FENCE RULES – STONE (COUNTY), MISSISSIPPI
OVERVIEW
Residential fences are permitted on private property within Stone County, subject to local regulations.
This page applies to properties in the unincorporated areas of Stone County; the City of Wiggins may regulate fences under its own ordinances.
Fence-related administration for Stone County appears primarily in the Stone County Planning and Building Department materials, the 2003 International Residential Code, the county ordinance regarding permitting for residential construction, and the Stone County Subdivision Regulations. Unincorporated Stone County has no zoning as it pertains to land use, and the county does not publish a consolidated residential fence code or a separate standard residential fence-permit page in the referenced published materials.
This page focuses on typical single-family residential fencing. If the jurisdiction’s adopted code or ordinance materials do not state a specific limit or requirement, this page notes that the code does not specify one. If no local code or ordinance is available in the approved source packet, this page notes that the jurisdiction does not publish the relevant standard in the referenced published materials.
Compiled From Stone County Planning and Building Department, No Zoning in Stone County Notice, 2003 International Residential Code, Ordinance Regarding Permitting for Residential Construction, Stone County New Construction Permit Packet, Stone County Permit Application, Stone County Subdivision Regulations, Stone County Board of Supervisors, and Mississippi Damage Prevention Law / Mississippi 811 as of July 2026.
GOVERNANCE
The Stone County Board of Supervisors governs county matters in unincorporated Stone County. The Stone County Planning and Building Department administers county construction permitting and inspections, subdivision review, addressing, and floodplain administration.
Stone County states that it enforces the 2003 International Residential Code and the 2003 International Building Code. The county permit packet directs residential and commercial construction applicants to the 2003 IRC and identifies the Planning and Building Department as the permitting and inspection office.
The No Zoning in Stone County Notice states that unincorporated Stone County has no zoning as it pertains to land use. It separately states that the City of Wiggins has zoning and directs properties inside the city to municipal officials.
Official local materials establish an administered residential code, but they do not state Stone County’s current relationship to the Mississippi State Uniform Construction Code framework or identify a statutory opt-out action. The county construction-code posture is therefore Local Code Published but State Status Unclear for this page.
PERMIT AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS
• Building-Code Permit Context: Stone County administers the 2003 International Residential Code. That code includes a building-permit exemption for fences not over 6 feet high. Stone County does not publish a separate local fence permit requirement for standard residential fences.
• Standard Residential Fence Permit: The referenced published materials do not state that a county fence permit, zoning permit, zoning certification, or development approval is required for a standard residential fence that remains within the 2003 IRC permit exemption.
• General Residential Construction Permit Context: Stone County’s residential-construction permitting ordinance requires permits for residential construction covered by the state-law mandate, and the county publishes a general new-construction permit process. The ordinance and permit packet do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require that general construction permit.
• Zoning Status: Unincorporated Stone County has no zoning as it pertains to land use. Stone County does not publish a county zoning permit or zoning-approval requirement for standard residential fences.
• Floodplain Administration Context: The Stone County Planning and Building Department administers the county Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and publishes additional requirements for permitted construction in a flood zone. The referenced published materials do not explicitly state that standard residential fences require a floodplain-development permit.
FENCE PLACEMENT RULES
• Property Lines: The referenced published materials do not specify a setback requirement for standard residential fences from property lines; however, fences must be located entirely on the owner’s property and must not encroach into rights-of-way or easements.
• Unzoned County Areas: Because unincorporated Stone County has no land-use zoning, the county does not publish front-yard, side-yard, rear-yard, corner-lot, or district-based zoning setbacks for standard residential fences.
• Subdivision Plats and Easements: The Stone County Subdivision Regulations require subdivision plats to identify utility easements, drainage easements, road rights-of-way, and other recorded site information. The regulations do not publish a fence-specific setback from those features, so the recorded plat remains relevant when locating a fence.
• County Roads and Rights-of-Way: The subdivision regulations establish county road rights-of-way but do not publish a countywide fence or gate setback from the edge of a county road or right-of-way.
• Utility Safety: Mississippi law requires notice through Mississippi 811 before excavation where the Mississippi Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act applies. For fence projects that involve digging, including digging, drilling, augering, boring, grading, or other movement of earth, notice generally must be given at least three full working days before excavation begins. Mississippi 811 is a notification center and does not mark lines itself; member utilities or their locators mark covered facilities, and the excavator must check the positive-response status before beginning work where required. This statewide utility-notice framework is separate from local fence permitting, zoning, development approval, easement limits, right-of-way approvals, floodplain review, stormwater review, drainage review, historic or design review, HOA restrictions, and other applicable requirements.
FENCE HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY RULES
• Maximum Height: Stone County does not publish a defined maximum height for standard residential fences in the referenced published materials.
• Building-Code Permit Exemption: The 2003 International Residential Code exempts fences not over 6 feet high from building permits. The 6-foot threshold is a permit-exemption threshold, not a published Stone County maximum fence height and not, by itself, an affirmative statement that every fence over 6 feet requires a permit.
• Yard-Based Height: The referenced published materials do not specify separate county height limits for front-yard, side-yard, rear-yard, corner-lot, rural residential, agricultural residential, or large-lot fences.
• Visibility: The referenced published materials do not specify a county clear-vision, sight-triangle, driveway-visibility, alley-visibility, or intersection-visibility standard for standard residential fences.
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION LIMITS
• Standard Materials: Stone County does not publish a defined residential fence material or construction standard in the referenced published materials.
• Prohibited Materials: The referenced published materials do not specify county residential standards for wood, vinyl, chain link, masonry walls, electric fencing, barbed wire, razor wire, opacity, finished-side orientation, gates, columns, or decorative features.
• General Construction Packet: Stone County publishes construction-plan, inspection, lumber, and structural requirements for permitted residential and commercial building construction. Those general building requirements are not stated as standards for ordinary residential fences and are not applied to fences on this page.
PRIVATE RESTRICTIONS
The Stone County New Construction Permit Packet directs applicants to provide a recorded deed, including restrictive covenants. The Stone County Subdivision Regulations also require protective covenants for covered subdivisions to be submitted through the subdivision-approval process.
HOA rules, protective covenants, deed restrictions, private easements, architectural-review covenants, agricultural agreements, private boundary agreements, recorded agreements, conservation easements, and similar private restrictions operate independently and may be more restrictive than Stone County’s published countywide standards.
Private restrictions are not treated as Stone County permit approvals unless the county’s published materials expressly make them part of county review.
REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT
Fence issues are typically reviewed during permit or approval review when required, and through complaint-based code enforcement. Examples include:
• Building-Code Permit Exemption: Whether a proposed fence remains within the 2003 IRC exemption for fences not over 6 feet high.
• Local Permit Publication: Stone County does not publish a separate ordinary residential fence permit requirement, and its general residential-construction permit materials do not explicitly identify standard residential fences as covered work.
• No County Land-Use Zoning: Unincorporated Stone County has no land-use zoning, so the county does not administer ordinary fence review through a zoning district or zoning permit process.
• Boundary, Easement, and Right-of-Way Conditions: Review may address whether a fence remains on the owner’s property and avoids recorded utility easements, drainage easements, and county road rights-of-way.
• Subdivision and Private Restrictions: An approved subdivision plat, protective covenants, deed restrictions, or private easements may establish property-specific conditions beyond the countywide published rules.
• Floodplain Administration: Stone County administers floodplain requirements for regulated construction in mapped flood zones, but the referenced published materials do not state that every standard residential fence requires floodplain approval.
• Utility Safety: Mississippi 811 notice and positive-response requirements apply when fence work involves excavation covered by the Mississippi Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act.
USING THIS INFORMATION
This page provides general orientation on how residential fence rules are structured and applied within Stone County, based on the referenced published materials as of July 2026.
In addition to local fence rules, certain Mississippi laws apply statewide. See Statewide fence laws in Mississippi.
It is not legal advice and does not replace official ordinances, permits, zoning approvals, zoning certifications, development approvals, locally adopted building codes, surveys, or professional guidance. Rules and interpretations may change, and application may vary based on zoning district, site conditions, easements, rights-of-way, floodplain status, stormwater requirements, drainage conditions, historic district status, design-review status, rural or agricultural context, livestock or party-fence context, local building-code administration, adopted-code status, opt-out status, pool-barrier use, Mississippi 811 utility-safety requirements, coastal wetlands conditions, and private restrictions such as HOA covenants, deed restrictions, private agreements, or conservation easements. Before purchasing materials or beginning construction, confirm current requirements and any site-specific limitations with the Stone County Planning and Building Department, the Stone County Board of Supervisors, and any applicable private agreements. If this page conflicts with official ordinances, published guidance, or direction from Stone County staff, the official sources control. For legal advice or legal interpretation, consult a licensed attorney.