The Scott County Board of Supervisors adopted limited developmental ordinances for the unincorporated areas of Scott County on November 21, 2025. While the intention of the Board was to address some of the growing and valid concerns regarding certain developments within our County, the Board having heard feedback from the community repealed these ordinances on December 1, 2025. When the ordinances went away, the problems related to the health and safety of our communities did not.
We would like to take a moment to address some of the concerns we have heard since December, to clear up some misconceptions, and to provide insight into our process moving forward as we work to address the concerns the Board has heard and continues to hear regarding the health and safety of our communities.
The board has received numerous complaints regarding sewage being directed to neighboring properties, and into ditches and water ways. The Mississippi Department of Health’s On-Site Wastewater Division has rules and regulations regarding the handling of wastewater. However, absent a local ordinance requiring it, the Department of Health does not necessarily provide a final inspection to the wastewater treatment facilities of new residential or commercial sites.
As such, we are considering the adoption of an ordinance which requires a final inspection to be performed by the Department of Health prior to the connection of power and utilities to a newly established residential or commercial site. Note: this ordinance does not contemplate the type of building to be built, does not include any codes, and does not include any zoning regulations. It is narrowly tailored to hopefully allow us to address the health and safety concerns related to wastewater and sewage.
Additionally, we have heard complaints from many residents regarding the encroachment of vehicles, buildings, and other objects into the right-of-way and in some cases into the roadway itself, which poses hazards for visibility on the roadway in addition to the possibility of accidents or collisions with those objects. Also, the County right-of-way is frequently requested to be used by utility companies for the expansion or installation of utilities. While the Board maintains a desire to be “open for business” for additional utilities, the County does have a need to protect its right of way as it serves a vital function for ongoing road maintenance.
To address these concerns, the Board is considering adoption of an ordinance requiring permitting for utilities to be installed in the right-of-way, establishing certain guidelines to be followed for those installations, and to provide for setbacks (distances from the roadway) to be established in the County to prevent the intrusion into the right of way and to limit activity that poses visibility hazards and other dangers to those traveling on our roads.
Moving forward, our efforts related to developmental regulations will be conducted with an enhanced amount of public notice and transparency. In furtherance of this goal, we will be having a Public Hearing at 6:00pm on April 28, 2026 in the Circuit Courtroom at the Scott County Courthouse. We hope that this scheduled time, and the advanced notice, will provide anyone in the community the opportunity to hear about these potential regulations and to provide the Board with your feedback. Additionally, drafts of the proposed ordinances are available so that anyone interested may take a look at them and be informed in advance of the public hearing. Click here to access a copy of the draft ordinances being considered.
The board wants to do its part to provide for a safe, clean environment for people to live and work, and to encourage and foster positive growth and development in the county. The board appreciates the feedback it has received and hopes that this information helps to clarify the nature and intent of the considered ordinances. We look forward to hearing from the community on April 28th.
Sincerely,
Scott County Board of Supervisors