Planning & Development

If you need to schedule business with the Planning Department or an inspection please call 662-393-6705.  Any questions pertaining to zoning or that are related to the planning commission agenda contact the Planning Department, also at 662-393-6705.

Welcome to the City of Horn Lake’s web page for its Planning and Development Department. The Department performs the following tasks:

1. Issues privilege tax licenses, aka business licenses.
2. Reviews building plans for compliance with building codes.
3. Issues contractor’s licenses to be legally authorized to perform work within the City.
4. Reviews site plans.
5. Reviews sign applications.
6. Processes various requests (applications) such as conditional uses, rezonings (aka zoning amendments either of property or the zoning ordinance text), planned unit development (PUD) amendments, variances, minor and major subdivisions, appeals, and site plan and design reviews.
7. Interprets, applies, and updates the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The latest version of this is from 2003.
8. Reviews and issues U&O (use and occupancy) permits   

Please note that effective June 1, 2022, the Department’s policy for receiving, reviewing and paying for applications with change to adhere to current City policy to not hold payment checks. This means that checks in the wrong amount or for unknown payments will be returned to where they came from. Specifically, with sign permit applications, please submit the application for review without payment. Once the review is complete and the application is in approvable form, then you will be notified to payment foe the sign permit and then pick it up.

Also, please note that just applying for something is not the same as obtaining permission or approval of what has been applied for. Submittals must be reviewed for compliance with city standards and requirements before applications can be approved.     

More other Department specifics, please see the following items in more detail:     

Building

The Building Inspector reviews and either approves or denied plans, conducts field inspections as projects are being built and works with the City’s Fire Inspector to ensure safety during construction and upon completion of building and structures.

Planning Commission      

The City’s Planning Commission meets the last Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the public meeting room located in the center of City Hall unless otherwise indicated via a change of date or a change in a meeting venue.

Please note that due to the volumes the department is currently operating under the normal application filing date for a case/public hearing, etc. will be the second working day of each month two months prior to a scheduled planning commission meeting. For example, for the July 25, 2022, planning commission meeting, the submittal date would be by June 2, 2022.

Also, note that the director reserves the right to formulate the makeup of any monthly planning commission agenda and this is based upon completeness of any application, including application fees paid, necessary signatures, authorizations, sufficiency of submitted plans, and so forth. Derelict applications and disrespectful treatment of city personnel will also be factors is scheduling cases for planning commission meetings.

Storm Water

The drainage of storm water is a critical thing in Mississippi due to the normally copious amounts of rain the State receives. Northwest Mississippi is no different. Here are some important things to remember when thinking about drainage and storm water pollution:

1. Keep grass clippings and trash out of streets and gutters. Either compost or bag grass clippings.
2. Reduce fertilizer, pesticide and herbicide use.
3. Recycle used motor oil and other vehicle fluids. Do not dump automobile and related type fluids! Most automotive stores will collect waste oil.
4. It helps to park the car in grass before washing it.
5. Spread the word about protecting water supplies to friends and neighbors.
6. Please collect trash into proper receptacles.
7. Take old tires to proper disposal places.
8. Clean up after your pet(s).
9. Clean paint brushes in a sink and not outdoors.
10. Deliver household hazardous waste to published locations quarterly.    

Water pollution occurs when the above named practices are not adhered to. Poor practices can contaminate both groundwater and surface sources of water. Ingestion/consumption of polluted water can and does cause sickness, disease and death in both plants, animals and humans.

For more information about the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) storm water Phase II programs, click on the links found below:

MDEQ Storm Water Phase II Program
EPA Storm Water Phase II Program

STORMWATER Hotline - (662) 536-7387

For any Stormwater related issues, please call the Stormwater Hotline.

Mississippi 811

Before digging, please call Mississippi One Call at 811 or 800-227-6477. To learn more about this program at: www.ms1call.org. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

To schedule a building inspection, call:

662-393-6705
Fax : 662-342-3485
plandept@hornlake.org

Desoto County GIS Map:

http://maps.desotocountyms.gov/OneView/ 

Ordinances and/or Plans:
Storm Water Control and BMP Ordinance 

2003 Comprehensive Plan

To begin the process of opening a business here, take a look at the  Building Occupancy Checklist.

Again, before digging, please call Mississippi One Call at 811 or 800-227-6477. It's that important! Learn more about Mississippi One Call at www.ms1call.org.