Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Green Forest, Arkansas

Green Forest’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Green Forest city limits

  • The city page lists the 2012 International Building Code, 2012 International Residential Code, 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, 2012 International Fire Code, 2006 International Fuel Gas Code, 2009 International Mechanical Code and 2006 International Plumbing Code as adopted codes.
  • The page does not state an adoption ordinance number or effective date.

  “green forest, arkansas adopts the arkansas fire prevention code as its fire prevention and building code, inclusive of the 2012 ar fire prevention code based on the 2012 ifc, ibc and irc.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside the city limits of Green Forest city, Arkansas

  • The zoning code is Title 14 of the city code; the official copy is kept by the City Clerk at City Hall and the zoning map is kept in the office of the city recorder.
  • Ordinance numbers cited in the code (e.g., Ord. No. 2009-604) are given without a stated effective date in the excerpt reviewed; no effective_at is recorded.

  “a zoning code, consisting of a technical code, and zoning map is hereby adopted as the official zoning code of and for the city of green forest, arkansas”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Use zones inside Green Forest city limits

  • Zones named in the code: residential R-1 (and R-3 heading, status unclear), central business C-1, highway commercial C-2, neighborhood commercial C-3, light industrial I-1 and heavy industrial I-2.
  • The official zoning map is kept by the city recorder/City Clerk; the map itself was not opened.

  “the city is divided into the following use zones as indicated on the zoning map:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Manufactured homes placed in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Green Forest city (not a site-built minimum)

  • Manufactured homes must have more than 576 sq. ft. of occupied space and a minimum width and length of at least 24 feet (Ord. No. 555).

  minimum occupied floor area: > 576 sq ft (manufactured homes in R-1) · minimum width and length: >= 24 feet (manufactured homes in R-1)

  “have more than five hundred seventy-six (576) sq. ft of occupied space;”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lots in the R-1 residential district inside Green Forest city

  • Minimum lot width at the front yard building line is 70 feet for single-family.
  • R-1 is described as the district for large lots for single-family dwellings.
  • Two-family and multi-family uses have higher minimums (10,000 sq. ft. base) and are conditional or council-approved.

  minimum lot area, single-family: >= 8500 sq ft · minimum lot width, single-family: >= 70 feet

  “minimum lot area a. single-family 8,500 square feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 residential district inside Green Forest city

  • Front yard: minimum 30 feet, or 55 feet from center of street, whichever is greater.
  • Side yard: minimum 12 feet from each property line (each side).
  • Rear yard: minimum 10 feet from rear lot line or center of alley if one exists.
  • Off-street parking is governed by section 14.20.04 (not reviewed).

  front yard: >= 30 feet (or 55 feet from center of street, whichever is greater) · side yard (each): >= 12 feet · rear yard: >= 10 feet (or center of alley if one exists)

  “minimum ten (10) feet from rear lot line or center of alley if one exists.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Commercial use zone in Title 14 section 14.16 immediately before section 14.16.07 (neighborhood commercial C-3); the section header is garbled, and the uses listed match the highway commercial C-2 zone, but this was not confirmed on the header

  • Applies to commercial zone, not R-1 residential.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent

  “lot coverage. no structure shall cover more.than:fifty percent (50%) of the lot area.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Trailers or mobile homes used as living quarters on land in the residential R-1 use zone inside Green Forest city

  • Allowed only by conditional use permit, for one year only, and only where a bona fide hardship case has been demonstrated.
  • Conditional use requires signatures of all property owners within 300 feet and a public hearing before the planning commission.
  • Residential R-1 zone is the only zone where this text was found.

  permit duration: 1 year (bona fide hardship case)

  “trailers or mobile homes will be permitted in residential r-1 for a,period of one (1) year only, by conditional use permit, in those instances where a bona fide hardship case has been demonstrated.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Placing a mobile or manufactured home more than 15 years old (by manufacture date) anywhere inside Green Forest city

  • Violation carries a fine of up to $250 per day, and any unpaid fine becomes a lien on the structure (Ord. No. 641, sec. 1).
  • No effective date stated in the excerpt reviewed.

  maximum manufacture age: <= 15 years

  “no person may place a mobile or manufactured home which has a manufacture date in excess of fifteen (15) years old within the city of green forest, arkansas.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Single-family manufactured homes in the residential R-1 use zone inside Green Forest city

    “single-family manufactured homes (ord. no. 555, sec. 1.)”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Lots in the affordable-housing residential demonstration district created under Title 14 chapter 14.40 inside Green Forest city; not a general rule for all new homes

  • Requirement is that municipal water and sewer be available to all building lots in that district, not a general connection mandate.
  • Minimum building lot size in that district is 3,000 square feet under the same section (Ord. No. 418).

  “c. municipal water and sewer shall be available to all building lots.”

• Permit processPartial

  Questions about building requirements and inspections in Green Forest city

  • Residents, property owners and contractors may contact the Building Inspector; no written application steps, forms or timelines were found on the page reviewed.
  • Building Inspector phone 870-480-2619 (per the city page).

  “residents, property owners, and contractors can contact the building inspector with questions regarding applicable building requirements and inspections.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Green Forest or Carroll County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Green Forest city
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Green Forest city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new buildings inside Green Forest city
• Building height — Building height in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Green Forest city
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Green Forest city

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.