Septic permit rules and requirements in Mississippi
In Mississippi, the state issues the septic permit itself. It comes from the Division of On-Site Wastewater, Mississippi State Department of Health. The code is Part 18: Division of On-Site Wastewater, Subpart 77: On-Site Wastewater Regulations. Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77, Rule 1.5.4 and Rule 1.5.5 · checked 2026-09-12
Division of On-Site Wastewater
Writes the rules
checked 2026-09-23
The state
Issues the permit
checked 2026-09-12
Part 18: Division of On-Site Wastewater, Subpart 77: On-Site Wastewater Regulations
Code section
checked 2026-09-23
Who issues a septic permit in Mississippi
The state issues the permit itself, through the Division of On-Site Wastewater, Mississippi State Department of Health.
State field staff do the soil and site check themselves. The department then issues the permit, not a county.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77, Rule 1.5.4 and Rule 1.5.5 · checked 2026-09-12
The office's phone number is 601-576-7150.
This is the office phone number on the division's own contact page. A separate toll-free line runs the call center.
Mississippi State Department of Health — On-Site Wastewater · checked 2026-09-23
The office publishes its own page on this: Mississippi State Department of Health — On-Site Wastewater.
This page is the division's own home for property owners. It links to the current rules and forms.
Mississippi State Department of Health — On-Site Wastewater · checked 2026-09-23
Where the rule is written
The rules that govern every septic system in Mississippi are Part 18: Division of On-Site Wastewater, Subpart 77: On-Site Wastewater Regulations. The state applies them directly.
It sets rules to permit, design and build septic systems statewide.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77 · checked 2026-09-23
What state law requires
Does Mississippi require a septic permit?
Mississippi requires a permit to build a new system or replace one.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77 · checked 2026-09-23
Does Mississippi require a percolation test?
Mississippi requires a soil and site evaluation, not a percolation test, before it issues a permit.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77 · checked 2026-09-23
How far the drainfield must sit from a well in Mississippi.
100 feet.
Applies to the effluent disposal field, under Rule 5.4.4.
The tank itself may sit closer to a well than the field does.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77 · checked 2026-09-23
How far a system must sit from the property line in Mississippi.
10 feet.
Applies to any property line, under Rule 5.4.4.
This distance holds for the tank and the disposal field alike.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77 · checked 2026-09-23
Does Mississippi require an inspection when a home is sold?
Mississippi requires an inspection when a home's owner and its water account both change.
It only applies to a home on public water. State law exempts some homes from this rule.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77 · checked 2026-09-23
Must the installer be licensed in Mississippi?
A state board must certify anyone who installs, evaluates or pumps a system.
Rule 2.1.28 sets this rule for installers. Chapter 2 sets rules for each role.
Mississippi Administrative Code, Part 18, Subpart 77 · checked 2026-09-23
Whether Mississippi counts what it permits
Yes. Mississippi publishes septic permit counts by county.
The office runs a public database of septic property records. Search by county, and the results page prints its total.
Mississippi State Department of Health — Property and Subdivision Search · checked 2026-09-12
Mississippi counties on this site
We have not published a Mississippi county page yet. A county earns a page when we hold facts unique to it. Until then this page is the answer for every county in the state.
Telling us your county is how we decide which one to build next.
Sources
State records only. Each figure above has a government source and a checked-on date. County figures live on the county pages.
Verify before you act. Septic rules are set locally and they change. Check anything here with the Division of On-Site Wastewater before you spend money on it.