Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas

Helena-West Helena’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside the Helena-West Helena city limits, administered by the city under its own zoning code

  • The code is titled the Helena-West Helena zoning code and cites Arkansas Code Annotated 14-46-401 et seq.
  • Applies inside city limits; each district's rules govern lot coverage, height, area, bulk and use.
  • The city ordinance index labels the Municipal Code revision date February 2010; the zoning PDF text read has no effective or adoption date, so effective_at is null.

  “this code, in accordance with arkansas code annotated §§ 14-46-401 et. seq., shall be known as the helena-west helena zoning code and may be cited as such.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Helena-West Helena city limits

  • Article 3 covers residential (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3X), commercial (C-1 to C-3), industrial (I-1, I-2), planned unit development and overlay districts per the table of contents.
  • The zoning district map (section 2.2) was not opened.

  “3.1 residential districts: residential districts shall be in compliance with the following regulations:”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 district (main single-family residential district) inside Helena-West Helena city limits

  • Read from the Article 3 district dimensional table; the text extraction of that table is scrambled, so the reading (first 7,000 = lot area, 60 = lot width at building line) should be verified against the printed schedule.
  • Notes (a) through the later letters of that table were not resolved.

  minimum lot area, single-family detached, R-1: >= 7000 square feet · minimum lot width at building line, R-1 single-family detached: >= 60 feet

  “r-1 s.f. detached 7,000 7,000 60 r-2 s.f. detached s.f. manufactured”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  I-1 light industrial district only, inside Helena-West Helena city limits (not residential)

  • Except that, where property abuts a railroad where siding facilities are utilized, structures may be built up to railroad property lines.

  minimum front yard, I-1 structures: >= 40 feet (railroad siding exception) · minimum yard to all other property lines, I-1 structures: >= 25 feet (railroad siding exception)

  “a. all structures shall be built at least 40 feet from the front property line and 25 feet from all other property lines, except that, where property abuts a railroad where siding facilities are utilized, structures may be built up to railroad property lines.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  I-1 light industrial district only, inside city limits (not residential)

  • Residential lot coverage limits were not resolved (see separate unknown claim).

  maximum lot coverage, I-1: <= 35 percent of lot area

  “b. maximum lot coverage shall not exceed 35 percent of the lot area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  I-1 light industrial district only, inside city limits (not residential)

  • Residential height limits were not resolved (see separate unknown claim).

  maximum height, I-1 structure: <= 35 feet · maximum stories, I-1 structure: <= 2 stories

  “c. the maximum height of a structure shall be 2 stories or 35 feet.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle parks inside city limits; RV occupancy outside a regulated RV park was not established

  • No permanent or semi-permanent structures such as storage sheds, decks, garages, awnings (other than those that area a part of the vehicle itself,) walkways, or landscaping shall be installed on individual RV sites.
  • Sections 5.19.1 through 5.19.4 (site, length-of-stay and district rules) and the distance and site-count rules were not fully read.

  “this section provides regulations governing the development and operation of recreational vehicle (rv) parks within the city of helena-west helena.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Individual-site manufactured homes used as single-family residences inside city limits (R-3X district)

  • Permitted by right only in the R-3X district.
  • The home must meet all requirements as defined in article XIII and must possess all necessary building and occupancy permits and other certifications required by the city for a dwelling unit.
  • The home must be appropriately sited on the lot, with the front of the home oriented to the front of the lot, and all required setbacks.
  • Manufactured home parks require a final plat approved by the planning commission before a building permit can be issued for the park.

  “the establishment, location, and use of manufactured homes as individual-site single-family residences shall be permitted in the r-3x by right, subject to all requirements and limitations applying generally to such residential use in each of the respective districts”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land subdivision inside Helena-West Helena city limits

  • The zoning code requires a final plat prepared by a registered professional engineer under the city's land subdivision and development code.
  • The city's separate subdivision code (Title 14 in the ordinance index) was not opened.

  “this plat shall be prepared by a registered professional engineer in accordance with the land subdivision and development code of the city of -28- helena-west helena.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Helena-West Helena or Phillips County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from contractor requirements inside city limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections inside city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside 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.