Hinds County, MS Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum lot area (A District)
- 2 acres
- Livestock building setback
- 150 ft from property line
- Dwelling limit
- 1/lot, or 3 per 6 acres
- Max building height
- 35 ft (no cap for barns)
- Base violation fine
- up to $100/day
- Governing body
- Board of Supervisors
Summary
Unincorporated Hinds County protects farming through its Agricultural (A) zoning district, created to conserve farmland and head off conflicts between rural and urban land uses. The Board of Supervisors reserves the A District for areas without public sewer service. Farms, pastureland and livestock raising are permitted by right, subject to acreage and setback rules the Permit and Zoning Department enforces.
The purpose of the Agricultural District (A) is to conserve land for agricultural use, to prevent the premature development of land, and to prevent urban and agricultural land use conflicts. It is the intent of this Ordinance that the Agricultural District (A) be located in rural areas of Hinds County that are not served by public sewer systems.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 500 states the A District's purpose is to conserve agricultural land, prevent premature development, and prevent urban/agricultural conflicts, and confines it to rural areas lacking public sewer. Section 501 permits single-family dwellings (one per lot, or up to three per six acres on larger tracts), accessory buildings capped at 50 percent of the main building or 1,000 square feet, and pastureland with grazing livestock, swine and fowl, provided barns, pens and corrals for grazing livestock or swine sit at least 150 feet from adjoining property lines and 100 feet from any street right-of-way, and lots with more than two fowl keep them at the same 150/100-foot distances.
Section 503 sets a two-acre minimum lot area, a 50-foot minimum lot width (amended September 11, 1989, Book 64, Page 137), and a 35-foot maximum building height with no height cap for barns and agricultural storage buildings not intended for human occupancy. Conditional uses requiring Board of Supervisors approval under Section 502 include day care facilities, stables (one acre per horse, five-acre minimum lot), plant nurseries, mineral extraction, veterinary hospitals and kennels, junkyards and sanitary landfills.
Violations & Fines
Section 2413-01 makes any zoning violation a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100, and each day an uncorrected violation continues can count as a separate offense. Construction started without a permit but not yet past a required inspection draws a double permit fee; construction that has progressed past a required inspection without a permit draws a $250 fine, rising to $500 for a second infraction, enforced by the Director of Permit and Zoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep cattle or horses on agriculturally zoned land in Hinds County?
How many houses can I build on agricultural land?
What is the minimum lot size in the Agricultural District?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hinds County
Compare Hinds County to another location·View the Mississippi right to farm overview
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