Carroll County, Arkansas Building Permit Guide

Carroll County does not issue building permits. Its 2026 Code of Ordinances has no building code or county building permit, and the county lists no planning or floodplain office. Inside Berryville, Eureka Springs, Green Forest, Holiday Island and Beaver, the town’s own building inspector issues permits. In the unincorporated county the rules that apply come from quorum court ordinances (water wells, subdivision roads and two moratoriums) and from state agencies such as the Department of Health for septic systems.

What Carroll County itself regulates

The County Judge runs the county road system and administers the ordinances the 11-member quorum court passes. The county has two judicial districts, with offices in Berryville (the county seat) and at the Eureka Springs courthouse. Chapter 13 of the Carroll County Code of Ordinances, re-enacted by Emergency Ordinance 2026-30 on September 15, 2026, covers “Urban and Rural Development”, but its only building rules concern data centers and energy facilities, its planning article is the 2011 Land Heritage Preservation Plan, a policy framework, and its flood control article is reserved, with no text.

Who issues building permits in each town

The Census Bureau lists eight incorporated places in Carroll County (Vintage 2025 estimates in brackets).

Towns with their own building inspector:

• Berryville (5,813): permit forms for construction, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and fences are taken to the Building Inspector’s office behind City Hall, 305 E. Madison Ave.; inspections are booked at 870-423-2335 or 870-480-3975. The city lists permits for additions and remodels, grade changes, demolition of buildings of 750 sq ft or more, repairs to 50% or more of a roof, pools, decks, sheds, fences, solar panels and removal of trees 16 inches or more across.
• Eureka Springs (2,258): the Building and Safety office at 3174 E. Van Buren (479-363-5187) issues building, plumbing, gas, electrical, mechanical, sign, tree-cutting and occupancy permits, and decides building permits within 10 business days. When Eureka Springs was placed on the National Register in 1970 its entire city limits were named as the historic district, and any exterior work on a property inside the district boundaries needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission before the building permit, even where no building permit is required; there is no fee for it, and approved work must be finished within 12 months.
• Green Forest (3,246): the city’s Building Inspector answers questions on building requirements and inspections at 870-480-2619.
• Holiday Island (2,440): the city has its own building code and issues building permits, inspects and issues certificates of occupancy; Building Inspector 479-364-2172 or 870-654-9135, City Hall 479-379-8040.
• Beaver (70): building permit applications go to the town’s Building Inspector, and a road damage permit is required from the Town of Beaver office at 820 Squire Beaver Road (479-244-1538).

No local building code: Oak Grove (396). On March 12, 2024 the town council voted not to proceed with adopting the state building codes at the present time; Town Hall is at 10422 AR-21 N (870-749-2785).

Not shown in the published sources: Blue Eye (43) and the small Carroll County part of Alpena (93; most of the town is in Boone County). Ask the town before building.

County rules for unincorporated land

Data center and high-impact industry moratorium: Emergency Ordinance 2026-17, approved June 16, 2026, bars starting construction of, and county approvals (development, land disturbance, site plan, rezoning, subdivision or conditional use permits) for, data centers, cryptocurrency mining, AI and cloud computing campuses and other facilities using 15 megawatts or more of power or 100,000 gallons or more of water a day in the unincorporated county. It runs for 12 months from that date unless the quorum court repeals it sooner; projects that already had final county approvals, binding utility interconnection agreements or final utility study acceptance are not covered. Since 2023 the county code has also required any data center to notify residents within half a mile and the County Judge before construction, file a baseline noise study and a noise attenuation building plan by third-party professionals with the County Judge and County Clerk, pass a post-construction noise study before operating, and keep noise at the neighbor’s property line below 65 dBA from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 55 dBA overnight.

Wind and solar moratorium: Ordinance 2025-14, passed May 20, 2025, bars building or expanding commercial wind and solar facilities that sell electricity anywhere in Carroll County, until the fifth anniversary of the last turbine at the Scout Clean Energy/Nimbus wind farm starting production or until the quorum court lifts it. Residential solar panels and small wind systems for on-site use are excluded, as are systems on municipal buildings, schools, business parks or commercial and industrial buildings for the occupants’ own use; facilities whose construction began by December 31, 2024, including the Scout Clean Energy/Nimbus wind farm, are exempt.

Water wells: county code section 1160.00 requires new wells to use unused steel casing at least .156 inch thick, set at least 80 feet deep or 30 feet into rock, whichever is greater, grouted to the surface and extended 12 inches above ground or the flood line; plastic outer casings are banned and a licensed Arkansas water well contractor must do the work.

Subdivision roads: before the county will take a road into its system (section 1210.10), it needs a 50-foot right-of-way cleared to 40 feet, a 22-foot surface, grades of no more than 15%, drainage structures at least 15 inches across, and two years of completed service; acceptance is at the County Judge’s discretion.

Flood insurance: FEMA lists Carroll County, Berryville, Green Forest, Oak Grove and Alpena among communities not in the National Flood Insurance Program; Eureka Springs and Beaver participate.

Septic systems: on-site wastewater systems are permitted by the Arkansas Department of Health, which runs the Carroll County Health Unit in Berryville.

How to start a project in Carroll County

Arkansas building code

Arkansas’s building code is the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, adopted by the State Fire Marshal and in force statewide since 1 January 2023; building permits are issued locally where a city or county runs a permit program, and the plumbing, gas, mechanical, energy and electrical codes are adopted by separate state agencies. The Arkansas codes

Carroll County permitting FAQs

Does Carroll County issue building permits?

No. The county code has no building permit, and the county lists no building or planning office. Towns with building inspectors issue permits inside their own limits.

Who issues building permits in Eureka Springs?

The city’s Building and Safety office at 3174 E. Van Buren, 479-363-5187. Exterior work also needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission before the building permit.

Who issues building permits in Berryville?

The Building Inspector’s office behind City Hall at 305 E. Madison Ave.; call 870-423-2335 or 870-480-3975 for inspections.

Can I build a data center in rural Carroll County?

Not while Emergency Ordinance 2026-17 is in force: for 12 months from June 16, 2026 it bars starting construction of, and county approvals for, data centers and other high-impact facilities in the unincorporated county.

Who permits septic systems?

The Arkansas Department of Health; the Carroll County Health Unit is at 402 Hailey Road, Berryville, 870-423-2923.

Is Carroll County in the National Flood Insurance Program?

No. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Carroll County, Berryville and Green Forest among communities not in the program; Eureka Springs and Beaver participate.

Carroll County construction resources

These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.

• Carroll County Judge’s office
• Carroll County Code of Ordinances (Ordinance 2026-30)
• Emergency Ordinance 2026-17, high-impact industrial and data center moratorium
• Ordinance 2025-14, commercial wind and solar moratorium
• Carroll County quorum court ordinance search
• Carroll County Health Unit services
• Berryville building permit forms
• Berryville Building Inspector
• Eureka Springs Building and Safety
• Eureka Springs Historic District FAQ
• Green Forest building, codes and planning
• Holiday Island building code enforcement
• Town of Beaver forms and building permit application

Simplify Carroll County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Arkansas. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Carroll County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.