Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of St. Joe, Arkansas

Rules another office applies inside Town of St. Joe

Town of St. Joe 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 septicState (with conditions)

  Onsite (septic) wastewater systems on land inside St. Joe town limits: Arkansas Department of Health rules, administered through the ADH authorized agent (the environmental health specialist for the county) rather than a town ordinance

  • Rule 4.8 gives the authorized agent role to the cities or counties that have one; otherwise applications go to ADH.
  • Whether the Searcy County Health Unit is the authorized agent for St. Joe town was not confirmed on an official page; the health unit listing came from an aggregator.

  “for those cities or counties with authorized agents, the authorized agent shall be the authorized agent of the department”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, alteration, repair or extension of an onsite (septic) wastewater system on land inside St. Joe town limits

  • Permit is for construction; part I of the permit must be approved before construction starts (rule 4.10.1).
  • Permit application must include detailed plans and specifications (rule 4.3).
  • Emergency repairs may proceed without prior notice if a permit is obtained within ten working days (rule 4.7).
  • A construction permit is valid for one year from approval (rule 2.63).

  “it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, association, municipality, or governmental agency to begin construction, alteration, repair, or extension of any onsite wastewater system”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Privies and other receptacles for human excreta on premises inside St. Joe town limits

  • Where the sewer connection rule in section 4.1 applies, privies and onsite systems are barred on the premises.
  • Otherwise, an onsite wastewater system requires an ADH construction permit before construction (rule 4.5).

  “no privies, onsite wastewater systems or other receptacles for human excreta shall be constructed, maintained, or used on the premises”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New home on a lot inside St. Joe town limits: sanitary sewer connection rule under ADH onsite rules

  • Applies only when a sanitary sewer is within 300 feet of the point where the sewer exits a building on the owner's property.
  • Applies only when connection is available and can be made without crossing another person's property.
  • Whether St. Joe town has a public sanitary sewer or public water system was not established on an official page; no water connection rule was found.

  distance to sewer that triggers connection: <= 300 feet (available and connectable without crossing another person's property)

  “all premises shall be connected to a sanitary sewer when within 300 feet from the point where the sewer exits a building on the property owner's property and available to said premises when connection can be made without crossing another person's property”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Onsite (septic) wastewater permit review fees for land inside St. Joe town limits only; no St. Joe town building or zoning permit fee schedule was found

  • Fees are for review of individual onsite wastewater permit applications; alteration/repair fee is separate.
  • Fee is paid before issuance of part 1 of the permit application and is not refunded (rule 4.9).
  • Fee schedule is from the rule text as reproduced; current amounts should be confirmed with ADH or the authorized agent.

  septic permit review fee, structures 1,500 sq ft or less: 30 USD (structures over 1,500 sq ft up to 2,000 sq ft: $45; over 2,000 up to 3,000: $90; over 3,000 up to 4,000: $120; over 4,000: $150; alteration, repair or extension of an individual sewage disposal system: $30)

  “for structures one thousand five hundred square feet (1,500 sq. ft.) or less, the fee to review a permit application is thirty dollars ($30.00)”

• Permit processPartial

  Onsite (septic) wastewater permit process for land inside St. Joe town limits; no town building-permit process was found

  • Part I (construction permit) must be approved before construction begins.
  • Part II (installation inspection) follows installation; installer notifies the authorized agent when ready.

  “part i of the permit is the permit for construction”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of St. Joe or Searcy County directly.

• Building permit — New residential construction inside St. Joe town limits: general building permit (septic permits are covered separately)
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside St. Joe town limits
• Building code adopted — New construction inside St. Joe town limits: whether the town has adopted a building code
• Inspections — General building inspections inside St. Joe town limits (onsite septic inspections are covered under septic_inspection)
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates for new homes inside St. Joe town 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.