Call before you assume. Permit rules in Northwest Arkansas are not uniform.
The same water heater swap can be a same-day over-the-counter permit in one city, a full mechanical permit
in the next, and nothing at all a mile outside city limits. What is written here is what each jurisdiction
publishes, not legal advice, and cities change fee schedules and code editions without much notice.
Fees are not listed as numbers here on purpose. Most NWA permit fees are calculated
from valuation or square footage rather than posted as a flat price, so every listing links straight to
the jurisdiction's own fee schedule instead of quoting a figure that would be wrong by the time you read it.
Listings marked Some details unverified had at least one core field the city
does not publish clearly on its own site. Call the permit desk to confirm before you rely on it.
Working outside city limits? Unincorporated Benton and Washington county rules are very
different from city rules, and septic, driveway and floodplain approvals are handled by separate offices
from building permits. Both county listings are at the bottom of the default list.
Compiled by The NWA Trade Guide · NWATrades.com