is where the county has real teeth. Simpson County's Office of Community Development requires a permit for any manufactured/factory-built home before it's moved onto a lot, and the home has to be registered with both Community Development and the Tax Assessor. The county's ordinance also requires wheels off and skirting installed once the home is placed. Before anyone moves in, the County Building Inspector has to sign off. I couldn't confirm how tiny-homes-on-wheels or RVs used as full-time residences are treated separately, so I'd ask Community Development directly before assuming an RV counts as exempt.

Building permits. As of a Board of Supervisors vote in January 2025, Simpson County adopted the 2021 International Residential and Building Codes for unincorporated areas, covering electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and HVAC. Permits are handled through Community Development and are required for new construction and remodeling. Bigger jobs (the county sets specific dollar thresholds for construction and remodeling costs) trigger extra contractor licensing, bonding, and insurance requirements, so confirm current thresholds with the county rather than assuming.

Septic. This runs through the state, not the county. Simpson County is served by the Mississippi State Department of Health's Onsite Wastewater program. You can't self-permit: a Licensed Professional Evaluator has to do the soil evaluation, and a Licensed Installer builds the system. No Simpson-specific tweak to that process turned up in my research.

Greywater. No county-specific rule exists that I found; it rides along with the same MSDH onsite wastewater rules as septic.

Rainwater. Nothing in county sources restricts rain barrels or cisterns, so this looks like the general state baseline of permitted.

Wells. Well drilling is a state licensing matter through MDEQ's Office of Land and Water Resources, not a county permit. Domestic wells are generally exempt from state withdrawal permits. Simpson County itself has no MPSC-regulated public sewer utility, which is worth knowing if you're weighing septic versus other options.

Off-grid utilities. I found no Simpson County rule mandating grid-tie for solar or requiring utility connection. This is genuinely unconfirmed territory, so treat it as open until you get a straight answer from the county.

Bottom line: expect real county involvement in home siting, building codes, and manufactured home registration, but very little on zoning, greywater, or off-grid power specifically. Confirm everything with the offices below before you buy or build.