Perry County Mississippi Landlord-Tenant Law: A Guide for Rental Property Owners in New Augusta, Richton, and South Mississippi’s Timber Country
Perry County is about as rural as Mississippi gets. Tucked between the Hattiesburg metro to the west and the pine barrens stretching toward the Gulf Coast to the south, the county covers nearly 650 square miles and houses fewer than 12,200 people — making it one of the least densely populated counties in a state that is already overwhelmingly rural. New Augusta, the county seat, is a community of under 700 residents. There are no traffic lights in the county seat. The nearest big-box retail is a 30-minute drive. And yet people live here, work here, and rent homes here — which means landlords operate here too, navigating the same Mississippi state legal framework that governs rentals from DeSoto County to Jackson to the Gulf Coast, applied in a county context that is as stripped-down and rural as any in the state.
This guide is written for the landlord who owns a rental home or small number of properties in Perry County — in Richton, in Beaumont, out on a county road near New Augusta, or in the unincorporated rural stretches that make up the vast majority of the county’s land area. It covers what Mississippi law requires of you, how evictions work in Perry County’s Justice Court, what the local economy means for your tenant pool, and the specific practical considerations — well and septic systems, timber worker income verification, rural property maintenance — that don’t show up in generic landlord guides but matter greatly here.
The Perry County Economy: Timber, Agriculture, and the Hattiesburg Orbit
Perry County’s private sector economy is dominated by the timber and forest products industry. The county sits within the heart of Mississippi’s longleaf and loblolly pine belt, and timber harvesting, logging, pulpwood operations, and wood products manufacturing have provided the backbone of blue-collar employment in the county for more than a century. Timber workers in Perry County range from independent contract loggers operating their own equipment to hourly mill and processing plant employees. This distinction matters enormously for income verification: an independent contractor logger may have highly variable income tied to contract cycles, timber prices, equipment availability, and weather — while an hourly mill employee has a more predictable bi-weekly paycheck that is easier to verify and underwrite.
For independent contractor applicants, requesting a single recent pay stub is inadequate. Request the prior two years of federal tax returns (Schedule C if self-employed), or 12 months of bank statements showing consistent income deposits, to get a reliable picture of annual earnings. Contractors who have strong long-term contracts with timber companies or pulpwood operations can be excellent tenants with solid income; the risk is the contractor who is between contracts, working episodically, or carrying significant debt on logging equipment. Screen accordingly.
Agriculture — row crops, poultry, and cattle — provides additional employment in the county, though on a smaller scale than timber. Public sector employment at Perry County School District, the county government, and various state agencies rounds out the local employment base. The most stable tenants in Perry County tend to be public school employees and county workers, who have predictable monthly income and strong community ties that encourage longer tenancies.
A meaningful share of Perry County residents commute westward to Forrest County and the Hattiesburg metropolitan area for employment. Hattiesburg anchors a regional economy of roughly 150,000 people and hosts significant healthcare employment at Forrest General Hospital and Merit Health Wesley, university employment at the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University, retail and service sector jobs, and military-adjacent employment near Camp Shelby. Perry County residents who commute to these jobs typically earn wages benchmarked to the larger Hattiesburg market while enjoying the lower housing costs of a rural county — making them, from a landlord’s perspective, some of the most financially solid potential tenants in the area.
Rural Property Realities: Wells, Septic Systems, and Maintenance in Perry County
The vast majority of rental properties in Perry County outside of New Augusta and Richton rely on private well water and conventional or alternative septic systems rather than municipal water and sewer service. This creates a set of maintenance responsibilities and potential liability exposures that are simply absent in urban rental markets, and that every Perry County landlord needs to address explicitly in both their lease and their property management practices.
Well systems: At move-in, document the condition of the pressure tank, pump, and any water treatment equipment. Specify in the lease that the landlord is responsible for mechanical well system failures (pump, pressure tank, electrical connections) but that the tenant is responsible for damages caused by freezing pipes due to failure to maintain heat, or by misuse of the water system. Consider having the well water tested annually for bacterial contamination, particularly in areas where agricultural activity or septic systems are nearby — and disclose any known water quality issues to prospective tenants before lease signing.
Septic systems: Clearly specify in the lease that the tenant is responsible for not flushing non-biodegradable materials (wipes, paper towels, feminine hygiene products, cooking grease) that can cause septic system failures. Specify that the landlord will be responsible for pumping the septic tank on a regular schedule (typically every three to five years for a standard residential system) and for any system failures due to normal aging or structural failure, while the tenant bears responsibility for damage caused by misuse. Septic system replacement or major repair in rural Mississippi can cost $5,000–$15,000 or more — it is not a cost a landlord wants to bear due to a preventable tenant misuse that was never addressed in writing.
Mississippi Landlord-Tenant Law in Perry County
Perry County has no local landlord-tenant ordinances, no rent control, and no just-cause eviction requirement. The entire legal framework is Mississippi state law: the Mississippi Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-1 through 89-8-29) and the unlawful entry and detainer statutes (§§ 89-7-1 through 89-7-59). Mississippi imposes a duty of habitability on landlords — rental property must be weathertight, structurally sound, and equipped with functioning plumbing, heating, and electrical systems. Security deposits have no statutory cap; they must be returned with itemized written accounting within 45 days of lease termination, possession delivery, and written tenant demand, or the landlord faces a $200 penalty plus actual damages under § 89-8-21.
Evictions in Perry County Justice Court
Perry County has no County Court. All eviction proceedings are filed in Perry County Justice Court, 100 Main Street, New Augusta, MS 39462, phone (601) 964-8398. The process follows Mississippi’s standard unlawful entry and detainer procedure. For nonpayment of rent, a 3-Day Notice to Pay or Vacate is required under § 89-7-27. For lease violations, a 14-Day Notice to Cure or Vacate under § 89-8-13. For month-to-month terminations, 30 days’ written notice. Serve all notices by certified mail or personal service with documented proof of delivery. After the notice period expires, file a sworn Complaint for Unlawful Entry and Detainer at Justice Court. The Perry County Sheriff serves the summons, a hearing is set — typically within one to two weeks in this low-volume court — and the judge rules. If the landlord prevails, a Writ of Possession is enforced by the Sheriff. In Perry County’s small-docket Justice Court, uncontested matters typically resolve within two to six weeks of initial filing.
This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Landlord-tenant law is subject to change and may vary based on individual circumstances. Consult a licensed Mississippi attorney or contact Perry County Justice Court at (601) 964-8398 for guidance specific to your situation. Last updated: March 2026.
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