Fort Smith building department

Fort Smith’s Building Services Department reviews plans, issues building and trade permits, and inspects construction inside Fort Smith city limits. Permits are handled in Suite 405 of the city offices at 623 Garrison Avenue. The permit counter is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the information line is (479) 784-1051.

The owner, the general contractor, or an agent can pull a permit. Someone other than the permit holder can submit the plans for review.

What needs a permit

The city’s list of work that needs a building permit includes:

• new construction, additions, remodels, and alterations
• portable buildings, carports, decks, and all storage buildings, including prefabricated ones
• roofs, siding, and window replacement (the city treats these as repairs that need a permit)
• driveways, parking lots, and grading or fill
• swimming pools, signs, cell towers, and demolitions
• residential fences over 6 feet tall
• retaining walls over 4 feet tall (the FAQ says retaining walls in yards must be permitted and inspected)

According to the Building Safety FAQ, you don’t need a permit for:

• painting, unless the property is in the historic or downtown district
• replacing carpet
• replacing a front door, unless you change structural elements around it

Trade work. Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work each need their own permit, and the work must be done by contractors who are state-licensed and registered with the city. Fort Smith’s plumbing inspection program also covers the “transfer area” south of the city, where Fort Smith supplies the water (Ordinance 96-05).

Homeowners doing their own trade work. A homeowner can do their own plumbing, electrical, or mechanical work in a single-family home they own and live in as their main residence. Before the homeowner’s permit is issued, they have to meet with the inspectors, who check that they know how to do the work.

Applying

You can apply online through the city’s CityView portal. You can also apply in person: download the building permit application and bring it with your documents to Room 405.

Single-family and duplex submittals need:

• a site plan showing:
  • the legal description, property lines and pins, and street names
  • rights-of-way, easements, and setbacks (no structure can sit in an easement)
  • every existing and proposed structure, with distances to property lines
  • the driveway, designed to city standards
  • utility locations and service connections
  • the minimum finished floor elevation, if the lot is in the 100-year floodplain
• a floor plan of every level, showing room uses, dimensions, openings, and door, window, and finish schedules
• exterior elevations, and a wall section from the foundation to the roof listing all materials

Alterations that add no square footage need the same plans, minus the site plan. Simple repairs such as roofing, windows, siding, and some remodels need no plans. Call (479) 784-2206 to confirm what your job needs.

Processing and payment. The city says a complete residential application is usually processed in under an hour. After approval, you pay in the collections office, Room 101. Post the stamped permit card on the front of the property, and leave it there until the inspector removes it at the final inspection.

Addresses. Addresses are assigned by Engineering, in Suite 409, (479) 784-2225.

Contractor licensing and registration

The city’s contractor page sets out these requirements:

• Residential contractors. You need an Arkansas residential contractor’s license for projects of $2,000 or more, and you must register it with Fort Smith.
• Commercial contractors. You need an Arkansas contractor’s license for projects of $50,000 or more.
• Trade contractors. Plumbing, electrical, and mechanical contractors need state licenses for all work and a $2,000 permit and license bond.
• Business license. You need a Fort Smith business occupation license. The city reciprocates with other Arkansas cities for contractors with no Fort Smith office.

Building Safety, at (479) 784-2206, registers state licenses and verifies contractor registration.

Adopted codes

Discipline	Code
Fire, building, residential	2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, Vols. I–III (based on the 2021 IFC, IBC, and IRC)
Life safety	2021 NFPA Life Safety Code
Plumbing	2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code, with Fort Smith plumbing and gas amendments
Fuel gas	2018 Arkansas Fuel Gas Code
Mechanical	2021 International Mechanical Code
Electrical	2020 National Electrical Code, with Fort Smith electrical amendments
Energy	2014 Arkansas Energy Code
Accessibility	AFPC Vol. II Chapter 11 and ICC A117.1

Fort Smith also applies Arkansas’s earthquake-resistant design statute (A.C.A. 12-80-101 through 104) and the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code. Building, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical fee schedules are in Chapter 6 of the city code, starting at §6-30 for building permits, and the city’s Permit Fee Schedule page links to them.

Scheduling inspections

Inspectors are in the office from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

• Requests received before 9:00 a.m. are scheduled that morning.
• Requests received before 2:00 p.m. are scheduled that afternoon.

You can request an inspection by calling the inspector directly, calling the Building Department at (479) 784-2206 or 784-2288, emailing [email protected], or using CityView.

Trade	Inspector lines
Building	(479) 784-2239, 784-2240
Electrical	(479) 784-2233, 784-2234
Plumbing	(479) 784-2215, 784-2475
Mechanical	(479) 784-2238, 784-2249

Inspection order. The usual sequence is:

1. temporary power
2. footing (before concrete, with any below-grade insulation in place)
3. foundation
4. underslab MEP
5. slab (with vapor barrier and termite protection in place)
6. rough MEP
7. frame and roof (walls can’t be covered until it passes)
8. fire systems, coordinated with the Fire Marshal
9. backflow, inspected by the Utility Department
10. landscaping, often inspected by Planning
11. MEP finals, then the building final

Trade subcontractors request their own inspections. After the final passes, the inspector completes the Certificate of Occupancy, which is mailed or picked up. You cannot occupy the building until the CO is issued.

Related offices

Office	Handles	Phone
Planning and Zoning	Parking, setbacks, fencing, platting, the Unified Development Ordinance	(479) 784-2216
Engineering	Driveway design, drainage, floodplain, addresses	(479) 784-2225
Utilities	Water and sewer taps, hydrants, sprinklers, backflow	(479) 784-1016