Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Highland, Arkansas

Highland’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New home or business structure construction inside Highland city limits

  • Permit must be obtained before construction begins and displayed on the premises until construction is complete (ordinance 05-56 amending 00-11 section 3.04.02).
  • Ordinance 09-01 separately requires a permit before remodeling or renovation that reconfigures electrical or plumbing systems (index entry; text not opened).
  • Penalties for failure to obtain a permit are provided by the ordinance; amount not retrieved.
  • Permit fee amounts are set by a later building permit fee ordinance (15-06 / 17-04) whose text was not retrieved.

  “requiring a builder or contractor to obtain a permit from the city before commencing construction of a new home or business structure within the city limits of highland, and to display such permit on premises until construction is complete; to provide for penalties for failure to obtain a permit”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Highland city limits (Sharp County, Arkansas); city zoning ordinance adopted by the city

  • The city's zoning regulations are stated to be on file with the city recorder/treasurer and are not on the city website; the full text (district standards) was not retrieved.
  • Ordinance index lists further zoning amendments (04-38, 07-03, 10-02, 11-03, 16-02); only 05-48 was opened.
  • City homepage confirms the city is located in Sharp County.

  “copies of the amended zoning regulations above referred to are on file in the office of the city recorder/treasurer and are available for public inspection.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Real property inside Highland city limits where the city sewer system is available

  • Owners must connect only when ordered to do so by the city council or a designated agency such as a board of health.
  • The connection line must not exceed 300 feet from the property to the system connection, as printed in the scrambled text of the ordinance; confirm against the PDF before relying on it.
  • The council or designated agency must determine, in its discretion, that public health will be promoted by the line.
  • No public water connection rule was retrieved; the ordinance covers sewer only.

  maximum distance from property to sewer connection: <= 300 feet (city council or designated agency must also find public health will be promoted)

  “the city council or the designated agency shall have determined, in its discretion, that the public health will be promoted by the construction of such line or lines.”

Rules another office applies inside Highland

Highland 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 Highland city limits, administered by the Arkansas Department of Health through local health unit environmental health specialists; applies inside Highland city because it is a statewide rule and Highland has no city septic ordinance in the index

  • Statewide ADH program sets policy; local environmental health specialists in the local health unit review permits.
  • Sharp County health unit address and local staffing were not verified on an official page.
  • No city septic ordinance appears in the city ordinance index.

  “the arkansas department of health’s onsite wastewater program sets statewide policies and provides assistance to environmental health specialists in each of the local health units.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Onsite wastewater systems under 1500 gallons per day on land inside Highland city limits (statewide ADH rule applies inside the city)

  • Systems 1500 gpd and larger are reviewed by the state Division of Environmental Quality, not the ADH local program.
  • Permit applications are on forms EHP-19 (individual) and EHP-19N (non-individual) per the same ADH page.
  • Fee amounts not verified.

  design flow threshold for ADH onsite permit review: < 1500 gallons per day (systems 1500 gpd and larger reviewed by 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 Highland or Sharp County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permitting inside Highland city limits
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Highland city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new buildings inside Highland city limits
• Zoning districts — Zoning district map and district list inside Highland city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for single-family homes inside Highland 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.