Hinds County, MS Parking Rules: Loading Zones (2026)

Section 2103 of the Hinds County Zoning Ordinance requires off-street loading and standing space for every commercial and industrial use, and for any other use that regularly receives or distributes materials or merchandise by vehicle. That space cannot double as the parking already required for the site: the ordinance says it must be designated so it is not construed as the generally required parking space on the same premises, unless the Planning Commission recommends and the Board of Supervisors authorizes in writing an alternative location.

The baseline standard is one loading space measuring at least 12 feet by 35 feet with 14 feet of vertical clearance for the first 3,000 square feet of effectively used land area (excluding setbacks, landscaped areas and parking lots), plus one additional space of the same dimensions for every 10,000 square feet above that first 3,000. The ordinance itself works two examples: a 3,000-square-foot building or storage yard needs one loading space, while a 23,000-square-foot building or lot needs three. Section 2104 layers on design standards, requiring off-street facilities (loading included) to follow the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Traffic Engineering Handbook or standards set by the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors.

Because loading space is tied to a building or use permit under Section 401, a site plan reviewed under Section 2408 that omits required loading space can be sent back before a permit issues.