Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Batesville, Arkansas

Batesville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction and remodeling inside Batesville city limits.

  • Minor repairs are excepted.
  • The City lists additions, plumbing alterations, new buildings, signs, lawn sprinkler systems, electrical alterations, decks, roofs, fireplaces, relocation of structures, site development, swimming pools, and demolitions.

  “Permits are required except for minor repairs. Permits are required for the following types of construction and remodeling: additions, plumbing alterations, new buildings, signs, lawn sprinkler systems, electrical alterations, decks, roofs, fireplaces, relocation of structures, site development, swimming pools, and demolitions.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings erected, structurally altered, or changed in use inside Batesville city limits.

  • Certificate application must be made coincident with the building-permit application.
  • The certificate is issued by the City Clerk within ten days after certification by the enforcement officer.

  “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 premises complies with the provisions of these regulations.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Batesville city limits.

  • The municipal zoning regulations are administered by an enforcement officer designated by City Council.

  “This Code applies to all land within the corporate limits of Batesville, Arkansas, as now or hereafter set, as shown on the official zoning map.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Batesville city limits.

  • District boundaries are designated by the zoning map incorporated into the Code.

  “Zoning map. The map incorporated into this Code as part hereof, designating zoning districts.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Use of a travel trailer as a permanent dwelling inside Batesville city limits.

  • This claim concerns permanent dwelling use; it does not determine every temporary travel-trailer use or every zoning district.

  “A “travel trailer” used as a permanent dwelling unit is expressly prohibited by this Code.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured-home placement inside Batesville city limits.

  • Manufactured homes are a listed permitted use in R-2 subject to §14.05.07 requirements.
  • Mobile homes are prohibited in R-1 and HR districts; district zoning therefore controls.

  “Manufactured Homes, as defined in section 14.02.01, subject to the requirements of section 14.05.07.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Batesville city limits.

  • Title 15 includes general provisions, definitions and procedures, and design standards.

  “These regulations apply to all subdivision of land, as defined in Section 15.02.01 (Definitions), located within the corporate limits of the city.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in an area designated as a Special Flood Hazard Area on the community’s FIRM inside Batesville city limits.

  • Required for structural development, manufactured structures, clearing, grading, mining, drilling, dredging, fill, excavating, watercourse alteration, drainage improvements, road or bridge construction, individual water or sewer installations, and other development.
  • Other necessary permits, including Section 404 Wetlands Permits when required, must be obtained before the Floodplain Development Permit is issued.

  “A Floodplain Development Permit is required for all structural development, placement of manufactured structures, clearing, grading, mining, drilling, dredging, placement of fill, excavating, watercourse alteration, drainage improvements, roadway or bridge construction, individual water or sewer installations or any other development in a Special Flood Hazard Area to ensure conformance with the provisions of this Code.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Batesville city limits.

  • Applications are obtained at the Code Enforcement Office on the first floor of the Municipal Building at 500 E. Main Street.

  “Building Permit Applications may be obtained at the Code Enforcement Office located on the first floor in the Municipal Building at 500 E. Main Street.”

Rules another office applies inside Batesville

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Principal permitted uses erected or located in Batesville R-1 District.

  • The minimum lot-size and frontage provisions do not apply to qualifying single-family residences on lots existing and platted within the City as of August 7, 1995, formerly used for single-family residential purposes, if only single-family residential structures are constructed or reconstructed.
  • Setback requirements remain in force for that exception.

  minimum lot area: >= 5000 square feet · minimum width at established building line: >= 50 feet

  “Except as provided below, every principal permitted use hereafter erected or located in the R-1 District shall have a lot area of not less than five thousand (5,000) square feet with a minimum width at the established building line of fifty feet (50’).”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings erected or enlarged in Batesville R-1 District.

  • Any yard adjoining a street is considered a front yard.
  • For a detached single-family home on an individual lot, total side yard is 20 percent of lot width at building setback line, with no side less than seven feet.
  • For a patio-home or zero-lot-line subdivision, one side yard must be at least seven feet wide.

  front yard: >= 25 feet (or 55 feet from center line of existing right-of-way, whichever is greater) · rear yard: >= 25 feet

  “Front yard. Twenty-five feet (25’) from the front property line or fifty-five feet (55’) from center line of existing right-of-way, whichever is greater. (Any yard adjoining a street shall be considered a front yard.)”

• Building heightSpecified

  Structures in Batesville R-1 District.

  • The lesser of the stated height and story limits controls.

  maximum height: <= 36 feet (or three stories, whichever is less) · maximum stories: <= 3 stories (whichever is less)

  “No structure shall exceed thirty-six feet (36’) or three (3) stories, whichever is less.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside Batesville city limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Batesville city limits.
• Inspections — Building construction inside Batesville city limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — R-1 residential district inside Batesville city limits.
• Lot coverage — R-1 residential district inside Batesville 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.