House Bill 827

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 17-1-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY OF EACH MUNICIPALITY OR COUNTY TO UPDATE ITS ZONING ORDINANCES EVERY 10 YEARS TO DETERMINE HOW SUCH ORDINANCES AFFECT THE POPULATIONS OF SUCH MUNICIPALITY OR COUNTY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 17-1-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

17-1-7. (1) Except as otherwise provided in Article VII of the Chickasaw Trail Economic Development Compact described in Section 57-36-1, for the purposes set forth in Section 17-1-3, the governing authority of each municipality and county may divide the municipality or county into zones of such number, shape and area as may be deemed best suited to carry out the purposes of Sections 17-1-1 through 17-1-27, inclusive. Within the zones created, the governing authority of each municipality and county may, subject to the restrictions with respect to agricultural lands and farm buildings or structures as set out in Section 17-1-3, regulate and restrict the erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair or use of buildings, structures or land. All regulations shall be uniform for each class or kind of buildings throughout each zone, but regulations in one zone may differ from those in other zones.

(2) In addition to the requirements set out in subsection (1) of this section, the governing authority of each municipality and county shall update its zoning ordinances every ten (10) years, based upon the latest federal decennial census, in order to take into consideration how the ordinances affect the population of such municipality or county.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.