10 permits · verified 2026-09-10
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Southaven?
In short
A retail store in Southaven, MS has 5 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 5 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Southaven Building Department charges $35 flat, per Use & Occupancy Permit for the certificate of occupancy / use & occupancy permit. 4 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-10 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Southaven
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Southaven, Office of Planning and Development | $2.00 per square foot of proposed sign face; the application states this fee is not applicable to temporary signs. | one-time, per sign (no fee at all for a temporary sign) | 2026-09-10 |
| Business Privilege License — Retail Store | City of Southaven, Office of the City Clerk | 15% of the true (assessed) value of the store's inventory, banded through Mississippi's Local Privilege Tax Law's own retail/wholesale store schedule — the City's own Costs & Fees page states outright that "the fee is taken directly from § 27-17-365, Mississippi Code Annotated." | annual — expires December 31, prorated if obtained between February 1 and December 1 | 2026-09-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Southaven
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Marshal Inspection (Business Occupancy Checklist) | Southaven Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office / Fire Prevention Division | No fee | not stated | 2026-09-10 |
| Building Permit (Commercial) | City of Southaven Building Department | Varies — formula on the Southaven page | one-time, per project | 2026-09-10 |
| Certificate of Occupancy / Use & Occupancy Permit | City of Southaven Building Department | $35 flat, per Use & Occupancy Permit | one-time, per issuance | 2026-09-10 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
MS registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Use Tax Permit | Mississippi Department of Revenue | No fee | no expiration — continues until revoked, provided the business stays the same at the same location | 2026-09-04 |
| Annual Reportonly if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | Varies — formula on the MS page | annual — due 15 April; a nonprofit's version is due 15 May | 2026-09-04 |
| Certificate of Formation (LLC)only if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual — an annual report is due every year, and for a Mississippi LLC that report is free | 2026-09-04 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | $50 one-time filing | perpetual, but an annual report costing $25 is due every year | 2026-09-04 |
| General Business License — State of Mississippi positiononly if it applies to you | Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division | No fee | set by the city or town | 2026-09-04 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Southaven?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a retail store in Southaven, MS, 5 apply to every business of this type and 5 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 5 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $35.00. That is a floor, not a total. 4 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 3 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
Sign Permit: $2.00 per square foot of proposed sign face; the application states this fee is not applicable to temporary signs.
Business Privilege License — Retail Store: 15% of the true (assessed) value of the store's inventory, banded through Mississippi's Local Privilege Tax Law's own retail/wholesale store schedule — the City's own Costs & Fees page states outright that "the fee is taken directly from § 27-17-365, Mississippi Code Annotated."
The other 2 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Southaven permits page and the MS state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Southaven?
Permits for a retail store in Southaven, MS come from 6 separate offices: Southaven Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office / Fire Prevention Division, City of Southaven Building Department, City of Southaven, Office of Planning and Development, City of Southaven, Office of the City Clerk, Mississippi Department of Revenue, Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Southaven Fire Department, Fire Marshal's Office / Fire Prevention DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Fire Marshal Inspection (Business Occupancy Checklist)8710 Northwest Drive, 2nd Floor, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 393-7466southaven.org/140/Fire-Prevention
- City of Southaven Building DepartmentIssues 2 permits on this page: Building Permit (Commercial), Certificate of Occupancy / Use & Occupancy Permit8710 Northwest Drive, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 393-4639southaven.org/100/Building
- City of Southaven, Office of Planning and DevelopmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Sign Permit8710 Northwest Drive, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 393-0111southaven.org/112/Commercial-Based-Businesses
- City of Southaven, Office of the City ClerkIssues 1 permit on this page: Business Privilege License — Retail Store8710 Northwest Drive, Southaven, MS 38671 · (662) 280-6554southaven.org/111/Business-License-Information
- Mississippi Department of RevenueIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Permit500 Clinton Center Drive, Clinton, MS 39056 · (601) 923-7700www.dor.ms.gov/business/sales-use-tax/registration-information-sales-and-use-tax-applicants
- Mississippi Secretary of State, Business Services and Regulation DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: Annual Report, Certificate of Formation (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, General Business License — State of Mississippi position125 South Congress Street, Jackson, MS 39201 · (601) 359-1633www.sos.ms.gov/business-services-regulation
What does a retail store need in Southaven that other businesses do not?
1 of the 2 permits particular to a retail store here applies to no other business type we cover in Southaven: Business Privilege License — Retail Store.
Business Privilege License — Retail Store
Southaven's own page is more explicit than either Jackson's or Gulfport's about this schedule's legal basis, citing § 27-17-365 by section number rather than merely describing an inventory-based fee. The same five-step Business Occupancy Checklist process (zoning review, Use & Occupancy inspection, Fire Marshal inspection, Certificate of Occupancy, Privilege Tax License) applies to a retail store exactly as it does to a service-based business.
Shared with other businesses in Southaven
- Sign Permit — City of Southaven, Office of Planning and Development, $2.00 per square foot of proposed sign face; the application states this fee is not applicable to temporary signs., one-time, per sign (no fee at all for a temporary sign). Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, salons and barbers, fitness studios, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Southaven, MS; what each one involves is set out on the Southaven permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across MS and are covered on the MS state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Southaven?
The closest match is a fitness studio, which shares 1 of these permits. A retail store also needs Business Privilege License — Retail Store. A fitness studio needs nothing here that a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness studios | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Salons and barbers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Veterinary clinics | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Restaurants | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Contractors and trades | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Southaven permits page and the MS state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Mississippi Code § 27-17-365 — Local Privilege Tax Law, inventory-value-banded tax on wholesale or retail storesState of Mississippi, republished by FindLaw · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Costs & Fees — states the home-based ($20/year), retail-based (15% of true inventory value, "taken directly from § 27-17-365, Mississippi Code Annotated"), service-based (employee-count banded) and several flat-fee business license categories, plus year-end prorationCity of Southaven, Mississippi · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-10
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.