7 published records
Business licenses and permits in DeSoto County, Mississippi
DeSoto County, Mississippi, seat Hernando, lies in the Memphis suburbs and is a different place from DeSoto County, Florida and DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. Its Zoning Ordinance (revised 11-5-2025) applies "to all property within the unincorporated limits of DeSoto County, Mississippi, as provided by Section 17-1-3" of the state code. In unincorporated areas a new business goes through the county's Building Occupancy Checklist (zoning review, building inspection, fire inspection, then the business license), with a $25 Use and Occupancy fee, and secures its business license through the DeSoto County Tax Collector. The Planning and Building Department issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and keeps the county licensing of general, electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors; DeSoto County Emergency Services enforces the fire code. The incorporated cities of Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake and Hernando and the Town of Walls each run their own business license, building and zoning regimes, which stack on state requirements. Food permits come from the Mississippi State Department of Health, recorded at the state layer, and alcohol and beer permits are issued by the Mississippi Department of Revenue.
What are you opening in DeSoto County?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in DeSoto County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Business License (Unincorporated DeSoto County) | DeSoto County Tax Collector | The rate is set by Mississippi state law and collected by the DeSoto County Tax Collector. No rate table is published on the county's website; contact the Tax Collector, 662-469-8030, for the amount due. | annual; no renewal month is published on the county's website | 2026-10-27 |
| Use and Occupancy Approval (Building Occupancy Checklist) | DeSoto County Planning & Building Department | $25 per application, due before inspections | one-time, per business and location | 2026-10-27 |
| Building, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permits (Unincorporated DeSoto County)only if it applies to you | DeSoto County Planning & Building Department | Charged per permit. The county's Permits page links a Fee Estimator in its Citizen Self Service Portal and asks applicants to send "a check for the appropriate fee"; contact the Planning and Building Department, 662-469-8023, for the current amount. | per project | 2026-10-27 |
| Fire Code Inspection and Plan Review (Unincorporated DeSoto County) | DeSoto County Emergency Services | No fee is published on the county's Fire Code Enforcement page; contact DeSoto County Emergency Services through the county administration number, 662-469-8000, for any amount due. | annual inspection of commercial buildings; plan review and inspection for new buildings | 2026-10-27 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in DeSoto County?
County Business License (Unincorporated DeSoto County)
The DeSoto County Zoning Ordinance (revised 11-5-2025) names the issuer in its mobile food vendor conditions: "The applicant shall secure a business license through the DeSoto County Tax Collector's office." The county's Building Occupancy Checklist ends with "Step 4: Business License" and states that "A final inspection must be completed prior to issuance of Business License and Certificate of Occupancy, regardless of permits required." The Tax Collector's office is at 365 Losher Street, Suite 110, Hernando (662-469-8030). The county publishes no rate table, application form or renewal date for the license; contact the Tax Collector for all three. A business inside Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Hernando or Walls takes that municipality's license instead.
Use and Occupancy Approval (Building Occupancy Checklist)
The $25 fee is stated on the county's Building Occupancy Checklist (Application for Building Occupancy, last uploaded March 11, 2025): "$25 fee is due prior to inspections". The checklist covers a new building, an existing building or a portion of one, and runs in four steps: the Planning and Development Department checks the zoning and whether the business is allowed at the location, then the Building Inspector and the Fire Inspector sign off, and the last step is the business license. A building permit is required for any changes to the building and must be issued before work starts. The checklist lists the 2018 International Building, Plumbing and Mechanical Codes, the 2017 National Electrical Code and the 2018 International Fire Code. Questions go to the Office of Planning and Development, 662-469-8023.
Building, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Permits (Unincorporated DeSoto County)
The county's Planning & Building page says its building personnel handle "processing building permits and conducting on-site inspections of all commercial, residential, and industrial building". Per the Permits page, applications can be made through the DeSoto County Citizen Self Service Portal, and electrical, mechanical and plumbing permit applications can be downloaded and mailed to the Planning and Building Department, 365 Losher Street, Suite 200, Hernando, MS 38632, with a check, or brought to the office to pay by cash or card; "All permit applications will be reviewed by staff prior to issuance of a permit." The Building Occupancy Checklist states that a building permit is required for any changes to the building before work starts. This covers unincorporated areas only; the five municipalities issue their own permits.
Fire Code Inspection and Plan Review (Unincorporated DeSoto County)
The county's Fire Code Enforcement page states that "Desoto County Emergency Services is responsible for fire code enforcement in the unincorporated portions of Desoto County. In addition to conducting annual inspections of commercial buildings, Desoto County Emergency Services performs plan reviews and conducts inspections of all new buildings for fire and life safety code compliance." Step 3 of the county's Building Occupancy Checklist is the Fire Inspector's sign-off, which comes before the business license; the checklist lists the 2018 International Fire Code.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Zoning Ordinance of DeSoto County, Mississippi (Revised 11-5-2025)DeSoto County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Building Occupancy Checklist (Application for Building Occupancy)DeSoto County Office of Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Tax CollectorDeSoto County Tax Collector · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- PermitsDeSoto County Planning & Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Planning & BuildingDeSoto County Planning & Building Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
- Fire Code Enforcement & Investigation DivisionDeSoto County Emergency Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-27
Who issues business permits in DeSoto County?
Permitting in DeSoto County is split across 3 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
DeSoto County issuing agencies
- DeSoto County Planning & Building DepartmentAdministers the DeSoto County Zoning Ordinance in unincorporated areas, including conditional uses heard by the Board of Adjustment · Runs the Building Occupancy Checklist and its $25 Use and Occupancy fee · Issues building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits and conducts on-site inspections of commercial building · Keeps the county licensing of general, electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors and serves the License Commission5 permits
- DeSoto County Emergency ServicesEnforces the fire code in unincorporated DeSoto County: annual inspections of commercial buildings, plan review and inspections of new buildings1 permit
- DeSoto County Tax CollectorIssues the county business license for businesses in unincorporated DeSoto County, as stated in the county Zoning Ordinance1 permit
Other Mississippi jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.