The County of Hinds regulations are compliant with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) through municipal regulation Hinds County Storm Water Quality Management Ordinance. The county’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) requires Hinds to administer and enforce compliance with stormwater discharge permits in an effort to decrease stormwater pollutants and increase overall water quality.
3.1 Hinds County staff shall have right-of-entry on or upon the property of any person subject to this ordinance and any permit/document issued hereunder. The County staff shall be provided ready access to all parts of the premises for the purposes of inspection, monitoring, sampling, inventory, records examination and copying, and the performance of any other duties necessary to determine compliance with this ordinance.
3.5 The Director of the Hinds County Department of Public Works or his designee may inspect the facilities of any user in order to ensure compliance with this ordinance. Such inspection shall be made with the consent of the owner, manager, or signatory official. If such consent is refused, denied or not promptly addressed, the Designated County staff may seek issuance of an administrative search warrant.
4.1 Two permits are required for construction and site disturbance regulated by this ordinance:
A. Perimeter /Outfall Protection Permit
B. Storm Water Quality Management Permit
4.2 Both permits are applied for simultaneously before site disturbance. The Storm Water Quality Management Permit is not issued until compliance with the perimeter/outfall protection permit.
6.6 LANDSCAPING PLAN
A. Landscaping Plan is required for all commercial, industrial and multifamily residential developments.
B. General Regulations
2. Any alteration to existing building(s), development(s), or construction that increases the amount of gross floor area of the structure or building shall be required to come into compliance with landscaping requirements as follows: a. Any alteration to existing building(s), development(s), or construction that increases the amount of gross floor area of the structure or building shall require a minimum of ten (10) points of landscaping be installed, plus two (2) points of landscaping for every additional parking space provided for the building addition.
d. If the site has insufficient green space to provide required landscaping, options are as follows:
1) Optional Planting Areas: Landscaping may be installed in aboveground planters (built-in or moveable), decorative pots, or hanging baskets provided all irrigation requirements are met.
2) Substitution of Landscaping for Parking Spaces: Up to 10% of the number of parking spaces required for a building addition may be used for landscaping, however point values increase from two (2) to ten (10) points for each substituted parking space.
e. The property owner is responsible, in perpetuity, for maintaining all landscaping by keeping lawns mowed, all plants properly groomed and maintained as disease-free, and planting beds groomed, except in naturally occurring dense growths of underbrush or shrubs
D. Landscape Requirements:
1. Planting Requirements/Point System:
a. The Owner may use any combination of plantings to obtain the necessary number of points required for the development. Different lots and landscapes will lend themselves to different types of plantings. These regulations attempt to encourage creativity and diversity in landscaping.
b. Landscaping within any Developed Area must equal or exceed a minimum number of points in order to obtain approval. Site Points are determined by the size of the Developed Area, and Parking Lot Points are determined by the number of parking spaces. c. Number of Points Required for the Developed Area:
| Size of Developed Area | Number of Points Required |
| 1-5,000 sq. ft. | Site Points = 25
Parking Lot Points = Two (2) points per required parking space and one (1) point for each proposed additional parking space |
| More than 5,000 sq. ft. | Site Points = 25, plus one (1) point for each additional 200 sq. ft. of developed area |