Building permits inside Jacksonville’s city limits are handled by the City’s Engineering Department at 1 Municipal Drive (501-982-6071), whose staff include the building inspector. The building permit fee is based on construction value: $10 for the first $1,000 and $2 for each further $1,000, with all construction valued at no less than $35 per square foot of heated and cooled space.
What needs a permit in Jacksonville?
The City publishes permit applications for these projects inside the city limits:
Building permits
- New homes and commercial buildings
- Additions, remodels and accessory buildings
- Fences (a separate $10 permit)
- Signs and cell towers
- Moving a house or building
Separate approvals
- Electrical, plumbing, gas and HVACR permits, taken out by each trade
- Floodplain development permits for work in a mapped flood zone
- Grading and drainage plans for disturbing 1,000 sq ft or more of land
- Construction in a City right-of-way
- Business licences for contractors working in the city
Who handles permits in Jacksonville?
The Engineering Department, shown on the City’s website as Engineering & Planning, covers planning, land use controls, permitting and enforcement. It issues building permits, keeps the flood maps and floodplain permits (the City Engineer is the floodplain administrator), and its building inspector inspects construction. Commercial site plans go to the Planning Commission, which meets monthly.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | 1 Municipal Drive, Jacksonville, AR 72076 |
| Phone / fax | 501-982-6071 / 501-985-6439 |
| Floodplain administrator | City Engineer |
| Planning Commission | Monthly; 2026 dates on the City’s published calendar |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →Unincorporated land around Jacksonville is handled by Pulaski County, not the City.
Jacksonville permit forms
The Engineering & Planning page posts the City’s forms as PDFs to print and bring in:
- Building Permit Application (revised May 28, 2025), covering residential and commercial work, with boxes for platting, basements, flood zone status and state Health Department plumbing approval on commercial jobs.
- Commercial Building Permit Checklist.
- Fence Permit Application, with an initial fence location inspection and a final inspection.
- House Moving Permit Application, filed with the City Engineer at least 48 hours before the move.
- Sign, Cell Tower and ROW Construction permit applications.
- Floodplain Development Permit Application.
The commercial checklist requires a current business licence, a state contractor’s licence and a bond for the general contractor, plumber, electrician and HVACR contractor before a commercial permit is issued.
Jacksonville permit fees
Section 16.04.060 of the Jacksonville Municipal Code sets building permit fees on the estimated value of construction, materials and labor included. No change to these fees appears in the City Council’s 2026 agendas.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building permit, first $1,000 of value | $10 minimum |
| Building permit, each further $1,000 or part | $2 |
| Minimum value used for construction | $35 per sq ft of heated and cooled area |
| Fence permit | $10 |
| House moving | $75 up to 16 ft wide; $85 to 20 ft; $100 over 20 ft |
| Stormwater permit | No charge |
| City Engineer or Planner review time | At least $100 per hour, paid by the plan filer |
Example: a 2,000 sq ft house at the $35 minimum value is valued at $70,000, so the building permit is $10 plus 69 × $2, or $148, before the trade permits.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Where the builder and the City Engineer disagree about value, the code presumes $30 per square foot of the whole floor plan, counting carports, garages, storage rooms and porches, until the final inspection shows otherwise. The Building Permit Application also carries the state commercial surcharge on commercial jobs.
Electrical, plumbing and gas permits
Electricians, plumbers and HVACR contractors take out their own inspection permits. Under the municipal code, electrical permits are issued only to people licensed by the state Board of Electrical Examiners, and homeowners may get a plumbing or gas permit for work they do themselves in their own home. Master plumbers and gas fitters must file a $1,000 bond with the City.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical outlets | $6 for 1–8, rising by count (for example $20 for 91–100) |
| Electrical inspection visit | $5 per visit, inside city limits |
| Electrical re-inspection | $10 inside city limits, $20 outside |
| Plumbing fixtures | $4 to $6 each (water closet $5, bathtub $4, shower $6) |
| Gas connection / hot water heater | $8 each |
| Plumbing inspection | $10 per inspection inside city limits, $20 outside |
| Plumbing re-inspection caused by the plumber | $10 inside city limits, $20 outside |
Plumbing gets two inspections: a test of the soil and vent piping and a final inspection with the master plumber present. Electrical work found in use without an inspection application carries an extra $5 charge. The code adopts the International Building and Residential Codes, the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, the National Electrical Code and the Arkansas plumbing, gas and mechanical codes in their most recent editions.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Commercial submittal checklist
Approvals first
- Proper zoning for the use
- A lot in a recorded subdivision; otherwise the Planning Commission must review the request first
- Arkansas Department of Health plumbing approval, plus food-service approval where food is handled
- A state highway driveway permit on a state-maintained road
- Water and sewer availability confirmed and utility fees paid
Two sets of plans
- Foundation, framing and roof structure
- Plumbing riser diagram showing the backflow preventer (RPZ)
- Gas, electrical and mechanical plans
- Landscape, sprinkler and parking lot layouts
- Site plan with distances to existing structures, construction type and total square feet, and the sign location
The City also requires a sworn affidavit from an engineer or architect registered in Arkansas certifying that the plans meet the building, fire, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical codes. For houses, the application needs the address, lot and block, square footage, number of stories and the names of the electrical, plumbing and HVACR contractors.
How to get a Jacksonville permit
Make sure the lot is in a recorded subdivision and zoned for the use; unplatted sites go to the Planning Commission first.
Mark the floodplain box on the application and apply for a floodplain development permit if the site is in a flood zone.
Disturbing 1,000 sq ft or more, including a single subdivision lot, needs a plan filed with the City Planner or City Engineer.
Bring the completed form, plot plan and plan sets to the Engineering Department at 1 Municipal Drive.
The electrician, plumber and HVACR contractor each take out a separate permit.
The Certificate of Occupancy follows the final inspections and, where required, an as-built Elevation Certificate.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Jacksonville
Call the Engineering Department at 501-982-6071 to arrange building inspections. A Certificate of Occupancy is not issued until every inspection has passed and any required as-built Elevation Certificate is on file, and no structure may be occupied before then.
The applicant is responsible for marking property lines; the City says its building official does not locate them. Driveways must be poured to the flow line of the gutter, not the top of the curb, with the curb sawed out and an expansion joint installed, or the Certificate of Occupancy will be withheld.
Local rules that affect Jacksonville projects
Flood zones: Title 15 of the municipal code makes the City Engineer responsible for flood permits. New or substantially improved homes must have the lowest floor, including any basement, at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, certified by an engineer, architect or surveyor; commercial buildings must be elevated 2 feet or floodproofed. All land alteration inside the floodplain needs a grading plan. Jacksonville participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, with maps dated June 7, 2019.
Floor height: the finished floor of a new house must be at least 6 inches above the top of the curb it fronts, unless an engineer designed the subdivision’s lots so the floor is above the 100-year floodplain, the house sits above the flood from an 8 inch, one-hour rain, or the City Engineer confirms in writing that it is above the 100-year floodplain. Any exception must be obtained before construction starts.
Stormwater: the stormwater permit is free, but grading and drainage plans must include erosion and sediment controls, and violations can be fined $50 to $1,000 per violation.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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
Jacksonville permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Jacksonville, Arkansas?
The City’s Engineering Department at 1 Municipal Drive (501-982-6071) issues building permits inside the city limits.
How much is a building permit in Jacksonville?
$10 for the first $1,000 of construction value plus $2 for each additional $1,000. All construction is valued at no less than $35 per square foot of heated and cooled area, so a 2,000 sq ft house pays at least $148.
Do I need a permit for a fence?
Yes. A fence permit costs $10 and includes an inspection of the fence location and a final inspection.
Can a homeowner do their own plumbing?
The municipal code lets homeowners get a plumbing or gas permit for work they do themselves in the home they live in.
How high must a house be built in a flood zone?
The lowest floor must be at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, and a new house’s finished floor must be at least 6 inches above the highest point of the curb it fronts unless one of the code’s exceptions applies.
Who handles land outside the city limits?
Pulaski County, not the City of Jacksonville.
Official Jacksonville construction and permitting resources
These are the primary sources behind this guide. Codes, fee schedules and procedures change — confirm the position for your filing date.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →- Jacksonville Engineering & Planning
- Jacksonville building permit application
- Jacksonville commercial building permit checklist
- Jacksonville fence permit application
- Jacksonville floodplain development permit application
- Jacksonville right-of-way construction permit application
- Jacksonville Municipal Code, Title 16 Buildings and Construction
- Jacksonville Municipal Code, Title 15 Flood Damage Prevention
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More Arkansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Jacksonville permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.