Jackson County, MS Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Table 5-3.4 of the Jackson County Zoning Ordinance sets the R-1 Single-Family Residential District's height limit at 35 feet measured from the designated Base Flood Elevation (BFE), with a hard ceiling of 45 feet total height from the ground. That BFE-based measurement reflects Jackson County's coastal, post-Katrina building requirements, where finished floor heights are tied to FEMA base flood elevations rather than natural grade alone, so the effective limit on a given lot depends on how high the BFE sits above existing ground.

Section 4.02.07 carves out an exception that applies to every district's height regulations, not just R-1: the height limit doesn't apply to poles, spires, belfries, cupolas, elevators, antennas, water tanks, ventilation chimneys, masts, towers, or similar rooftop appurtenances that aren't intended for human occupancy, so a chimney or antenna above the 45-foot line doesn't itself create a violation. Section 4.02.08 adds a separate horizontal allowance: roof overhangs or other appurtenances not resting on the ground can project up to 3 feet from the outside wall of a residence without counting against the required setback, though that provision governs setback encroachment, not height.

Because § 4.01.04 makes each district's dimensional table (Tables 5-3.1 through 5-3.22) the minimum regulation for that district, R-1's 35-foot BFE and 45-foot ground-height figures apply only inside the R-1 boundary; every other residential district, R-1A, R-1B, R-2 through R-5, carries its own height figures in its own table, so a parcel's exact limit has to be confirmed against its actual zoning classification before design begins.