Building permits, zoning and septic rules across Arkansas counties

At a glance

Residential building permits

57 counties require none; 15 require them in limited cases; 3 require them¹⁸⁹

Countywide zoning

54 counties have none; 5 have zoning⁴¹⁰

No building permit and no zoning

48 counties meet both conditions¹¹

Septic permits

Arkansas Department of Health; construction approval and an operation permit required⁵¹²¹³

RV living

3 county answers: 1 allowed and 2 limited; 72 unanswered⁶

Tiny homes

2 county answers, both allowed for county land-use purposes; 73 unanswered⁷

Owner-builder

Own-residence contractor-license exemption; no more than 1 residence per calendar year¹⁴

Property tax

Median county effective rate: 0.5%; median county bill: $650 per year¹⁵

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Which Arkansas counties don't require a building permit?

Arkansas has 57 counties without a residential building-permit requirement, 15 with requirements limited to certain cases, and 3 where residential building permits are required.¹⁸⁹ The highest-scoring counties in the no-permit group are Cleveland County, Drew County, Dallas County, Clark County, Ouachita County, Hempstead County, Madison County, Polk County.¹ Use the county building-permit list to narrow your search.¹

Arkansas Building Code requirements apply statewide even where building permits or inspections are not required.² The State Fire Marshal’s Office enforces and updates the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code.¹⁶ Arkansas's owner-builder exemption concerns contractor licensing for your own residence and ends if you build more than 1 residence in a calendar year; building-code, building-permit and zoning obligations still apply where required.¹⁴

Which Arkansas counties have no zoning?

Arkansas has 54 counties without countywide zoning and 5 counties with zoning.⁴¹⁰ The highest-scoring counties without countywide zoning are Cleveland County, Drew County, Dallas County, Clark County, Grant County, Ouachita County, Hempstead County, Madison County.⁴ Arkansas county planning boards may prepare zoning ordinances for all or part of an unincorporated area, so ask the county planning office about the actual parcel and current zoning map.¹⁷

For buyers seeking both conditions, 48 counties have neither a residential building-permit requirement nor countywide zoning.¹¹ Compare the no-zoning list and no-building-permit and no-zoning list.⁴¹¹ State septic approval remains required for an onsite wastewater system even where the county does not require a residential building permit.¹²

Who issues septic permits in Arkansas?

The Arkansas Department of Health is the septic authority across all 75 Arkansas counties.⁵ The state Onsite Wastewater program supports Environmental Health Specialists in county health departments; start with that program to reach the specialist serving your land.¹⁸

A completed septic application and detailed plans must receive approval before construction of a building or residence, and a septic construction permit is required before system work begins.¹² The septic permit review fee is $30 for structures of 1,500 square feet or less, rising through the size-based schedule to $150 for structures over 4,000 square feet.¹² Inspection, approval and a Permit for Operation are required before using the system.¹³ Sewer connection is required when a sanitary sewer is within 300 feet of the building's sewer exit and connection is available without crossing another person's property.¹⁹

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Arkansas?

We could not confirm an RV-living answer for 72 Arkansas counties; the 3 counties with an answer include 1 allowed and 2 limited.⁶ Garland County is listed as allowed for county land-use purposes, while Benton and Pulaski counties have flood-zone restrictions.⁶ Ask the county planning office and floodplain administrator about your proposed site before relying on that classification.⁶

Tiny-home living has answers for only 2 counties: Garland County and Benton County are listed as allowed for county land-use purposes; 73 counties remain unanswered.⁷ Browse the RV-living and tiny-home lists.⁶⁷

Arkansas's health rules regulate parcels with 3 or more RV, tiny-house-on-wheels or mobile-home spaces where placement or maintenance services are provided for a fee.²⁰ Those park rules do not establish statewide permission for a single tiny house on wheels outside a qualifying park.²¹

Where are the best Arkansas counties for a bolthole?

The highest Bolthole Index scores belong to Cleveland County, Drew County, Dallas County, Clark County, Grant County, Ouachita County, Hempstead County, Madison County.²² Cleveland scores 85, Drew 84 and Dallas 83 out of 100; each has no residential building-permit requirement, no countywide zoning and state septic oversight.²² Grant also has no countywide zoning and state septic oversight, but its building-permit requirement applies in limited cases.²²

The median county farmland value in Arkansas is $3,631 per acre; Dallas County's value is $2,085 per acre and Ouachita County's is $2,230 per acre.²³ Treat those farmland figures as comparison benchmarks when evaluating asking prices.²³ The median of county effective property-tax rates is 0.5%, and the median county property-tax bill is $650 annually.¹⁵ Budget separately for septic approval: the state construction and operation requirements apply regardless of these counties' building-permit answers.¹²¹³

What should you check about water, wells and road access in Arkansas?

Arkansas's water framework is riparian, and domestic and livestock groundwater use is described as unregulated; 14 counties fall within special groundwater management regimes.²⁴ Ask the water-well program about construction requirements separately from groundwater-use rules.²⁴ Ouachita County and Calhoun County are within the actively managed South Arkansas Sparta Critical Ground Water Area.²⁴

Wells serving public or semi-public water systems need written Arkansas Department of Health approval before construction; a well contractor uncertain about the classification must obtain a written determination.²⁵ That approval rule does not establish a general construction-permit requirement for private domestic wells.²⁵

An access driveway on state-highway right-of-way needs an Arkansas Department of Transportation permit before work begins, including residential and temporary driveways.²⁶ Apply through the District Engineer with the location, work description and required supporting materials before arranging the access work.²⁶

Watch-outs

• County building-permit counts concern unincorporated land; confirm the building-permit process with the city office for an address inside city limits.³
• County zoning can cover all or part of an unincorporated area; ask the county planning office for the current map before buying.¹⁷
• No residential building permit does not remove statewide building-code compliance or state septic construction and operation requirements.²¹²¹³
• Benton and Pulaski county RV answers include flood-zone limits; ask the floodplain administrator about the parcel before placing an RV.⁶

Sources

1. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties that do not require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
2. Arkansas: Home Improvement Contractor License Application, quoted and re-checked
3. Arkansas: 2014 Arkansas Energy Code for New Building Construction Supplements and Amendments, quoted and re-checked
4. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties with no county-wide zoning
5. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Who issues septic permits across Arkansas's counties: a state agency, a multi-county health district, or the county
6. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties' answers on living in an RV on your own land
7. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties' answers on living in a tiny home on your own land
8. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties that require a residential building permit only in some cases (for example floodplain or certain structures)
9. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties that require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
10. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties with county zoning
11. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Arkansas counties with neither a residential building permit nor county-wide zoning
12. Arkansas: Rules Pertaining to Onsite Wastewater Systems (2024), quoted and re-checked
13. Arkansas: Rules Pertaining to Onsite Wastewater Systems (2024), quoted and re-checked
14. Arkansas: Arkansas Residential Contractors Committee Rules and Statutes, quoted and re-checked
15. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Median of Arkansas's county effective property tax rates and median county property tax bills
16. Arkansas State Fire Marshal’s Office (dps.arkansas.gov)
17. Arkansas: arkleg.state.ar.us, quoted and re-checked
18. Arkansas Department of Health — Onsite Wastewater (healthy.arkansas.gov)
19. Arkansas: codeofarrules.arkansas.gov, quoted and re-checked
20. Arkansas: 20 CAR § 138-102. Compliance, quoted and re-checked
21. Arkansas: 20 CAR § 138-102. Compliance, quoted and re-checked
22. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: The 8 highest-scoring Arkansas counties on the Bolthole Index (off-grid and homestead land score out of 100), with each one's building-permit, zoning and septic answers
23. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 75 Arkansas counties, as of October 10, 2026: Median farmland value per acre across Arkansas's counties (USDA census, the middle county's value; USD/acre), with the five least expensive counties
24. Arkansas water rights and groundwater management: National Agricultural Law Center and Bolthole Index groundwater review
25. Arkansas: 17 CAR § 11-607. Public and semi-public wells, quoted and re-checked
26. Arkansas: Regulations: Rules for Access Driveways to State Highways, quoted and re-checked

Written October 10, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.