Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Heber Springs, Arkansas

At a glance

Zoning

Yes, the city administers its own districts, including R-3 and R-4¹

Building permits

City Planning & Development division; a grading permit is required before earth disturbance⁵²

Building code

Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, adopted by the city⁶

Septic

Arkansas Department of Health (state), permit required³⁷

Manufactured homes

Allowed in R-3 with a permanent foundation and 20-foot minimum width⁸

RV living

Not confirmed for private lots; city parks allow camping only in designated areas⁹

Owner-builder

State licensing exemption for building your own residence¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Heber Springs, Arkansas have zoning?

Yes. Heber Springs administers its own zoning districts inside city limits, including the R-3 and R-4 districts¹. The city's Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment approve variances and rezoning within Heber Springs city limits², and the Code Enforcement office handles complaints about zoning and property use¹¹.

For manufactured homes, the R-4 district is the mobile home park and subdivision zone¹. In R-3, a manufactured home must meet the single-family setbacks, sit on a permanent foundation that meets the city's adopted building codes, and measure at least 20 feet on each side, with further underpinning, orientation, roof, porch and inspection standards⁸.

We could not confirm Heber Springs rules on tiny homes, minimum dwelling size, lot coverage or building height. Ask the Planning & Development division at 501-362-8303 before you buy a lot².

Do you need a building permit in Heber Springs, and who issues it?

Inside city limits, the city rather than Cleburne County handles development. Heber Springs Planning and Development sits within the Heber Springs Fire Department², and the city requires a grading permit before any site excavation or earth disturbance⁵.

The city has adopted the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, and future state updates take effect in Heber Springs on the state's implementation date⁶. Arkansas applies that code statewide, even where no permit or inspection is required¹².

We could not confirm the full residential building permit process, inspection steps or fees from the city's code, so call Planning & Development at 501-362-8303 before you start².

How do septic permits work inside Heber Springs?

The Arkansas Department of Health, working through Environmental Health Specialists in county health departments, regulates septic systems¹³. A septic permit is required to construct, alter, repair or operate an onsite system⁷, and a new system must be inspected and approved, with a Permit for Operation issued, before use¹⁴.

If a sanitary sewer is available within 300 feet of where it exits your building, state rules require connecting to it instead¹⁵. Inside the city, check with Heber Springs on sewer availability before you plan a septic system; we could not confirm the city's connection rules.

Soils matter: only 2.8% of Cleburne County soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system¹⁶.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Heber Springs?

We could not confirm a Heber Springs rule on living in an RV or tiny home on a private lot. The rules we did confirm cover other situations: camping in a city park is allowed only in designated areas and when authorized by the Director⁹, and the city's RV park ordinance sets 40-foot front, 20-foot rear and 10-foot side setbacks for RV parks, not for ordinary home lots¹⁷.

Call Planning & Development at 501-362-8303 before parking an RV you intend to live in².

Building a home in Heber Springs: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the lot's zoning district and any manufactured-home limits with Planning & Development².
2. Ask the city whether public sewer reaches the lot, then contact the Arkansas Department of Health about a septic permit if it does not¹⁵¹³.
3. Get the city's grading permit before any excavation⁵.
4. Build to the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code⁶.
5. If the driveway meets a state highway, get a state driveway permit first¹⁸.
6. Have the septic system inspected and obtain the Permit for Operation before moving in¹⁴.

An owner building their own residence is exempt from residential contractor licensing unless they build more than one residence in a calendar year; that exemption does not remove permit, code or zoning requirements¹⁰.

What stays with Cleburne County, and what to check before you buy

Septic and wells are not city decisions, and land outside Heber Springs falls under the Cleburne County zoning ordinance rather than the city's districts⁴. For the county's answers on unincorporated land, see the Cleburne County page or call the Cleburne County Judge's Office at 501-362-8141¹⁹.

Cleburne County's effective property tax rate is 0.5%, with a median bill of $814 a year²⁰²¹. The county is about 65 miles in a straight line from the nearest city of 100,000 or more²². We could not confirm Heber Springs rules on well permits, floodplain development, driveways on city streets or permit fees.

Watch-outs

• Heber Springs' city zoning applies only inside city limits; land outside is under the Cleburne County zoning ordinance⁴.
• A state driveway permit is required for any driveway onto a State Highway, even inside city limits¹⁸.
• We could not confirm the city's residential building permit requirements, fees or inspection steps; call Planning & Development at 501-362-8303².

Sources

1. Municipal Code: Title 14 Zoning, Chapter VI amendments (Heber Springs), quoted and re-checked
2. Heber Springs Planning & Development (Fire Department) (hebersprings.gov)
3. Rules Pertaining to Onsite Wastewater Systems (2024), quoted and re-checked
4. Cleburne County, AR - Zoning Ordinance (2026 county census)
5. Municipal Code: Hillside Excavation, grading permit (Heber Springs), quoted and re-checked
6. Municipal Code: Adoption of 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code (Heber Springs), quoted and re-checked
7. Rules Pertaining to Onsite Wastewater Systems (2024), quoted and re-checked
8. Municipal Code: Title 14 Zoning, manufactured-home standards (Heber Springs), quoted and re-checked
9. Municipal Code: City Parks, camping (Heber Springs), quoted and re-checked
10. Arkansas Residential Contractors Committee Rules and Statutes (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Heber Springs Code Enforcement (hebersprings.gov)
12. Home Improvement Contractor License Application (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Arkansas Department of Health - Environmental Health (healthy.arkansas.gov)
14. Rules Pertaining to Onsite Wastewater Systems (2024), quoted and re-checked
15. codeofarrules.arkansas.gov (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
17. Municipal Code: Title 12, Chapter 12.20 RV Parks (Heber Springs), quoted and re-checked
18. Regulations: Rules for Access Driveways to State Highways (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Cleburne County Judge's Office (cleburnecountyar.com)
20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
22. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 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.