Land Clearing Permits in Gautier & Jackson County, Mississippi

Inside the City of Gautier, the city’s fee schedule lists a site clearing and land disturbance permit from under one acre up, and mowing or bush hogging alone needs none. Outside the city, Jackson County, Mississippi issues a development and land disturbance permit for land clearing that is not tied to a building permit, at $25 under one acre. From one acre up, state construction stormwater rules apply, and low ground in the Coastal Zone may need a wetland answer first.

This guide sets out who issues what, with each rule linked to its source. Requirements vary by parcel, scope and jurisdiction, and the governing authority makes the determination. Cut Brush can point out what commonly applies and which office to call, but the decision belongs to that office. Fees below come from the published schedules on the date of writing, 6 October 2026; both offices ask you to confirm before applying.

Which Office Is Yours?

Start with one question: is the land inside Gautier city limits or in unincorporated Jackson County? Gautier, Pascagoula, Moss Point and Ocean Springs are cities with their own permit offices. Communities such as Vancleave, Gulf Park Estates, St. Martin, Escatawpa, Big Point and Wade are unincorporated, so the county handles them. If you are not sure, the county building department can tell you.

This guide covers the City of Gautier and unincorporated Jackson County. If your land is in Pascagoula, Moss Point, Ocean Springs, or in Harrison or George County, call that city or county before work starts; their rules are not covered here.

Inside Gautier: the Site Clearing Permit

The City of Gautier’s comprehensive fee schedule has a line for site clearing, demolition and land disturbance. Its note says the permit is required for land disturbance activities, and that mowing or bush hogging alone does not require one. Whether a forestry mulching pass counts as land disturbance on your lot is the city’s call, so ask before the job is booked.

The same schedule lists protected tree removal as its own permit. Live oaks, magnolias and any other significant trees are treated as protected. If a clearing plan takes out a big oak, that tree needs its own permit on top of the site clearing permit.

The city’s lot clearing and site work guidelines, issued by the Community Services Department, add three practical rules:

• A written stormwater plan over one acre. Any lot larger than one acre needs a written stormwater pollution prevention plan describing the drainage measures before, during and after clearing. Smaller lots still have to use those measures, though a written plan is not normally needed.
• No fill before the controls. No fill may be hauled in until the stormwater and drainage measures are in place.
• Protected trees first. Protected trees have to be identified and protected before work starts, and any request to cut one goes to Community Services.

Unincorporated Jackson County, Mississippi

Outside the cities, the county building department in Pascagoula handles permits. Its Building Permits page recommends calling before applying to confirm the right application, fees and attachments. Item 5 of the county’s building permit fee schedule covers a development or land disturbance permit for “filling, excavating, land clearing or any land disturbance activity of any lot or parcel which is not associated with a valid building permit.”

Each permit carries a $1 filing fee and a $10 issuance fee on top of the line fee. And if work starts before a required permit is issued, the charge becomes five times the normal fee. That line is for work not tied to a building permit; if you are clearing for a house that already has one, ask the department how the clearing is handled.

Where the land is	Permit	Under one acre	One acre and up
City of Gautier	Site clearing and land disturbance	$25 plus $1 filing	$50 (1 to 4.9 acres) or $100 (5 acres and up), plus $1
City of Gautier	Protected tree removal	$50 plus $1 filing, separate permit	Same
Unincorporated Jackson County	Development and land disturbance (no building permit)	$25	$100 plus $5 per acre

The county figures are before its $1 filing and $10 issuance fees.

State Stormwater from One Acre

Above the local permits sits the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Its construction stormwater program covers land disturbance of one acre or more. From 1 to under 5 acres, the Small Construction General Permit applies, with a Notice of Intent and a stormwater plan prepared before work starts. At 5 acres or more, the Large Construction General Permit applies.

Mulching leaves roots in the soil and a chip layer on top, which is the kind of cover stormwater plans are written to achieve. Stripping the same acre to bare dirt is the kind of disturbance they are written to control. Tell any contractor how many acres will be disturbed and what the finish will be, so the paperwork matches the work.

Wet Ground in the Coastal Zone

Jackson, Harrison and Hancock counties make up the Mississippi Coastal Zone. The Department of Marine Resources is the point of contact for wetland permits there, under agreements with the Mobile and Vicksburg districts of the Army Corps of Engineers. Applications go through MDMR’s Wetlands Permitting Portal or the Joint Application form, and the office takes questions at 228-523-4106.

Low pine savanna and bayou edges around Gautier can be wetland even when they look dry. Whether your ground is regulated, and what may be done on it, is the agencies’ decision, not a contractor’s. If a tract holds water for part of the year, ask before scheduling; the answer can shrink the area that gets cleared. George County, around Agricola, is outside the Coastal Zone, so the MDMR route above does not apply there; ask the Army Corps of Engineers.

Burning the Debris

One state rule rounds this out. Mississippi does not allow land clearing debris to be burned within 500 yards of an occupied home without a forced-draft system, which is why mulching, with no pile at all, suits most coastal lots.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Jackson County, Mississippi require a permit to clear land?

For clearing that is not part of a valid building permit, the county’s fee schedule lists a development and land disturbance permit: $25 under one acre, $100 plus $5 per acre from one acre up.

Do I need a permit to bush hog my lot in Gautier?

The city’s fee schedule says mowing or bush hogging alone does not require a permit. Clearing that disturbs the land does.

Can I cut down a live oak in Gautier?

Live oaks and magnolias are protected trees in Gautier, and removing one takes a separate permit from Community Services.

Start Planning Your Gautier Clearing

Settle the permit question first, then the scope. Our Gautier land clearing page summarizes the local rules, the Gautier pricing guide lists the four per-acre bands, and the Chinese tallow removal guide covers the plant behind most coastal clearing jobs. For the statewide picture, see the Mississippi land clearing cost guide. When you are ready, request a free quote; if we can take the job, the scope and price go on paper.