Mountain Home’s Building Inspection Department, part of Planning and Engineering at City Hall, 720 South Hickory Street (870-425-2550), permits and inspects building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and sign work inside the city. On the City’s posted fee sheet a house costs $0.10 per heated square foot and $0.05 per unheated square foot, with a $20 minimum, and each trade inspection starts at $40.
What needs a permit in Mountain Home?
City Code 11.08.01 requires a building permit before construction, alteration or repairs other than ordinary repairs. The City’s “Do I need a Permit?” page gives its own working rule: if something built could fall, collapse or fail and hurt someone or damage property, it needs a permit.
Permit needed
- New buildings, additions and walls built from finished floor to ceiling
- Replacing or installing a ceiling grid
- Decks and porches
- Every shed, storage building or carport, whether prebuilt or built in place
- Exterior demolition of a building
- New or altered plumbing piping or fixtures, and water or sewer service repairs over 5 ft of line
- New electrical devices or circuits, and service or panel replacements, including replacing main or circuit breakers
- Signs, driveways and parking lots
No permit
- Framing in existing windows and doors
- Partition walls that do not reach the ceiling, and mill-work
- Interior demolition
- Painting, stucco, siding, roofing and window replacement
- Replacing plumbing fixtures, clamp leak repairs, filters, cartridges and toilets
- Changing switches, receptacles, lights or ceiling fans
Who issues building permits in Mountain Home?
The Building Inspection Department handles building codes, inspections and permits, and also keeps the flood plain and zoning maps, the subdivision regulations and business licensing. It works inside the Planning and Engineering Department, whose director is Arnold Knox; Clay Strain is the Building Official. The department inspects building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and sign work itself. Fire sprinkler, fire alarm and kitchen hood suppression systems are permitted separately by the Fire Department’s Fire Marshal’s office.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Building Inspection Department, City Hall, 720 South Hickory Street, Mountain Home, AR 72653 |
| Phone | 870-425-2550 |
| Applications | E-mail to building@mountainhomear.gov, or the City’s online permit forms |
| Fire protection systems | Fire Marshal’s office, 870-425-2611 |
| Driveways | Street Department, 870-425-4708 |
| New addresses | Baxter County 9-1-1, 870-424-6119 |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The City’s posted code list names the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code (Volumes 1–3), the 2026 electrical code, the 2018 plumbing and fuel gas codes, the 2021 mechanical code and the 2014 Arkansas Energy Code. Land outside the city limits is Baxter County’s, and the City does not issue building permits there.
Mountain Home permit forms and how to file
The City’s Permits page lists an online form for each permit, and completed applications can also be e-mailed to building@mountainhomear.gov. The online forms accept up to 20 PDF or JPG files, 35 MB in total.
- Residential Building Permit: new homes, additions and remodels, with heated and unheated square footage and every trade contractor’s licence number.
- Commercial Building Permit and the Commercial Building Permit Checklist, used for commercial, industrial and multi-family projects.
- Plumbing, Electrical and Mechanical Permits, each filed by the licensed trade contractor.
- Storage Building and Garage or Carport applications, with a site plan showing setbacks to the property lines.
- Demolition or Moving of Structures, Driveway or Parking Lot, Commercial Sign and Temporary Sign permits.
Every contractor and subcontractor working inside the city must also hold a City business license.
Mountain Home building permit fees
The figures below come from the “Adopted Codes & Permitting Fees” sheet that the Planning and Engineering page links as the current permitting fees. Trade permits are charged separately.
| Project | Fee |
|---|---|
| House or duplex, heated area | $0.10 per sq ft |
| Unheated area of a new house (rate printed on the online residential form), and unheated additions | $0.05 per sq ft |
| Heated addition | $0.10 per sq ft |
| Detached building | $0.05 per sq ft |
| Minimum building permit | $20 |
| Commercial work valued at $1,000 or less | No fee, or $20 per inspection if one is needed |
| Commercial, $1,000 to $50,000 | $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per extra $1,000 or part |
| Commercial, $50,000 to $100,000 | $260 for the first $50,000 plus $4 per extra $1,000 or part |
| Commercial, $100,000 to $500,000 | $460 for the first $100,000 plus $3 per extra $1,000 or part |
| Commercial, over $500,000 | $1,660 for the first $500,000 plus $2 per extra $1,000 or part |
| Sign | $1 per sq ft, $20 minimum |
| Banner or temporary yard sign permit (one permit per event) | $20 |
| Driveway | $10 |
| Curb cut or boring | $25 |
| Parking lot, first 5,000 sq ft | $50, more above 5,000 sq ft |
| Demolition, no sewer inspection or capping | $75 |
| Demolition with sewer inspection or capping | $115 |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →For example, a new house with 2,000 sq ft of heated space and a 500 sq ft unheated garage has a building permit fee of $200 plus $25, or $225, before plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits.
The banner, driveway, curb cut and parking lot fees are printed on the City’s online Temporary Sign and Driveway or Parking Lot forms; a parking lot over 5,000 sq ft needs a site plan by a professional engineer. The codified City Code is older than the posted sheet: Section 11.08.03 still shows a $10 minimum, and Section 11.08.01 charges multi-family (other than duplex) and commercial buildings 75% of the valuation schedule, a reduction the posted sheet does not repeat. Demolition fees were set by Ordinance 2026-14, in force from June 7, 2026; a demolition permit is good for six months and renews automatically while work is under way.
Plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits in Mountain Home
Trade permits come from the same office. Each inspection fee covers one rough-in and one final; a repeat visit because work was not ready or failed, and any partial inspection, is charged another inspection fee. Under the City Code, contractors must pay for their permits at least once a month or inspections stop.
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical inspection | $40, plus $0.25 per 120-volt opening, $2 per 240-volt opening and $5 per new service |
| Plumbing inspection | $40, plus $1 per fixture or waste discharge device |
| Water connection, sewer connection, gas, backflow or new grease trap inspection | $40 each |
| Mechanical, residential | $40 first unit, $10 each extra unit, $35 change-out |
| Mechanical, commercial | $50 first unit, $10 each extra unit, $45 change-out |
Who may do the work: electrical work must be done by people licensed by the State, and plumbing by licensed plumbers, who under City Code 11.28.02 also take out an annual City license with the Clerk and post a $1,000 bond. An owner who owns and occupies a house may do the plumbing, electrical and building work on it under a permit. On a business, up to $49,999.99 of construction can be done without a contractor’s licence, but all electrical work and all non-exempt plumbing need a licensed contractor.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Local electrical rules (City Code 11.32.08): wiring in commercial buildings goes in approved conduit; homes use No. 12 wire with up to eight outlets per circuit and no more than two duplex receptacles per circuit in kitchens and laundry rooms; every home needs at least a 100-amp service; and meter loops may not sit above wooden decks. An ordinance on the October 15, 2026 council agenda would adopt the 2026 National Electrical Code with new local electrical rules and repeal Ordinances 1997-7 and 2005-8, the source of these sections and of the two-working-day electrical inspection rule; no minutes on it are posted yet.
Fire protection systems: Ordinance 2025-27 requires a Fire Marshal’s permit before installing sprinklers, hood suppression or fire alarms, with plans in two or more sets and a state-licensed contractor. The Fire Marshal witnesses the acceptance test, and inspection reports on fire equipment in city businesses go to the Fire Inspector’s office in digital form within 14 days.
Application documents
House or addition
- 911 address of the site (Baxter County 9-1-1 assigns it)
- Owner, contractor and plumbing, electrical and HVAC contractor names and licence numbers
- Estimated cost, heated and unheated square footage, bedrooms and baths, and whether the lot is in a flood plain
- Site plan with the lot dimensions, the building’s position and the front, side and rear setbacks
- Wall section from the footing through the floor, showing materials
- Floor plan
Commercial or multi-family
- Application and the completed checklist
- Site plan and civil plans (grading, drainage, erosion control, landscape plan approved by the Planning Commission)
- Architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection plans with a code summary, stamped by an Arkansas design professional
- Flood plain data with the FEMA panel number where the site is in a flood hazard area
- Stormwater report, plus Arkansas Department of Health plumbing or food service approval and ARDOT permits where they apply
The checklist asks for one electronic plan set combined into a single PDF. The Building Official will not issue a commercial permit until Engineering and Planning, Fire, Building and the Planning Commission have released the project, and the commercial form says site drainage and water retention must be built and approved before the permit can be sold. A pre-construction meeting is encouraged.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to get a building permit in Mountain Home
For a new structure, call Baxter County 9-1-1 at 870-424-6119 before you apply.
Ask Building Inspection about the zone, setbacks and whether the lot is in a FEMA flood hazard area, which needs a floodplain development permit first.
Clearing or grading on a site of 3,000 sq ft or more needs a grading permit under the Development Regulations.
Use the online form or e-mail building@mountainhomear.gov with the site plan, wall section and floor plan, or the commercial plan set.
Pay the building fee; each licensed trade contractor files its own plumbing, electrical or mechanical permit.
Book each stage on the City’s inspection list at 870-425-2550 and get the certificate of occupancy before moving in.
Inspections and occupancy
Call the Building Inspection Department at 870-425-2550 for inspections. Its residential list has 20 stages and its commercial list 25. The Building Official takes the building, electrical and mechanical stages, from temporary power and footings to framing and the final, and the plumbing inspector the plumbing, gas, water and sewer stages and the final backflow (RPZ) check. On commercial jobs the Fire Marshal also checks the sprinkler riser thrust block, the hydrostatic test and the Knox box.
Footing trenches are inspected before concrete is placed. Electrical work may not be covered until it has been inspected or two working days have passed since the request. Occupying a building before final approval and a certificate of occupancy is a violation of city ordinance.
Local Mountain Home rules that matter
Flood plain: Mountain Home takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated December 3, 2010, and enforces its Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (Ordinance 2001-16). Any development in a FEMA special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit, and no other permit can be approved before it.
Grading and drainage: the Development Regulations require a development permit with every building permit for new construction or substantial remodeling, though it may be waived for some houses. A grading permit, with a stormwater pollution prevention plan, is needed for disturbance on sites of 3,000 sq ft or more, and drainage design for the 25-year storm once a project adds 5,000 sq ft or more of hard surface. The Building Inspection Department decides development permit applications within 7 working days.
Design criteria and foundations: the City designs for a 15 psf ground snow load, 115 mph wind, seismic category C and an 18-inch frost depth. City Code 11.08.05 sets footings at least 18 inches deep, 24 inches wide and 12 inches thick (18 and 8 inches for a one-story frame house with wood or metal siding), with two No. 4 bars run the full length.
Zoning: the 2026 Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-11) sets R-1 setbacks of 30 ft in front, 10 ft at the sides and 25 ft at the rear, keeps accessory buildings 10 ft from rear and side lines, and allows no structure on an easement. Ordinance 2026-37 (October 1, 2026) sets petition fees: $20 for a zoning variance, $40 for a lot split, $200 for a rezoning, special use variance or large-scale development, $200 plus $5 per lot over four for a subdivision plat, $250 for an annexation and $100 to call a special Planning Commission meeting.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Water and sewer: Ordinance 2026-29 (August 20, 2026) sets tapping fees of $1,315 for a ¾-inch water meter and $600 for a ¾-inch sewer tap, rising to $5,387 for a 3-inch water meter and $900 for a 2-inch or larger sewer tap, plus a $30 activation fee per service. Sewer connections are only allowed inside the city limits, and plumbing serving floors no more than 2 ft above the top of the nearest upstream manhole needs a backwater valve.
Driveways and digging: Ordinance 90-014 requires the Street Superintendent to approve every driveway; call 870-425-4708 at least 24 hours before placing material. Ordinance 2025-28 requires an Arkansas 811 call two to 10 working days before excavation or demolition, with fines from $250 and possible permit suspension.
Codes changing in late 2026: Ordinance 2026-40, listed as passed on October 15, 2026, adopts the 2014 Arkansas Energy Code from November 15, 2026, and an ordinance adopting the 2026 National Electrical Code was on the same agenda. The City’s older Design Criteria sheet and commercial checklist still name the 2020 electrical code and the 2009 energy code.
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
Mountain Home permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Mountain Home?
The City’s Building Inspection Department, in the Planning and Engineering Department at City Hall, 720 South Hickory Street (870-425-2550).
How much is a building permit for a new house in Mountain Home?
$0.10 per heated square foot and $0.05 per unheated square foot, with a $20 minimum. A 2,000 sq ft house with a 500 sq ft garage costs $225, before trade permits.
Do I need a permit for a shed, deck or roof in Mountain Home?
Sheds, storage buildings, carports, decks and porches all need a permit. Re-roofing, siding, window replacement and painting do not.
Can a homeowner do their own work in Mountain Home?
Yes. A person who owns and occupies the house may do their own plumbing, electrical and construction work, but still needs the permits and inspections.
Who permits fire sprinklers and alarms?
The Fire Marshal’s office (870-425-2611), which reviews the plans, issues the permit and witnesses the acceptance test.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →How do I schedule an inspection?
Call the Building Inspection Department at 870-425-2550. Each trade inspection fee covers one rough-in and one final; extra visits cost another fee.
Official Mountain Home permit resources
- Mountain Home Planning and Engineering (Building Inspection)
- Mountain Home permit applications
- Mountain Home adopted codes and permitting fees
- Mountain Home: Do I need a permit?
- Mountain Home Commercial Building Permit Checklist
- Mountain Home inspections and required inspection lists
- Mountain Home code and design criteria
- Mountain Home City Code Title 11, Buildings and Construction
- Mountain Home Development Regulations
- Mountain Home Zoning Ordinance 2026
- Mountain Home Ordinance 2026-29, water and sewer rates and tapping fees
- Mountain Home municipal code and ordinances
- FEMA Community Status Book: Arkansas
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More Arkansas permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Mountain Home permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.