Opening a Convenience Store in Mississippi: Licenses & Permits

In Mississippi, convenience stores sell beer, light wine and light spirits, and nothing stronger. Your food agency depends on whether you cook: packaged food is licensed by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and a kitchen moves you to the State Department of Health. Below is who issues what, and how each rule shapes the store you design.

Licenses and permits at a glance

Fuel tanks: MDEQ

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality regulates tanks under 11 Miss. Admin. Code Part 5:

• Notice: file a Notice of Upcoming Installation 30 days before installing. The installer must be MDEQ-certified.
• Notification: the notification form, signed by the owner and installer, and the documentation checklist are due within 30 days of use. The fee is $150 per tank, and the same amount is charged every year. For July 2026 to June 2027, it stays at $150.
• Operators: every facility needs a trained UST Compliance Manager (Class A/B), certified only through an MDEQ workshop or approved course. Every staffed facility needs a trained UST Operations Clerk (Class C) on duty whenever fuel is dispensed.
• Trust Fund: the Mississippi Groundwater Protection Trust Fund pays eligible cleanup costs up to $1.5 million and third-party damages up to $1 million. It requires substantial compliance, paid tank fees and written approval before you spend. It doesn't pay for tank removal or replacement.

Beer and light wine: the Department of Revenue

A convenience store sells alcohol under a Department of Revenue beer permit, applied for through TAP. It covers beer up to 8% alcohol by weight, light wine up to 5% and light spirits up to 6%, for $30 per location a year. The city or county may add a local fee of up to 50% of the state fee.

• No regular wine or spirits. DOR says alcoholic beverages can't be sold in convenience or grocery stores. They're sold only by ABC package retailers, which buy from the state and can't sell beer.
• Dry counties: 36 counties are dry for beer and light wine, though many towns inside them are wet. Towns of 2,500 or more can vote on beer.
• Local rules: cities and counties set beer zones, distances from schools and churches, Sunday and election-day limits and hours. Some add a grocery test. Rankin County, for example, requires at least 50% of gross sales from groceries, not counting gasoline.

Tobacco and vapes

The Department of Revenue issues a retail tobacco permit through TAP. There's no fee, but it's required. Retailers file an other-tobacco-products return within 48 hours of receiving product, and cigarette minimum-price rules apply.

Vape directory: only electronic nicotine products listed on the DOR ENDS Directory may be sold. Manufacturers certify each year by September 1, and DOR publishes the directory on October 1 and updates it monthly.

Food service: MDAC or MSDH

• Packaged food: the Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) issues a Retail Food Sanitation License for convenience stores and groceries. It's $10, expires June 30 and can't be transferred.
• Cooking: MDAC notes that a store that starts cooking may be regulated by the State Department of Health (MSDH) instead. MSDH uses the 2022 FDA Food Code. Request a plan review packet first, then submit a floor plan, menu and food manager certificate. Review takes up to 30 days and costs $224.25. The annual permit is $40, $132.25, $198 or $264.50, by risk level.

Sales tax, fuel pumps and lottery

• Sales tax: register with the Department of Revenue through TAP. The permit is mailed in about two weeks. The general rate is 7%, and SNAP-eligible groceries are taxed at 5%.
• Fuel pumps: MDAC's Petroleum Products Inspection Division requires every petroleum product to be registered and inspects pumps every year for accuracy, water, price signs and fuel quality. Pump repairers need an MDAC license.
• Lottery: apply to the Mississippi Lottery Corporation. The application fee is $80, plus $15 for each additional store and a $20 weekly service fee per store. Commission is 6%. The applicant must be 21 or older, current on state taxes and pass background and credit checks.

What this means for your store design

• Size the cooler wall for beer and light wine. That's the full alcohol range a convenience store can sell. See the cooler wall planner and beer cave cost.
• Plan a liquor store as a separate business. A package store needs its own ABC permit, can't sell beer and must be 400 feet from schools and churches (100 feet in commercial zones). See convenience store sizes.
• Decide on cooking before you design the kitchen. A store that cooks moves from MDAC to MSDH, with plan review first. See the kitchen floor plan and food service build-outs.
• Check the county and town for beer. 36 counties are dry, and local rules set zones and distances. See choosing a location.
• Plan for a trained clerk whenever fuel is sold. A Class C operator must be on duty, so put emergency shutoffs and spill equipment where that clerk can reach them.

Local approvals

Your city or county also controls zoning, building permits, fire inspections, signs and the local beer permit. Our construction checklist covers the local steps.

For Mississippi store design, see convenience store design in Mississippi and walk-in cooler services in Mississippi.

Sources

• MDEQ, UST installation requirements, operator training, Groundwater Protection Trust Fund FAQs and FY2027 tank fee public notice (November 2025); 11 Miss. Admin. Code Part 5.
• Mississippi Department of Revenue: beer, light wine and light spirits; ABC FAQs and permits; tobacco; ENDS Directory notice 72-26-06 (May 2026); sales tax rates.
• Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, retail food sanitation license and petroleum products inspection.
• Mississippi State Department of Health, food facility plan review and permits.
• Mississippi Lottery Corporation, retailer FAQs.

This page summarizes official sources as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm each one with the agency before you apply.