Jackson County, MS Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 6.12.06
- Covers
- Junk, debris, dilapidated vehicles and buildings
- Duty holder
- Owner or occupant of the property
- Enforcing agency
- Jackson County Planning Department
- Penalty
- Up to $500 fine, $100/day continuing
Summary
Unincorporated Jackson County property owners cannot let household appliances, junk vehicles, tires, scrap building material or dilapidated structures pile up in the open. Section 6.12.06 puts a duty on every owner or occupant to keep the property clean.
Section 6.12.06. Care of Premises and Property. It shall be unlawful for the owner or occupant of any building, structure, or property to utilize the premises of such property for the open storage of any household appliance, abandoned motor vehicle, furniture, used rubber tires, scrap building materials, trash, garbage, refuse, rubble, debris, dilapidated vehicle, or dilapidated boat. This shall also include any burned, condemned, or dilapidated building, structure or mobile home. It shall be the duty and responsibility of every such owner or occupant to keep the premises of such property clean.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
06, Care of Premises and Property, makes it unlawful for an owner or occupant of any building, structure, or property in the unincorporated county to use the premises for open storage of a household appliance, abandoned motor vehicle, furniture, used rubber tires, scrap building materials, trash, garbage, refuse, rubble, debris, a dilapidated vehicle, or a dilapidated boat. The section reaches beyond loose debris to structures themselves: it expressly covers any burned, condemned, or dilapidated building, structure or mobile home left standing on the property. The ordinance places an affirmative duty on the owner or occupant, not just a prohibition, stating it is their responsibility to keep the premises clean.
12), immediately after the county's separate standards for junkyards, industrial by-product storage, and contractor/lumber storage yards, which set minimum acreage and screening rules for those specific commercial open-storage uses. 06, by contrast, applies to any property, commercial, industrial, residential or mobile home, and targets accumulated blight rather than a licensed storage business. The Jackson County Planning Department, 2915 Canty Street, Pascagoula, is the enforcing office for zoning violations countywide outside Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Gautier and Moss Point.
Violations & Fines
A violation of Section 6.12.06 is enforced under Zoning Ordinance Section 9.5: a knowing and willful violation is a misdemeanor carrying a fine up to $500 on conviction. If the property owner makes no reasonable effort to correct the condition after conviction, each additional day is a separate offense fined $100 per day until the property is cleaned up, and the condition may also be treated as a public nuisance subject to abatement by the County.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I store an abandoned car or appliance in my yard in unincorporated Jackson County?
Does the blight rule cover condemned buildings, not just junk?
What happens if I ignore a Jackson County blight citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jackson County
Compare Jackson County to another location·View the Mississippi property maintenance overview
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