Inspections
The following information is provided to offer some general guide lines concerning building inspections and permits. If you have any questions , please contact our office.
A minimum of three (3) inspections is required before a final Certificate of Occupancy will be written.
General Requirements concerning Residential Building Permits for New Construction and Additions
- Submit a permit application.
- Submit four (4) copies of a legal survey/plot plan.
- Submit one (1) copy of the building plans to include, floor plans, elevations, typical wall sections and typical footing/slab details.
- Contractors are required to have an Arkansas State Homebuilders License and a Privilege License.
- Arkansas State Homebuilders license for jobs exceeding 20,000 in valuation.
- A $10,000 dollar surety bond required.
General Requirements for Footing Inspections
- The rough electrical and plumbing inspections must be signed off.
- An approved plot plan and building plans must be on site.
- The footings must be a minimum eighteen (18) inches wide, twelve (12) inches deep and must have at least nine (9) inches of concrete.
- All property line strings and batter board strings must be pulled.
- The footings are required to be cleaned and must not have any standing water.
- Footings are required to be free of large rocks and vegetation on the bottom and sides.
- The minimum concrete strength is required to be 2,500 PSI.
- Monolithic slab pours are required to be inspected after the plumbing and electrical inspections and after the visqueen and wire mesh is in place.
- Minimum slab thickness is 3-1/2 inches.
- Sanitary facilities are required on site for workers.
General Requirements for Framing Inspections
- The rough electrical and plumbing inspections must be signed off.
- The building must be in the dry, gables sealed, and the roof covering installed.
- The framing should be complete with no insulation installed.
- All firestopping and bracing at the corners and every twenty-five (25) feet of exterior wall should be installed.
- The windows and doors need to be installed. Sleeping rooms are required to have at least one operable window with a minimum net clear opening height of twenty-four (24) inches, a clear opening width of twenty (20) inches and a net clear opening of 5.7 square-feet.
- All mechanical vents should be installed (furnace, waterheater & bath fans).
- Factory built fireplaces should be set and firestopped (maintain required clearances from combustible materials).
- Check joist spans, double joists under partitions and install all ledger strips and joist hangers.
General Requirements for Final Inspections
- The final electrical, mechanical, and plumbing inspections must be signed off on the permit.
- A copy of the termite policy is required. Smoke detectors that are hardwired with battery back up need to be installed and working.
- All stairs, decks, handrails and guardrails need to be installed. All decks over thirty (30) inches above grade require thirty-six (36)-inch high guardrails with a four (4)-inch spacing on the intermediate rails and all stairs with two (2) or more risers are required to have handrails.
- An address must be posted, that is visible from the road.
- The crawl space needs to be clean and graded (no standing water) with required vents installed. Visqueen is required in the crawlspace when operable vents are used.
- The site needs to be graded away from the house to allow for water run off.
- Insulation needs to be installed in the crawl space, exterior walls and attic space (R-19 in the floors, R-13 in the walls and R-30 in the attic).
- Fireplace hearth extensions shall be at least sixteen (16) inches in front and eight (8) inches on each side when the opening is less than six (6) square-feet. If the opening is more than six (6) square-feet, the hearth should betwenty (20) inches in the front and twelve (12) inches on each side.
When Requesting Inspections the following information is needed
- The permit number.
- The address of the project.
- The type of inspection.
- The contractors name.
Inspections requested between 7:30 AM and 9:00 AM will be made the same day. Inspections requested after 9:00 AM will be made the next business day.
A $40.00 re-inspection fee will be assessed on jobs not ready when inspections are requested.
Helpful Tips
- Properly dispose of all trash and debris that accumulated during construction.
- Do not allow dirt or debris to flow into City storm drains or accumulate on City streets.
- Do not allow subcontractors to block streets or alleys with automobiles.
- Do not occupy any structure until you have received your Certificate of Occupancy. The fine for occupying a structure without a Certificate of Occupancy is $250.00 per day.
- Construction working hours Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM - 6:00 PM.