Building without a permit in Arkansas

What Arkansas law says

Arkansas has no single statewide fine for building without a permit. Building permits are issued by cities and counties that run their own building departments, and those local governments enforce their codes by ordinance. State law caps what a city may charge: no more than $1,000 for a first violation of an ordinance, $2,000 for a second and $4,000 for each later one (Ark. Code 14-55-504(a)(1), as amended by Act 559 of 2017), and no more than $500 for each day a continuing violation is allowed to go on (14-55-504(a)(2), as amended by Act 341 of 2009). Plumbing is the exception with a state penalty: state law says a plumbing installation may not be started without the prescribed licenses and permits (17-38-204(b)), and anyone who violates the plumbing chapter commits a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 to $500 fine, up to 30 days in county jail, or both, with each day a separate offense (17-38-102(a)). The Department of Health may also assess a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation (17-38-102(d)).

Cited from Ark. Code 14-55-504(a)(1) (Act 559 of 2017); 14-55-504(a)(2) (Act 341 of 2009); 17-38-102(a), (d); 17-38-204(b): official text. Localities enforce these rules and may add their own fees and procedures on top.

Can you get a permit after the work is done?

No Arkansas statute sets a general after-the-fact building permit process, investigation fee or fee multiplier; legalizing unpermitted building work is handled by the local building department under its own ordinance. For plumbing, state law requires that an installation not be started without the prescribed licenses, permits and plan review (17-38-204(b)), so plumbing done without a permit is a continuing violation of the plumbing chapter until it is permitted and inspected, and the Department of Health may step in where a local plumbing program falls short of state minimums (17-38-204(g)). For contractors, the Contractors Licensing Board may issue an order of abatement directing a contractor to cease and desist (17-25-103(e)(1)(B)(ii)), and the Residential Contractors Committee has the same abatement power (17-25-504(6)).

Cited from Ark. Code 17-38-204(b), (g); 17-25-103(e)(1)(B)(ii); 17-25-504(6): official text.

The typical path, whatever your locality calls it: stop any ongoing work, contact the permit office before they contact you, apply for the permit describing what was actually built, and expect the office to require opening up or inspecting concealed work. Voluntarily coming forward generally goes better than waiting for a complaint or a sale to surface it.

Who can pull the permit

Yes. A person building his or her own residence does not need a residential building contractor license unless they build more than one residence in a calendar year, and the owner of a single family residence may act as his or her own home improvement contractor (17-25-513(1)-(2)). Plumbing work done by a property owner in a building the owner owns and occupies as his or her home is exempt from plumber licensing unless a local ordinance requires a license (17-38-302(1)). The electrical licensing law does not require an individual to hold a license to do electrical work on his or her primary residence, defined as an unattached single-family dwelling, unless other state law or a local ordinance requires it, and a city or county may require the owner to show technical competency first (17-28-102(b), 17-28-305(b)(2)). These are licensing exemptions, not permit exemptions: the owner still needs whatever local permits apply. No state owner-builder disclosure form or resale restriction was found.

Cited from Ark. Code 17-25-513(1), (2); 17-38-302(1); 17-28-101(9); 17-28-102(b); 17-28-305(b)(2); 17-25-101(a)(2): official text.

Common questions about unpermitted work in Arkansas

What is the penalty for building without a permit in Arkansas?

Arkansas has no single statewide fine for building without a permit. Building permits are issued by cities and counties that run their own building departments, and those local governments enforce their codes by ordinance. (Ark. Code 14-55-504(a)(1) (Act 559 of 2017); 14-55-504(a)(2) (Act 341 of 2009); 17-38-102(a), (d); 17-38-204(b))

Can you get a permit after the work is done in Arkansas?

No Arkansas statute sets a general after-the-fact building permit process, investigation fee or fee multiplier; legalizing unpermitted building work is handled by the local building department under its own ordinance. For plumbing, state law requires that an installation not be started without the prescribed licenses, permits and plan review (17-38-204(b)), so plumbing done without a permit is a continuing violation of the plumbing chapter until it is permitted and inspected, and the Department of Health may step in where a local plumbing program falls short of state minimums (17-38-204(g)). (Ark. Code 17-38-204(b), (g); 17-25-103(e)(1)(B)(ii); 17-25-504(6))

Who can pull a permit in Arkansas?

Yes. A person building his or her own residence does not need a residential building contractor license unless they build more than one residence in a calendar year, and the owner of a single family residence may act as his or her own home improvement contractor (17-25-513(1)-(2)). Plumbing work done by a property owner in a building the owner owns and occupies as his or her home is exempt from plumber licensing unless a local ordinance requires a license (17-38-302(1)). (Ark. Code 17-25-513(1), (2); 17-38-302(1); 17-28-101(9); 17-28-102(b); 17-28-305(b)(2); 17-25-101(a)(2))

Related situations in Arkansas

• A stop work order was posted: what it means and how to lift it
• How to find out if a permit was pulled, or report work with none
• A wall was removed without a permit
• Selling a house with unpermitted work
• Buying a house with unpermitted work

How Arkansas compares: building without a permit, state by state.

Your local permit office

Enforcement, after-the-fact fees, and the exact fix-it process are local. We cover these Arkansas permit offices:

• Little Rock

Official sources

• arkleg.state.ar.us: FTPDocument
• healthy.arkansas.gov: PLUMBING LAW 2022
• labor.arkansas.gov: Residential Law revised July 2025