Harrison County, MS Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

UDC § 832 establishes a mandatory Green Development point system layered onto zoning approval for non-residential districts. 02 states the point system applies to districts O-1, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, I-1, I-2, the Education Institutions District, and the Waterfront Special Use District. 04. The menu is granular and grounded in real building features: Energy Star air conditioning earns 2 points; tankless or solar water heating for at least 75 percent of hot water earns 2 points; a green roof covering at least 50 percent of the principal building's roof earns 4 points; LEED certification earns a sliding scale, 2 points for bronze, 4 for silver, 6 for gold, 8 for platinum; permeable parking surfaces earn 2 points at 25 percent coverage and 4 points at 50 percent or more; and hurricane-resistant construction earns 4 points for a 150-mph wind rating or 8 points for 200 mph, a category that reflects the county's Gulf Coast storm exposure.

Other listed elements include rain gardens (1 point each, up to 4), an edible herb or vegetable garden of at least a quarter acre (4 points), infill/mixed-use qualification (4 points), and white roof paint (2 points, green roofs exempted). 01 frames the purpose as alleviating environmental impacts of development by conserving energy, promoting a healthy landscape, and increasing sustainability, and the Zoning Officer or a designated representative can award up to 6 additional discretionary points for other qualifying green features under the catch-all 'Other' category.