Harrison County, MS Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

01 of the Unified Development Code, Harrison County's short-term rental rule ties occupancy directly to how the structure was built. Because virtually every single-family house in the unincorporated county is constructed to "Owner Occupied" standards under the adopted International Building Code, the code states outright that no house or duplex built to the IBC's "Lodging House (Transient)" minimum standards, the classification that would allow more than 10 overnight guests, may be used as a vacation rental. " An owner cannot self-certify a higher number; the Zoning Officer reviews the site plan against the bedroom/bathroom count before issuing the Short-Term Rental Permit and the companion Harrison County Tax Privilege "Business" License.

Exceeding the disclosed occupancy is a permit violation, channeled through Section 1409's Cease and Desist procedure. Because the rule sits in the UDC rather than a stand-alone ordinance, it applies only outside Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, Pass Christian and D'Iberville, each of those cities regulates short-term rental occupancy, if at all, under its own code.