Harrison County, MS Ordinances (2026)
Local rules and regulations for Harrison County, Mississippi. Population: 208,621.
Verified from official government sources
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Select a topic to see Harrison County's rules on that subject.
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🏡 Home & Property
🌿 Yard & Garden
🏠 Renting & Housing
🐾 Animals & Farming
🔥 Fire & Safety
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
🌎 Environment & Utilities
💡 Outdoor Lighting
Dark Sky Rules
Some RestrictionsHarrison County's Unified Development Code requires outdoor lighting in the unincorporated county to use full cut-off, downcast fixtures with the main light beam contained within the…
Light Trespass & Shielding
Some RestrictionsHarrison County's Unified Development Code treats light pollution as a countywide problem: Section 809.01 declares the county's intent to curb glare, light trespass and sky glow from…
🏠 Short-Term Rentals
Taxes & Fees
Some RestrictionsShort-term rental operators in unincorporated Harrison County must carry a Harrison County Tax Privilege 'Business' License and prove they are registered for Mississippi's state room…
Noise Rules
Light RestrictionsHarrison County's short-term rental section requires vacation rentals in the unincorporated county to be operated so they don't create noise, parking, garbage or activity nuisances for…
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsHarrison County's short-term rental permit application requires an on-premises parking plan of one car space for every two overnight guests. UDC Section 834.01(a) makes this part of…
Short-Term Rental Permits
Significant RestrictionsBefore renting a house short-term in unincorporated Harrison County, the owner must obtain both a Short-Term Rental Permit and a county Tax Privilege "Business" License under UDC…
Occupancy Limits
Some RestrictionsHarrison County's Unified Development Code bars any unincorporated-area short-term rental from exceeding the occupancy allowed under "Owner Occupied" IBC construction standards…
🌿 Landscaping Rules
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Harrison County's Unified Development Code protects trees through its Landscaping Standards at UDC § 828. Developers must submit a Landscape Plan before a Certificate of…
Weed Ordinances
Light RestrictionsHarrison County does not set a general lawn-height limit, but any landscaping installed to satisfy the Unified Development Code's buffer, parking-lot or frontage requirements must be…
Native Plants
Light RestrictionsSingle-family lots in unincorporated Harrison County must have at least three one-inch caliper trees, but the code lets homeowners count an existing native tree of three inches or more…
🏗️ Accessory Structures
ADU Rules
Significant RestrictionsA secondary living unit, a garage apartment or in-law suite, is allowed on a single-family lot in unincorporated Harrison County only with a conditional use permit; Section 812 of the…
Shed & Carport Rules
Some RestrictionsHarrison County caps backyard sheds and other accessory buildings by lot size: on a lot under one acre, Section 815.08 of the Unified Development Code limits an accessory building to…
🌱 Cannabis Regulations
Buffer Zones
Some RestrictionsHarrison County's Unified Development Code keeps medical cannabis establishments, cultivation, processing, testing, dispensing, transportation, disposal and research facilities, at…
Dispensary Zoning
Significant RestrictionsHarrison County's Unified Development Code treats medical cannabis cultivation, processing, transportation, disposal and research facilities as a conditional use, not a by-right one…
🍔 Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors
🔧 Building Safety
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Some RestrictionsHarrison County requires a short-term rental's permit site plan to show the unit is equipped with the recommended number of carbon monoxide detectors, alongside smoke detectors, under…
Green Building Code
Some RestrictionsCommercial and industrial development in unincorporated Harrison County must earn 12 or 18 green-development points from a menu that includes LEED certification, green roofs, permeable…
Building Permits
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Harrison County requires a building permit before construction: building or maintaining a structure without one is listed as a specific misdemeanor violation, fined up…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Material Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Harrison County prohibits electrified fencing, barbed wire, razor wire and stockade fences in every zoning district under Unified Development Code § 822.01(k). The only…
Height Limits
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Harrison County caps privacy fences at four feet if they enclose a front yard or run along a street right-of-way, under Unified Development Code § 822.01(b). Elsewhere…
🚗 Parking Rules
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsAny business, trade, or industrial use in unincorporated Harrison County that receives or ships merchandise has to provide off-street loading space under UDC § 701: sized by square…
Driveway Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Harrison County, single-family, duplex, triplex, and quadraplex parking areas may not sit in the front setback, and driveways and other paved surfaces can cover no…
Abandoned Vehicles
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Harrison County declares any junk or inoperable vehicle a public nuisance the moment it sits on a property past ten days. UDC § 821.02 bars owners, tenants and occupants…
🌀 Hurricane Preparedness
💼 Home Business
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Heavy RestrictionsUnincorporated Harrison County only recognizes a home-based business as a lawful "home occupation" if it draws zero client traffic. UDC § 819.02(f) is absolute: no customers or clients…
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Some RestrictionsA home business in unincorporated Harrison County only qualifies as a 'home occupation' if it meets seven strict tests in Section 819.02 of the Unified Development Code: no employees…
Home Daycare
Significant RestrictionsA home-based child care business in unincorporated Harrison County runs under the county's "home employment" rules, and UDC § 819.03(m) caps it at twelve children: the section that…
Signage Rules
Some RestrictionsHome businesses classified as "home employment" in unincorporated Harrison County may post exactly one unlighted sign, capped at four square feet and five feet tall, set back at least…
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
🌍 Environmental Rules
Stormwater Management
Some RestrictionsHarrison County's Drainage Management Site Plan Ordinance requires engineered stormwater controls for new development in the unincorporated county, capping post-development runoff at…
Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsNo building permit or final subdivision plat can be issued in unincorporated Harrison County until the County Engineer approves a Drainage Management Site Plan, a requirement that…
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsHarrison County's Unified Development Code sets district-by-district yard minimums in Table 416, and adds a stricter buffer rule at § 416.07: any non-residential use next to a…
Structure Height Limits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Harrison County, the Unified Development Code caps structures at 35 feet before extra review kicks in: any building that exceeds thirty-five feet requires a site plan…
🏊 Swimming Pools & Spas
Pool Permits
Some RestrictionsAbove-ground pools in unincorporated Harrison County are treated as accessory yard structures under UDC § 415: the pool's outer wall can never sit closer to a property line than the…
Fencing & Safety Requirements
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated Harrison County, an in-ground hot tub or spa must sit back from the property line by at least the pool's maximum depth measured from the coping, per UDC § 415…
Communities in Harrison County
These communities are in unincorporated Harrison County. County ordinances apply directly to these areas.
Data Sources
Ordinance data for Harrison County is sourced from the following official government references. Click any topic above for detailed citations.