Land Clearing Permits in Jackson & Hinds County, MS

Inside the City of Jackson, the city says any clearing, filling or excavation requires permits. In unincorporated Hinds County, Permit and Zoning issues a clearing permit priced at $100 for the first two acres and $5 for each acre after that. Development on a tract of an acre or more in the county also falls under its stormwater ordinance, the state’s construction stormwater permits start at one acre, and land around the Ross Barnett Reservoir has tree rules of its own.

Each rule below carries its official source. Requirements vary by parcel, scope and jurisdiction, and the governing authority makes the determination.

Inside the City of Jackson

The city’s floodplain guidance is plain about it: any building constructed within the City of Jackson requires a building permit, and “any clearing, filling, or excavation activities also require permits.” Unpermitted construction, filling or excavating can be reported to the Office of Code Services at (601) 960-1159 (City of Jackson, flood safety tips).

Two city permits come up most often on a clearing job:

• Land Disturbance Permit. Listed by the city’s Stormwater Management division under Public Works and filed through the city’s online permit portal (City of Jackson, stormwater documents and applications).
• Land/Floodplain Development Permit. Required when a structure is going to be built in a Special Flood Hazard Area, per the same floodplain guidance.

The city’s public pages do not publish an acreage trigger or a fee for the land disturbance permit as of September 2026, so confirm both with the city before a job is priced.

Unincorporated Hinds County: The Clearing Permit

Outside the city, the Hinds County Permit and Zoning department, (601) 355-5424, lists a Clearing Permit alongside its building, demolition, mobile home and zoning permits, and takes applications through an online public portal (Hinds County Permit and Zoning).

The county’s clearing permit requirement sheet asks for:

• a copy of the recorded warranty deed, with the book and page number, and
• a fee of $100 for the first two acres and $5 for each additional acre (Hinds County clearing permit requirements).

So a ten-acre tract would come to $140 on that schedule: $100 for the first two acres and $40 for the next eight. The sheet is undated, so check the current figure when you apply. If the land is newly bought or inherited, make sure the deed is recorded first. The same page carries a driveway culvert installation form, which is worth raising early if the job includes a new drive.

The Hinds County Stormwater Ordinance

Development in unincorporated Hinds County is also governed by the county’s Storm Water Quality Management Ordinance (Hinds County ordinance). Its main points for clearing:

• When it applies. Commercial, industrial, multi-family, single-family, subdivision and site plan applications where the lot or tract being developed is one acre or more, or smaller if it is part of a larger common plan of development (section 1.2.B).
• What is exempt. Logging and agricultural activity consistent with an approved soil conservation or timber management plan; additions to existing detached single-family homes; and tracts under one acre. The small-tract exemption covers the paperwork only, not sediment leaving the site (section 1.2.C).
• Two permits, applied for together. A Perimeter/Outfall Protection Permit and a Storm Water Quality Management Permit, both before site disturbance, obtained jointly by the owner and the contractor doing the soil disturbance (sections 4.1 to 4.3).
• Fees and timing. A review fee of $20 for residential or $30 for commercial, plus $5 an acre, capped at $250. The county says it will approve or disapprove a complete application within 30 calendar days (sections 4.4 and 4.5).
• Order of work. Clearing, other than what is needed to install sediment controls, may not begin until those controls are installed and stabilized (section 5.5).

For a landowner the practical point is sequence. On a regulated site the silt fence and outfall protection go in first and get inspected, and only then does the clearing start. A contractor who shows up and starts cutting on a one-acre-plus development site before that has happened is creating a problem for the owner.

Around the Ross Barnett Reservoir

Land inside the Reservoir Project Area is governed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, whose regulations include a Tree Preservation Ordinance (PRVWSD regulations, Title 33 Part 211). Under it:

• A tree removal and preservation plan and a landscape plan go to the District Building Inspector before tree removal, dirt work or clearing of underbrush. The plan is prepared by a Registered Forester or Certified Landscape Architect, and no building permit is issued until it is approved.
• A Tree Removal Permit from the District’s forester is needed for trees within at least 60 feet of each side of a stream and in designated buffer areas.
• The owner of a single-family lot, once a final subdivision plat has been filed, may remove trees within 30 feet of a dwelling, or up to 30 percent of the existing trees on the lot, without that permit.
• A minimum of 15 tree credit units per acre is to be kept or replanted, outside the building footprint.

These rules were recompiled in October 2023 and are current as of September 2026. On a lot near the water, they are the first thing to settle, because the District can stop work that does not comply.

The State Layer: Stormwater and Burning

Mississippi’s construction stormwater permits apply in town and out. The Small Construction permit covers land disturbance of one to under five acres, and the Large Construction permit covers five acres or more (MDEQ, construction stormwater). The Mississippi land clearing cost guide explains what each one asks of an owner.

Burning is its own question. Mississippi’s open burning rules keep land clearing debris 500 yards from any occupied dwelling unless a forced-draft system is used, 50 yards with one, and bar it where a local ordinance prohibits it or during a High Fire Danger Alert (MDEQ open burning fact sheet). A clearing permit is not a burn permit. Grinding in place avoids the question entirely.

Madison, Ridgeland, Brandon, Flowood and the other towns in the area can set their own rules, so check with the town before assuming any of the above applies there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to clear my own lot in Jackson?

The city says any clearing, filling or excavation requires permits. Call the city before work starts to confirm which one applies to your lot.

How much is a clearing permit in Hinds County?

The county’s requirement sheet lists $100 for the first two acres and $5 for each additional acre, with a copy of your recorded warranty deed.

Is farm or timber work exempt from the county stormwater ordinance?

Logging and agricultural activity consistent with an approved soil conservation or timber management plan is exempt from that ordinance. Whether your job qualifies is the county’s call.

Get the Permit Question Settled Before the Machine Arrives

We flag the likely triggers at the walk-through and help identify the right office; the city, the county, the District and the state make the call. Ranges for every kind of work are on the Jackson pricing guide, what makes Central Mississippi different is on our Jackson land clearing page, and the statewide picture is in the Mississippi land clearing cost guide. When you are ready, request a free quote.