How to look up building permits in Arkansas

The short answer

Arkansas does not have one statewide building permit database. Each city issues and reports its own permits, and some counties issue permits for areas outside city limits. To look up a building permit in Arkansas, you go to the city or county that issued it. Some publish reports online, some run searchable portals, and many share reports by email or on request.

Step 1: Find out who issued the permit

If the property is inside city limits, the city's building, permits or planning department issued the permit. If it is outside city limits, check with the county. In Northwest Arkansas, for example, Benton County issues permits for unincorporated areas.

Step 2: Check if the city publishes permits online

These Arkansas cities and counties publish permit reports or run online permit portals:

Many other cities, including Little Rock, Springdale, Fort Smith, Benton and Cabot, send their permit reports by email to a distribution list or on request.

Step 3: Request permit records under the Arkansas FOIA

If a city does not publish permits online, you can ask for them. Building permits are public records under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (Ark. Code Ann. 25-19-105), and the law generally requires public records to be made available promptly. A short, polite email to the city's permits department usually works:

Hello, under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act I would like to request a copy of all building permits issued in [month and year], including the permit number, issue date, project address, project type, valuation and contractor name. An electronic copy (Excel or PDF) by email is fine. Thank you.

Many cities will also add you to their monthly report distribution list if you ask.

What an Arkansas building permit record includes

• Permit number and issue date
• Project address and parcel details
• Project type: new single family home, addition, remodel, commercial, pool, demolition and more
• Valuation (estimated project value) and often square footage
• Contractor or builder name, and often a phone number

Formats vary a lot. Some cities send clean spreadsheets, others send PDFs, and a few still send scanned or handwritten permits.

How often Arkansas cities release permits

Larger cities like Little Rock, Fort Smith, Rogers and Fayetteville release permits weekly. Bentonville posts about twice a month. Most other cities release a monthly report in the first week of the month, and a few smaller towns are slower or need reminders.

Why contractors track new building permits

A new home permit tells you a house is about to be built, and every house follows the same order: concrete around week two, framing around week six, roofing around week nine, HVAC and rough-ins around week ten, flooring around week eighteen and fencing around week twenty four. Knowing that timing lets roofers, HVAC contractors, plumbers, electricians, flooring and fence crews, and building suppliers reach builders before the work is awarded.

The faster way: Arkansas permits every Monday

Checking dozens of city websites and inboxes every week takes hours. Build Permit Signal does it for you: we collect new permits from over 40 Arkansas cities and counties, clean them into one list, add builder phone numbers and emails where available, and tag every permit with a call window for your trade.

Arkansas building permit FAQ