Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Mayflower, Arkansas

Mayflower’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, excavation for construction, moving or alteration of any building or structure inside Mayflower city limits

  • Permit issued only after the mayor or designee approves the application as meeting the regulations.
  • Application must include a plot plan drawn to scale showing lot dimensions, building dimensions, location, orientation, use, access, easements and rights-of-way.
  • No excavation, clearing or construction may begin before permit issuance (11.04.03); permits must be used within the proposed start window and work completed within one year of the proposed date.
  • Excavation permit separately required for 5 cubic yards or more of excavation or fill, grubbing, removal of 5 or more trees over 12 inches caliper, or work in a stream, drainage ditch or roadway (14.04.01(d)).

  “no excavation or clearing or construction may begin prior to the issuance of a building permit by the city of mayflower”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  All buildings and structures within the corporate limits of Mayflower city

  • Chapter 11.04 adopts by reference the International Building Code, International Existing Building Code, Standard Unsafe Building Abatement Code, Standard Swimming Pool Code, Arkansas Fire Prevention Code rules, Arkansas Plumbing Code, Arkansas Fuel Gas Code, International Energy Conservation Code, NFPA 70/NEC, the Arkansas Gas Code, NFPA Life Safety Code, Arkansas Mechanical Code, National Electric Code and Arkansas Energy Code, with editions listed in a table the captured text does not map one-to-one.
  • Part b: as part of the standard building code, but with limitations, the 2012 edition of the International Residential Code is expressly adopted for one- and two-family dwellings.
  • Part c: the adopted codes control all buildings within the corporate limits, except as regulated by other city ordinances.
  • Ordinance history cited: 2014-03, 2015-01, 2023-04. Effective dates for the latest amendments were not stated in the captured text.

  “the following international codes as approved by the state of arkansas are adopted by reference as though they were copied herein fully”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction under a city building permit inside Mayflower city limits

  • Code enforcement officers examine permitted premises and make the necessary inspections (11.04.08).
  • Fire chief or code enforcement officer performs inspections; the $30 per-visit inspection fee applies (see permit_fees claim).
  • Contractors are encouraged to combine inspections into a single visit.
  • Inspection schedule, required inspection types and sequence were not captured; the city's inspection request form was not opened.

  “examine the premises for which permits have been issued and shall make necessary inspections to see that the provisions of law are complied with”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the corporate limits of Mayflower city, Arkansas (Faulkner County)

  • Mayflower adopted Chapter 14.04, Mayflower Zoning Regulations, under Title 14 of its municipal code, with districts, conditional use review, site plan review, Board of Zoning Adjustment, and a Heart of Mayflower overlay district.
  • The zoning ordinance's jurisdiction covers the city limits and, separately, an extraterritorial area tied to the navigable stream zoning area under Arkansas statutes; the extraterritorial reach was not analyzed here.
  • Ordinance 2025-01 (per city news) classifies newly annexed property in Faulkner County; annexed land is placed in the A-1 agricultural zone until rezoned (per 14.04.03).

  “the jurisdiction of these regulations shall include all land and structures within (a) the corporate limits of the city of mayflower, arkansas and as the corporate limits may subsequently change”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-1SB stick-built single-family residential district inside Mayflower city limits

  • Permitted use is one stick-built home of not less than 1,000 square feet of heated/cooled living space on a lot of record.
  • A dwelling-size reduction system applies to buffer abutting subdivisions with different minimum square footage; subdivisions above 2,000 square feet are classed at 2,000 square feet, and a development plan is reviewed at preliminary plat.
  • Density: not more than three dwelling units per gross acre unless in a planned subdivision (ordinance 2024-12).

  minimum heated/cooled living space: >= 1000 square feet (buffer size-reduction system for abutting subdivisions)

  “one stick-built conventional home of not less than 1,000 square feet of heated/cooled living space, as the primary or principal use on a lot of record”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1SB stick-built single-family residential district inside Mayflower city limits

  • Applies to stick-built conventional homes on separate platted lots.
  • Ordinance 2024-12 is cited in the text for this lot standard; the effective date of that ordinance is not stated in the captured text.

  minimum lot area: >= 7500 square feet · minimum lot width at front building line: >= 60 feet

  “the minimum lot area is 7,500 square feet and the minimum lot width is sixty (60) feet at the front building line”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1SB stick-built single-family residential district inside Mayflower city limits

  • Front yard setback of 25 feet from the front property line, except as modified by hillside provisions in the subdivision regulations or the existing building line.
  • Side yard setback of seven feet six inches on each side of the principal structure; eaves, balconies and bay windows may encroach no more than two feet; corner lots have a street-side yard of not less than 25 feet.
  • Rear yard setback is in the same section but was not fully captured; use the code text before relying on a rear figure.
  • Measurement method: the closest point of the wall to the lot line controls.

  front yard setback: >= 25 feet (hillside development provision or existing building line) · side yard setback: >= 7.5 feet (eaves, balconies, bay windows may encroach up to 2 feet)

  “there shall be a front yard set-back having a depth of not less than 25 feet from the front property line”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district inside Mayflower city limits

  • Building coverage maximum 33.3%; impervious surface coverage maximum 50%.
  • Minimum lot width 150 feet and lot depth 200 feet.

  maximum building coverage: <= 33.3 percent · maximum impervious surface coverage: <= 50 percent

  “lot width 150′ min, lot depth 200′ min, building coverage 33.3% max, impervious surface coverage 50% max”

• Building heightSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district inside Mayflower city limits

  • Dwellings: maximum 3 stories; other structures: maximum 50 feet.

  maximum height, other structures: <= 50 feet · maximum stories, dwelling: <= 3 stories

  “c. stories/height dwelling: 3 stories max; other structures: 50′ max”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured/industrialized homes in the R-IMH residential district inside Mayflower city limits

  • Home must be attached to a foundation under the city building code.
  • Unit must be at least 14 feet wide.
  • Exterior covering customary for dwellings in Mayflower is required.
  • Homes must be underpinned within 30 days of set-up using masonry or approved manufactured-housing materials.
  • Single-story height limit in the R-IMH district.
  • Development of an R-1MH subdivision requires a five-acre site; lot area minimum 5,000 square feet at 50 feet width (the code text uses both 'r-imh' and 'r1mh').

  minimum unit width: >= 14 feet

  “the home must be attached to a foundation in compliance with the building code currently in effect in the city of mayflower”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Facilities on land more than 300 feet from a public sewer inside Mayflower city limits

  • Where a public sewer is within 300 feet, the facility must connect (10.04.26(c)), so off-grid sanitation is not allowed there.
  • The A-1 district text says it is the most appropriate zone for land not served by a communal sewer system, implying on-site systems are contemplated there.
  • Whether and how on-site sanitation is approved beyond 300 feet was not found in the captured text; county or state septic rules may apply.

  “except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New sewage or toilet facilities on real property inside Mayflower city limits or under its jurisdiction

  • Connection to the public sewer is required when the facility is within 300 feet of a public sewer system (10.04.26(c)).
  • Subsection (d) begins 'except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or...'; its exceptions were not captured in full.
  • No water-connection requirement was found in the captured text; water is supplied by Mayflower Water Works, and its service rules were not reviewed.

  distance to public sewer triggering connection: <= 300 feet (except as provided in 10.04.26(d))

  “hereafter no sewage and/or toilet facilities shall be constructed or placed in, upon or about any real property situated within the city of mayflower, arkansas, or in any area under the jurisdiction of said city, unless such facilities shall be properly connected with a publicly owned or operated sewage disposal system, providing such facility is within 300 feet of any public sewer system.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Mayflower city limits, including agricultural (A-1) land

  • Land in agricultural zones may not be subdivided into lots below 5 acres without first or simultaneously completing a rezoning process (14.04.03).
  • Title 15 (Subdivision regulations) and a suburban overlay district (Chapter 15.04) are listed in the code index; not opened.
  • Final plat approval requires payment of any additional review charges (14.04.01 filing fees).

  minimum lot size in A-1 without rezoning: >= 5 acres (simultaneous or prior rezoning process)

  “land in the agricultural zones shall not be subdivided into any lots below 5 acres in size without first or simultaneously completing a rezoning process”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Land inside Mayflower city limits that is in a floodplain and is to be disturbed or developed

  • A city floodplain permit must be submitted and approved before any excavation permit issues (14.04.01(d)).
  • Chapter 13.08 (flood damage prevention regulatory code) governs; not opened.
  • Floodway (FW) district prohibits encroachments unless a registered professional engineer or land surveyor certifies no increase in flood levels (14.04.03).

  “if the land to be disturbed is in a floodplain, a city of mayflower floodplain permit shall be submitted and approved prior to any excavation permit issuance”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building and excavation permit fees inside Mayflower city limits

  • Excavation permit fee: no fee under 1 acre disturbed; $100 plus $50 per acre (maximum $500) for 1 acre or more, with SWPPP and NOI requirements at 1 acre or more (14.04.01(d)); the fee table was flattened in the captured text.
  • Building code inspection fee: $30 per visit (11.04 fee section, subsection h).
  • The city fee schedule (linked from the permit pages) lists additional items, such as a $125 site plan review application and a $100 BZA appeal, but was not opened; it may have been revised after the code text.

  building code inspection fee: 30 USD (per visit) · excavation permit fee, 1 acre or more: 100 USD (plus $50 per acre, maximum $500)

  “the building code inspection fee shall be thirty dollars ($30.00) per visit”

• Permit processPartial

  Building and other city permit applications inside Mayflower city limits

  • Application is online or on paper (paper submitted in person at 2 Ashmore Drive, per city site search results); the city site lists permit types including building, electrical, excavation, HVAC, natural gas and demolition.
  • Application needs a plot plan drawn to scale; the mayor or designee approves before issuance.
  • Permit inquiries and inspection requests run through Mayflower Water Works (501-470-1818), per city site search results.
  • Step-by-step review timeline was not captured.

  “each item below requires a city of mayflower permit. click the link for details and to apply online.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Mayflower or Faulkner County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Mayflower city limits
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of a recreational vehicle on private land inside Mayflower city limits
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Mayflower city limits
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Mayflower city limits
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units on residential lots inside Mayflower 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.