Harrison’s building code work sits with the Community Risk Reduction Division of the Harrison Fire Department, which reviews plans and issues building, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits from Fire Station #1, 118 West Industrial Park Road (870-741-6384). Under Ordinance 1538 a house is charged by the square foot by construction type, so a 2,000 sq ft house of Type VB construction costs $560, with no fee for residential plan review.
What needs a permit in Harrison?
Ordinance 1538, the Harrison Fire Prevention Code, says anyone doing regulated work in the city must first get a permit from Community Risk Reduction. The Division reviews and permits:
Permit required
- New homes, residential additions and remodels
- New commercial buildings, additions and renovations
- Remodels that remove, add or replace load-bearing parts, or move or add interior walls
- Electrical work: new construction, new circuits or fixtures, panel and meter upgrades
- Plumbing: new construction, moved fixtures, new lines, yard lines, water heaters
- Gas lines, appliances and openings; HVAC installations including mini-splits
- Solar systems, signs, retaining walls, covered decks and storage buildings
- In-ground pools over 24 inches deep and 5,000 gallons
Exempt from a trade permit
- Replacing a single light, receptacle, switch or breaker
- Replacing faucets, shower heads, toilets, washers, dishwashers and disposals, and minor plumbing repairs up to $100
- HVAC service: refrigerant, fan motors, heating elements, control boards, thermostats
- Replacing gas heating elements or orifices, and solar batteries
- Replacing sign faces in existing cabinets
Who issues building permits in Harrison?
Building inspection belongs to the Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Division of the Harrison Fire Department, which is also the Office of the Harrison Fire Marshal. Ordinance 1538 makes the Fire Chief the Chief Building Official, with the Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction supervising the work. CRR administers the building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, fire and life safety codes, reviews plans, inspects construction and issues certificates of occupancy. Code enforcement moved there from the Department of Public Works.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Permit office | Harrison Fire Department, Fire Station #1, 118 West Industrial Park Road, Harrison, AR 72601 |
| Phone | 870-741-6384 (Community Risk Reduction) |
| Online | BSA Online: permit applications, payments and inspection requests |
| Planning, zoning and floodplain | Planning & Floodplain Management (Public Works), 870-741-3434 |
| City Hall | 118 Industrial Park Road, 870-741-2525 |
Applying in Harrison
Permit applications can be picked up at the Fire Department, downloaded as fillable PDFs or filed on BSA Online. Licensed contractors register a BSA Online account to apply online; homeowners working on their own property do not need one. Once the permit is approved and paid for, it can be collected at the Fire Department or emailed.
Licences. Permits go only to licensed contractors. Ordinance 1538 requires a valid Arkansas contractor’s licence or master licence, or a master licence holder on staff who supervises the work and secures the permits, and everyone working under them must hold a master, journeyman or apprentice licence. Copies of the contractor, master and other licences go with the application, and CRR asks for the state contractor licence and the master plumbing, master electrical or mechanical licence for each trade.
Owners. A property owner may get a permit for a single-family home that he or she owns and lives in, if the owner does the work personally.
Industries with trained, licensed in-house staff can buy a $200 annual permit for in-house repairs; new plumbing, HVAC and electrical projects still need regular permits.
Harrison permit fees
Ordinance 1538, passed on June 12, 2025, is the fee schedule linked from the Community Risk Reduction page. New construction is charged per square foot according to occupancy and construction type, and remodels per square foot of the affected area. Some of the rates per square foot:
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Occupancy | Fee |
|---|---|
| R-3 one- and two-family homes | $0.34 (Type IA) to $0.30 (VA) and $0.28 (VB) |
| R-2 multifamily | $0.34 (IA) to $0.26 (VB) |
| B business | $0.42 (IA) to $0.31 (VB) |
| M mercantile | $0.32 (IA) to $0.23 (VB) |
| A-2 restaurants, bars, banquet halls | $0.41 (IA) to $0.32 (VB) |
| S-2 low-hazard storage | $0.20 (IA), $0.24 (IB) and $0.17 (VB) |
| U utility and miscellaneous | $0.20 (IA) to $0.14 (VB) |
For example, a 2,000 sq ft one-family house of Type VB construction costs 2,000 × $0.28 = $560, plus the trade permits.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Commercial plan review | $100 plus $15 per page |
| Residential plan review | No fee |
| Swimming pool | $35, plus an electrical permit |
| Sign | $50, plus $25 for each extra face and $25 if lit |
| Solar installation | $50 |
| Extra inspection trip when work is not ready or fails | $25 may be charged |
| Same-day (emergency) inspection | $50 may be charged |
| Work begun without a permit | Double the permit cost |
| State surcharge on commercial permits | $0.50 per $1,000 of total trades project cost |
A construction permit application must include a property survey no more than a year old.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical permits in Harrison
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical | $35 permit; $35 temporary pole; $7.50 per entrance or panel; $0.50 per opening |
| Plumbing | $35 basic permit plus $3 per fixture, line, water heater, septic or backflow device |
| Fuel gas | $35 basic permit plus $3 per gas opening |
| Mechanical | $35 basic permit; $35 per HVAC unit replacement; $3 per register (supply and return) |
Ordinance 1538 adopted the 2018 Arkansas Plumbing and Fuel Gas Codes, the 2021 Arkansas Mechanical Code and the 2020 electrical code. Ordinance 1559, on the City Council’s October 8, 2026 agenda with an emergency clause, replaces the electrical reference with the 2026 National Electrical Code with Arkansas amendments, and the Community Risk Reduction page already lists the 2026 Electrical Code.
Anyone needing a municipal water meter turned on or off must call Public Works during business hours, or Central Dispatch after hours; a licensed plumber must give the same notice and get authorization before opening a City meter.
What to submit
Homes
- Permit application (PDF or BSA Online)
- Plans for any new house (required by Sec. 11.05.11)
- Property survey less than one year old
- Copies of the contractor’s and trade licences
Commercial
- Plans for any new building, addition or major remodel under the AFPC building volume
- Plan review fee of $100 plus $15 per page
- Property survey less than one year old
- Contractor and master licences for each trade
CRR reviews commercial plans before it issues the permits and the trade sub-permits. New businesses, and businesses changing location or ownership, also need a certificate of occupancy inspection from the Division before opening.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to get a Harrison building permit: 5 steps
Zoning, variances, plats, large scale development, grading and floodplain permits go through Planning & Floodplain Management at Public Works.
A survey less than a year old goes with every construction permit application.
Contractors file on BSA Online after registering; owners can use the PDF forms at the Fire Department.
Pay online or at the Fire Department; the permit is picked up or emailed.
Request inspections on BSA Online and keep work uncovered until it is inspected.
Harrison inspections
Contractors must give 24 hours’ notice for every inspection so CRR can schedule it; a same-day request is treated as an emergency inspection and may carry a $50 fee. Inspections are booked through BSA Online. Installations that will be hidden by later construction or by burial may not be covered until a code official has inspected them, and on large jobs where work is concealed continuously, CRR inspects periodically as the work goes.
Contractor vehicles on job sites must carry a sign at least 12 by 12 inches with the company name, state licence number and phone number, and an inspector may ask for a sign on the property with the company details and a copy of the permit. Violations can bring fines of $250 for a first or second offense within a year, $500 for a third and $1,000 for a fourth, each day counting as a new violation, and a contractor’s permits can be suspended.
Local rules that matter in Harrison
Floodplain: Public Works’ Planning & Floodplain Management office administers the City’s floodplain regulations and its part in the National Flood Insurance Program; development in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a Floodplain Development Permit first. Ordinance 1326, included in the Land Development Regulations, requires a new home’s lowest floor in AE zones to be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation, documented on an elevation certificate. Nonresidential buildings are elevated 1 foot or floodproofed to 1 foot above that level, and manufactured homes are raised 1 foot.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Planning: the Land Development Regulations (zoning, subdivision and grading) are administered by Planning & Floodplain Management. They also require a retaining wall permit from the Department of Public Works, with a plot plan and construction details, for most walls more than 4 feet high. City permits cover land inside the Harrison city limits.
Rental housing: owners of three or more attached rental units under one ownership must register them with Community Risk Reduction each year. Registration is free, and the properties may be inspected.
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
Harrison permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Harrison?
The Harrison Fire Department’s Community Risk Reduction Division, at Fire Station #1, 118 West Industrial Park Road (870-741-6384).
How much is a building permit for a new house in Harrison?
It is charged per square foot by construction type: $0.28 per sq ft for a house of Type VB construction, or $560 for 2,000 sq ft. Residential plan review is free, and trade permits are extra.
Can a homeowner pull a permit in Harrison?
Yes, for a single-family home the owner lives in, if the owner does the work. Homeowners do not need a BSA Online contractor account.
What licences does a contractor need?
A state contractor’s licence or master licence, plus the master plumbing, master electrical or mechanical licence for trade work, with copies attached to the application.
How much notice do inspections need?
24 hours. Same-day requests count as emergency inspections and may cost an extra $50.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Do I need a permit to replace a water heater?
Yes. Water heaters are on the list of plumbing work that needs a permit; replacing faucets, toilets or a dishwasher does not.
Official Harrison permit resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
- City of Harrison website
- Harrison Community Risk Reduction Division
- Harrison downloadable permit applications
- Harrison Ordinance 1538, fire prevention code and permit fees (2025)
- Harrison Planning & Floodplain Management
- Harrison Land Development Regulations
- Harrison floodplain development permit application
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More Arkansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Harrison permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.