Building permits, zoning and land rules in West Memphis, Arkansas

At a glance

Building permit

City Building Inspection issues permits, reviews plans and conducts inspections¹

Zoning

West Memphis adopts and administers zoning inside city limits²

Septic

City rules apply, with system design subject to Arkansas Department of Health recommendations³

Sewer connection

Required at the owner's expense under the city's notice and distance conditions⁴

Owner-builder

Licensing exemption available for an owner's own residence, but the building-permit requirement remains⁵

RV or tiny home

Private-lot occupancy not confirmed; ask Planning & Development for a parcel-specific answer²

Minimum home size

Not confirmed; ask Planning & Development for the rule in the parcel's zoning district⁶

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in West Memphis, Arkansas?

Start with City of West Memphis Building Inspection before construction. The office issues building permits, reviews plans, validates licenses and insurance, and conducts building inspections inside the city.¹ West Memphis also publishes a residential building-permit application, but the reviewed material does not establish a complete list of work exempt from a permit. Ask the office to classify the project before work begins.

An owner may act as the residential building contractor for construction or remodeling of the owner's own West Memphis residence without the chapter's contractor license, provided the owner does not construct or remodel more than one residence in a calendar year.⁵ That is only a licensing exemption; it does not remove the city building-permit requirement.⁵ Arkansas's statewide building code also applies to new structures and covered alterations, additions and changes in use.⁷

Who issues building permits in West Memphis, and how do you reach them?

City of West Memphis Building Inspection is the construction-permit and inspection contact for an address inside city limits.¹ Call 870-732-7520 or mail P.O. Box 1728, West Memphis, AR 72301.¹ The city links an online permit portal for electronic applications.¹

Building and zoning authority stays with West Memphis, not the Crittenden County planning counter. City zoning divides land inside West Memphis into use districts, and the proposed use must fit the parcel's district.² Septic approval is separate: West Memphis regulates private sewage disposal, the system must follow Arkansas Department of Health recommendations, and the state Onsite Wastewater Program works with county Environmental Health Specialists on applications.³⁸

Does West Memphis have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Yes. West Memphis adopts and administers zoning districts inside city limits.² The published districts include single-family, low-density residential, mobile-home, medium-density residential, conservation, commercial, industrial and other classifications.⁶ Subdivision and development are also regulated, and a mobile-home subdivision must comply with both the zoning ordinance and the city's Land Subdivision and Development Code.⁹

The district matters because an allowed use and its dimensional rules can change across the city. We could not confirm a single citywide minimum dwelling size, an accessory-dwelling rule, or a general rule allowing a tiny home as a residence. We also could not confirm long-term RV occupancy on a private lot. Ask Planning & Development to identify the parcel's district and give a written answer on the proposed dwelling, setbacks and occupancy before purchase.

How do sewer and septic rules work inside West Memphis?

West Memphis regulates private sewage disposal locally, while requiring the type, capacity, location and layout of a private system to comply with Arkansas Department of Health recommendations.³ Arkansas requires approval of an onsite-wastewater application and detailed plans before covered construction, alteration, repair or operation, followed by inspection and a Permit for Operation before the system is used.¹⁰¹¹

City sewer takes priority when the local rule applies. For an occupied property with a city public sewer in the abutting street, alley or right-of-way and within 300 feet of the property line, the owner must connect at the owner's expense within 90 days after official notice.⁴ West Memphis generally prohibits privies, septic tanks, cesspools and other sewage-disposal facilities subject to the exceptions in its sewage article.¹²

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in West Memphis?

We could not confirm that West Memphis allows long-term occupancy of an RV or a tiny home on an ordinary private lot. City zoning applies inside West Memphis, so ask Planning & Development for a written determination tied to the parcel's district and the exact unit.² A mobile-home district or mobile-home subdivision rule should not be assumed to authorize every RV or tiny home; mobile-home subdivisions must follow both city zoning and the Land Subdivision and Development Code.⁹

Arkansas health rules answer only a narrower park question. A parcel offering three or more paid spaces for RVs, tiny houses on wheels or mobile homes is regulated as a mobile-home or recreational-vehicle park and needs state review before construction, alteration, repair or extension.¹³¹⁴ Those park rules do not establish permission for a single unit on a private West Memphis lot.¹⁵

Building a home in West Memphis: what are the steps?

1. Ask West Memphis Planning & Development to confirm the parcel's zoning district, the proposed residential use and the district-specific dimensional standards.²⁶

1. Confirm city sewer availability. If the city connection rule applies, plan and budget for the required connection; otherwise, begin onsite-wastewater review before building.⁴¹⁰

1. Submit the building plans and city building-permit application through Building Inspection or its online portal.¹

1. If acting as owner-builder, document the licensing exemption while keeping the building permit and zoning approvals in place.⁵

1. Schedule the city building inspections and, for an onsite system, obtain health approval and a Permit for Operation before using it.¹¹¹

1. If access connects to an Arkansas state highway, obtain the state driveway permit before work in the highway right-of-way.¹⁶

What should you check before buying land in West Memphis?

Confirm that the parcel is inside West Memphis city limits, then obtain its zoning district, allowed use and applicable setbacks from Planning & Development.² Verify city sewer location early because the local connection rule can displace a private septic plan.⁴ If an onsite system may be possible, the Arkansas Department of Health process requires plans and approval before covered construction.¹⁰

Crittenden County's physical conditions are useful context, not a parcel decision. None of the county's mapped soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so a site evaluation matters wherever private sewage disposal is considered.¹⁷ The county receives about 53.9 inches of precipitation annually, making drainage and flood review sensible parts of due diligence.¹⁸ We could not confirm the ordinary private-well permitting rule inside West Memphis; ask the Arkansas Department of Health before drilling.

Watch-outs

• The owner-builder provision is a contractor-licensing exemption, not an exemption from West Memphis building permits or zoning.⁵
• A city sewer within 300 feet of the property line can trigger connection at the owner's expense within 90 days after official notice.⁴
• West Memphis has distinct zoning districts, so mobile-home, RV, tiny-home, lot-size and setback answers must be tied to the parcel's district.⁶

Sources

1. City of West Memphis Building Inspection (westmemphisar.gov)
2. West Memphis Zoning Ordinance (West Memphis), quoted and re-checked
3. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 42-243, compliance with state health department; system on undersize lot prohibited (West Memphis), quoted and re-checked
4. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 42-208, toilet facilities and sewer connection required (West Memphis), quoted and re-checked
5. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 103-20, application; building permit (West Memphis), quoted and re-checked
6. West Memphis Zoning Ordinance (West Memphis), quoted and re-checked
7. 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. Arkansas Department of Health Onsite Wastewater Program (healthy.arkansas.gov)
9. Planning & Development (West Memphis), quoted and re-checked
10. Rules Pertaining to Onsite Wastewater Systems (2024) (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Rules Pertaining to Onsite Wastewater Systems (2024) (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Code of Ordinances, Sec. 42-207, privies, septic tanks and cesspools prohibited (West Memphis), quoted and re-checked
13. 20 CAR § 138-102. Compliance (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. 20 CAR § 138-101. Definitions (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. 20 CAR § 138-102. Compliance (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Regulations: Rules for Access Driveways to State Highways (Arkansas statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
18. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 10, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.