Billboard Permits in Mississippi: Rules, Spacing and Fees

MDOT issues billboard permits in Mississippi. Each sign location needs a permit that costs $85. Renewal is $20 a year. Sign companies also post a $1,000 bond. Signs must be 500 feet apart. Faces built since 2003 are capped at 672 square feet per direction.

Who issues billboard permits in Mississippi?

The state Department of Transportation runs the Outdoor Advertising program through its Maintenance Division in Jackson. The State Maintenance Engineer decides each application. The phone is 601-359-7111. The mail address is P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS 39215.

MDOT's online system lets owners check permits, invoices and payments. Applications use Form MND-800.

The law is Miss. Code Ann. 49-23-1 and the sections after it. MDOT's rules are 37 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002. The newest text, from May 2021, is on Cornell LII. MDOT's posted PDF is a 2019 file.

Which roads need a state permit?

MDOT calls them state controlled routes. They are Interstates, federal-aid primary roads, the National Highway System, the Great River Road and scenic byways. That follows federal law, 23 U.S.C. 131.

In urban areas, control covers 660 feet from the right-of-way. An urban area has 5,000 people or more. Outside them, new signs beyond 660 feet are barred, except a few kinds such as on-premise signs. Also, no billboard may stand within 1,000 feet of the Natchez Trace Parkway outside a city. There are narrow exceptions.

Where can a billboard go?

A sign must sit in a zoned or unzoned commercial or industrial area.

• Zoned land needs comprehensive zoning. The city or county clerk signs an affidavit naming the zone.
• Unzoned land is the hardest test in our guides. The sign must be on the same side of the road as at least two adjacent businesses. It must sit within 800 feet of them.

Each business must have a building within 200 feet of the right-of-way, visible from the road. A gap over 50 feet wide between the two breaks the test. The area is 660 feet deep. It can't be mostly homes or farms.

Mississippi billboard rules at a glance

Two official copies disagree on size. The 2021 text caps all faces together at 672 square feet per direction. MDOT's 2019 PDF caps any one face at 672 square feet. Call MDOT before you plan side-by-side faces. A standard 14 x 48 foot bulletin is 672 square feet. The 1972 federal agreement allowed 1,200.

The sign must also stand above the tree line. MDOT denies sites where roadside trees hide the face.

What are the digital billboard rules?

Rule 1000 covers digital signs:

• Each display holds at least 8 seconds.
• The change takes 1 second or less.
• Static messages only. No movement or flashing.
• The sign must freeze if it breaks.
• It must adjust to the light around it. If MDOT says it is too bright, you must dim it right away.
• You must name an on-call contact with power to fix it.
• Only conforming sites can go digital. Nonconforming and grandfathered signs can't.
• You need local permits and MDOT approval first.

Mississippi sets no brightness number. Its 8 seconds matches the figure FHWA recommended in 2007.

What does a permit cost?

These are the fees in MDOT's rules (fees), checked October 12, 2026. The 2019 PDF shows the same amounts.

A double-face or V-type sign pays once. The permit lasts 12 months, and you must finish the sign in that time. If not, you apply again and pay $85 again. Renewal starts the next July 1. If you do not pay by September 1, MDOT can revoke the permit. A transfer needs Form 850 within 30 days. MDOT does not post a transfer fee; ask.

Do you need a license or bond?

You need a bond. Anyone who builds or keeps a permitted sign must give MDOT a bond. It can be up to $1,000, on Form MND-810. The rules set no separate operator license. See the bond rule.

Can you cut trees in front of a sign?

Only with a Vegetation Removal Permit. Never use chemicals on trees.

• The fee is $50 per site.
• The sign must be at least 3 years old and legally permitted.
• No permit on a scenic byway or in a median.
• MDOT may charge the market value of timber.
• You need a $5,000 bond and $500,000 in liability insurance.
• The permit ends when the work is done, or after a year.

The vegetation rule has a long reach. If trees were cut without a permit, MDOT grants no sign permit there. That lasts for 30 years from the date MDOT finds the cut. If an owner got an encroachment permit to clear trees for a business, the wait is 20 years. The area is the cut plus 500 feet each way. MDOT can also assess damages, suspend you for up to 12 months or keep your bond.

What about nonconforming signs?

A nonconforming sign was legal when built but fails today's rules. MDOT may require removal after the fifth year it becomes nonconforming.

Upkeep is limited to changing the ad, trim, and shrinking the face. You may not add lights. A damaged sign can only be repaired where it is damaged. A sign is destroyed if 60% of its posts are damaged. It is abandoned after 12 months with no ad. "Available for lease" does not count as an ad. Abandoned and destroyed signs come down with no pay.

Do you need a local permit too?

Yes. Attach a certified copy of any county or city permit. If none is required, get a signed statement saying so. If the county or city says no, MDOT will not issue a permit. Build to the International Building Code or the local code, whichever is stricter.

Has anything changed since 2024?

We found no change. The rules were last amended May 27, 2021. MDOT's PDF is still the 2019 file, so the size wording differs.

How do you apply for a billboard permit in Mississippi?

1. Check that the road is a state controlled route.
2. Confirm the zoning, or find two adjacent businesses within 800 feet.
3. Get the landowner's consent and a copy of the deed.
4. Get a clerk's zoning affidavit, and any local permit.
5. Mark the site with a marker, or MDOT rejects the form.
6. Send Form MND-800 and the $85 fee to the State Maintenance Engineer.
7. Give MDOT your $1,000 bond on Form MND-810 if none is on file.
8. MDOT inspects and answers within 10 days, plus 10 more for good cause.
9. Build within 12 months. Tell MDOT in writing, and put your logo on the sign.

Read how to start a billboard business for the steps before a permit.

Other state billboard permit guides

• Billboard permits: the national overview
• Tennessee
• Louisiana
• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Florida
• Texas

This is a summary, not legal advice. Check with the agency before you build or sign.

Questions people ask

Who issues billboard permits in Mississippi?

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) does, through the State Maintenance Engineer and the Maintenance Division in Jackson. The phone is 601-359-7111.

How much does a Mississippi billboard permit cost?

$85 per sign location to apply, which MDOT does not refund. Renewal is $20 a year. Companies that build signs also post a $1,000 bond.

How far apart must billboards be in Mississippi?

500 feet between signs inside towns. Outside towns, the 500 feet applies in commercial and industrial areas. A digital sign must be 1,000 feet from any other sign on the same side of the road.

How big can a billboard be in Mississippi?

For signs built since July 1, 2003, all faces together can total 672 square feet per direction, 14 feet high and 48 feet long. The structure can be 40 feet tall.

What are Mississippi's digital billboard rules?

Each display holds at least 8 seconds, and the change takes 1 second or less. The sign must dim itself and freeze if it breaks. Only conforming signs can go digital.

Can I cut trees in front of my billboard in Mississippi?

Only with an MDOT Vegetation Removal Permit. It costs $50 per site and needs a $5,000 bond and $500,000 in insurance. Cutting without one blocks sign permits there for 30 years from the date MDOT finds the cut.

Sources

1. 01Mississippi Outdoor Advertising (MDOT program page and online permit forms) · Mississippi Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
2. 02Outdoor Advertising Management System: Contact Us · Mississippi Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
3. 03Regulations for Outdoor Advertising, 37 Miss. Code R. Pt. 1, Subpt. 7501, Ch. 9002 (MDOT's posted PDF, 2019 text) · Mississippi Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
4. 0437 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002-502, Procedure (amended May 27, 2021) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
5. 0537 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002-1000, Standards (amended May 27, 2021) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
6. 0637 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002-600 and -601, Permit fee and renewal fee (amended May 27, 2021) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
7. 0737 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002-400 and -401, Bonds (amended May 27, 2021) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
8. 0837 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002-503, Vegetation Removal Permit (amended May 27, 2021) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
9. 0937 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002-347, Unzoned Commercial or Industrial Area (amended May 27, 2021) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
10. 1037 Miss. Code R. 1-7501-09002-1301 to -1400, Maintenance and nonconforming signs (amended May 27, 2021) · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
11. 11Mississippi Federal/State Agreement on outdoor advertising (Mar. 6, 1972) · FHWA · accessed Oct 12, 2026
12. 1223 U.S.C. 131, Control of outdoor advertising · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
13. 13Guidance on Off-Premise Changeable Message Signs (Sept. 25, 2007) · FHWA · accessed Oct 12, 2026

Gabie Research

Billboard operations and sales research

The Gabie team studies how billboard companies price, sell and run their boards. Every number we publish links to its source.

Published Oct 12, 2026 · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · How we check facts