Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Haskell, Arkansas

Haskell’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, move, demolition, or occupancy change of buildings inside Haskell city limits, and regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing work

  • Permit must be obtained before the work is performed (IBC section 105 as adopted via Ordinance 10-2025).
  • Because Haskell has no appointed building official, applications go to the Arkansas State Fire Marshal.

  permit authority in absence of local building official: Arkansas State Fire Marshal

  “shall first make application and obtain the required permit before performing or causing any such work to be performed.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside Haskell city limits

  • The city recognizes the state-adopted 2021 International Building Code as the governing standard.
  • Ordinance 10-2025 states it applies to all new subdivisions after its passing.

  “the city of haskell recognizes that the 2021 international building code (ibc), as adopted by the state of arkansas, serves as the statewide standard governing all building construction, renovation, demolition, and related work within the state, including within the jurisdiction of the city of haskell.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Haskell city limits: the city adopts and administers its own zoning regulations (Zoning Regulations, as amended), amended by city ordinance.

  • The consolidated zoning regulations PDF linked from the planning page was not retrieved in this run; only amending ordinances were opened.
  • Zoning map and rezonings are adopted by separate ordinance (e.g., Ordinance 02-2026 rezoning to TC-MU).

  “the zoning regulations for the city of haskell, arkansas are hereby amended as follows, and effective july 1, 2023.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Haskell city limits (e.g., R-2, MF-2, C1/Commercial, TC-MX, TC-MU, M-1 as named in amending ordinances)

  • Table of permitted uses is part of the zoning regulations; district dimensional text was not opened.

  “zoning regulations, as amended (pdf) • zoning map (pdf, large format)”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Haskell city limits

  • Subdivision is governed by the city planning commission's control-of-development and subdivision of land regulations (PDF, not retrieved).
  • Ordinance 10-2025 states it applies to all new subdivisions after its passing.

  “control of development and subdivision of land regulations (pdf)”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit applications for work inside Haskell city limits

  • Haskell has no appointed building official; applications are submitted to and reviewed by the Arkansas State Fire Marshal.
  • Construction documents must meet IBC section 107 as attached in Ordinance 10-2025 (exhibit A, not opened).

  permit reviewer in absence of local building official: Arkansas State Fire Marshal

  “all required permit applications shall be submitted to and reviewed by the arkansas state fire marshal”

Rules another office applies inside Haskell

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

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Onsite wastewater (septic) systems serving land inside Haskell city limits, under the Arkansas Department of Health program with local environmental health specialists

  • Applies to systems under 1500 gallons per day; larger systems are reviewed by the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, Division of Environmental Quality.
  • Statewide program; the county health unit's role inside Haskell was not separately confirmed.

  design flow threshold: < 1500 gallons per day (systems 1500 gpd and larger reviewed by DEE Division of Environmental Quality)

  “this program, in cooperation with the local environmental specialists, reviews permit applications for onsite wastewater systems under 1500 gallons per day (gpd). systems 1500 gpd and larger are reviewed by the department of energy and environment’s division of environmental quality”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permitting for a home inside Haskell city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Haskell city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside Haskell city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the main single-family residential district (R-1 or R-2, to be confirmed) inside Haskell city limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the main single-family residential district (R-1 or R-2, to be confirmed) inside Haskell 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.