Conway building department

The City of Conway’s Building Permits & Inspections office at City Hall (1111 Main Street) reviews plans, issues building and trade permits, and inspects work inside Conway city limits. Property in unincorporated Faulkner County is not covered by this office.

When a permit is required

Conway requires building permits for new construction, additions, remodels, and accessory buildings. Commercial permits also cover alteration and repair work. Electrical, plumbing, gas, and mechanical work each need their own permit. The city’s accessory-building guidelines say that trade work in an accessory building has to be done and permitted by an Arkansas state-licensed tradesman or subcontractor.

Before you apply, check these approvals, because each one has to be in place before the building permit is issued:

• Historic districts. Work in a historic or design overlay district needs Historic District Commission approval first, coordinated through the Planning Department. Accessory buildings of 160 sq. ft. or more in the Old Conway Historic District go to the Old Conway Design Review Board. Those in the Asa Robinson district go to the Asa P. Robinson Historic District Commission.
• Floodplain. If a Floodplain Development Permit applies, you need it before the building permit.
• Culverts. If the lot needs a culvert, the City Engineer has to approve it.
• Commercial plumbing. The Arkansas Department of Health must approve commercial plumbing before the building permit is issued.
• Unplatted lots. Without a recorded plat, you must show the lot has existed in its present form for at least 10 years.

Applying through Civic Access

Apply through Conway’s Tyler EnerGov Civic Access portal. Applications filed there get priority in processing. Commercial applications must be filed online. Residential applications can also be filed in person between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Review times the city publishes, which assume a complete submittal:

Application	Typical review
Trade permits	1–2 business days
Residential	3–5 business days
Commercial	2–3 weeks (starts once all documents are received)

Residential plans. New one- and two-family dwellings need plans drawn to scale. The set must include:

• a site plan, floor plan, and elevations
• footing and foundation plans with stem-wall details
• floor, ceiling, and roof framing notes
• wall bracing details: brace wall lines, brace segments, and garage-door narrow walls
• the wall height of each room
• window and door sizes

For other residential work:

• Remodels need a floor plan showing the scope of the remodel.
• Additions and accessory buildings need a site plan showing property lines, existing buildings, easements, driveways, and setbacks.

Commercial plans. A licensed design professional must stamp the plans when any of these apply:

• the building or addition is 5,000 sq. ft. or larger
• the building is more than two stories
• the building is an educational, institutional, or assembly occupancy
• construction cost is $100,000 or more

Commercial plan review is done jointly by Permits & Inspections, the Chief Fire Marshal, and Conway Corporation. Some commercial projects need Planning Department development review before the building application is accepted. The city also notes that projects of $50,000 or more require a commercial contractor license from the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board.

Fees

The city’s posted fee ordinance amends Municipal Code §11.16.06. It was passed February 10, 2026, and took effect March 16, 2026. Building fees are based on total square footage under roof, whether or not the space is heated or cooled. Starting work before the permit is issued doubles the permit fee.

Permit	Residential	Commercial
New construction	$0.11/sq. ft. (min. $250)	$0.14/sq. ft. (min. $250)
Addition or accessory building	$0.11/sq. ft. (min. $50)	$0.14/sq. ft. (min. $75)
Remodel	$1 per $1,000 of cost (min. $50)	$1 per $1,000 of cost (min. $75)
Plumbing, mechanical, or electrical with a building permit	$0.054/sq. ft. each (min. $50)	$0.0687/sq. ft. each (min. $75)
Stand-alone trade permit	$50	$75
Gas	$40	$40
Demolition	$1 per $1,000 (min. $50)	$1 per $1,000 (min. $100)
Re-inspection	$25	$25

The schedule also lists a $25 permit review fee and a $250 building code appeal fee. You can pay through the portal, by check, or by credit card in person. Commercial permit invoices are emailed once all approvals are in.

Impact fees. New one- and two-family dwellings pay road and park impact fees, scaled by house size. On the city’s table, the total runs from $1,256 for a home up to 1,000 sq. ft. to $2,295 for one over 5,000 sq. ft. Commercial new construction and some changes of use also pay impact fees, due before the final inspection.

Adopted codes

Conway’s current building codes list:

• 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code
• 2021 International Building Code
• 2021 International Mechanical Code
• 2020 National Electrical Code
• 2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code and 2018 Arkansas Gas Code (the residential guidelines note local amendments)
• 2017 ANSI (accessibility)
• 2014 Arkansas Energy Code

Sheds and accessory buildings

Size	Requirement
50 sq. ft. or less	No building permit, but zoning setbacks still apply
Over 50 sq. ft. (site-built or moved in)	Permit and scaled site plan
160 sq. ft. or more	Permanent continuous perimeter foundation

The foundation footing must be at least 24 in. wide and 8 in. thick, with the bottom 12 in. below grade. It needs two continuous #4 bars, and the building is anchored with ½-in. bolts set no more than 6 ft. on center. Metal buildings need engineered footing and anchorage details for 90 mph wind. Detached buildings must be at least 10 ft. apart. To count as attached, a building needs a structural roof connection at least 4 ft. wide. Required inspections are footing, floor joist, framing, and final.

Inspections and occupancy

You can request inspections through the portal, by email, or by phone at (501) 450-6107. Requests must be in at least one business day ahead, and inspections are scheduled for the next business day. At the first inspection, the site must have:

• a sign with the builder’s name, phone number, and the job address
• a portable toilet (one can serve two or more of the same builder’s sites within 300 ft.)
• a trash container for blowable debris
• erosion control where the lot slopes toward the street or neighboring property

If any of these is missing, the inspection is turned down. A Certificate of Occupancy is issued only after all final inspections pass, all fees are paid, and every reviewing department signs off. Commercial projects can apply for a temporary CO.

Zoning and related offices

Planning & Development handles zoning, site plan and subdivision review, variances, and the Historic District Commission. You can reach it at (501) 450-6105 or [email protected]. The Conway Transportation Department issues grading permits. The city’s grading, drainage, stormwater, and erosion-control ordinance (O-20-78) and its Drainage Criteria Manual are linked from the permits page.