Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Mountain Home, Arkansas

Mountain Home’s own rules

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  A building erected or structurally altered, or a building or premises changing use, inside Mountain Home city limits.

  • The certificate must be issued by the enforcement officer and state compliance with building laws and the zoning ordinance.

  “No building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be used, occupied or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy and compliance shall have been issued by the enforcement officer, stating that the building or proposed use of a building or premise complies with the building laws and the provisions of this Ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within Mountain Home city limits, Baxter County, Arkansas.

  • The regulations are administered under guidance of the Planning Commission.

  “Act 186 enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas in 1957 provides the City of Mountain Home, under guidance of the Planning Commission, with the authority to adopt, administer, enforce and amend these regulations. These regulations are in effect within the entire city limits of Mountain Home.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts and map within Mountain Home city limits.

  • The zoning map includes subsequent amendments and revisions.
  • The Planning Commission interprets boundaries where actual street or property layout varies from the map or ordinance.

  “The use zones are designated on the map titled “Zoning Map – City of Mountain Home,” dated March 13, 1972, and its subsequent amendments and revisions. Said zoning map is hereby incorporated as part of this Ordinance.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Divisions or platting of land inside Mountain Home city limits.

  • Lots of record before ordinance adoption are excepted.
  • A division into tracts of five acres or greater without street-right-of-way dedication is not a lot split.
  • Two-or-more-building large-scale developments require City approval before a building permit may issue.

  tract division threshold: >= 2 lots or building sites (for immediate or future sale or building development) · tract exemption area: >= 5 acres (where no street right-of-way dedication is required)

  “All divisions or platting of a tract or parcel of land into two or more lots, building sites or other division for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of sale or building development, shall be considered a subdivision and subject to this ordinance.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  City permitting fees for land and construction inside Mountain Home city limits.

  • The Planning and Engineering page identifies its linked schedule as current permitting fees.

  “To view current permitting fees, please click here.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Mountain Home city limits.

  • A building permit is issued only after enforcement-officer approval and compliance with the ordinance.
  • Applications must include duplicate scaled plans with specified lot and building information.

  “A building permit will be issued only when the application has been approved by the enforcement officer and meeting the requirements of this Ordinance. All applications for building permits shall be accompanied by plan in duplicate, drawn to scale, showing the actual dimensions of the lot upon, the size of the building to be erected and its location on the lot, and such other information as may be necessary to provide for the enforcement of this Ordinance.”

Rules another office applies inside Mountain Home

Mountain Home does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Structures containing non-residential uses in the R-1 Residential district inside Mountain Home city limits.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 15 percent (structures containing non-residential uses)

  “Structures containing non-residential uses shall not cover more than 15 percent of the lot area”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in the R-1 Residential district inside Mountain Home city limits.

  maximum stories: <= 3 stories · maximum height: <= 50 feet

  “Maximum height of a structure shall be 3 stories and not exceed 50 feet.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Mountain Home or Baxter County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Mountain Home city limits.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Mountain Home city limits.
• Inspections — Building construction inside Mountain Home city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 Residential district inside Mountain Home city limits.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Mountain Home city limits.

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.