Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Benton County aims to improve building permit application process
BENTONVILLE — Individuals who need a building permit from Benton County have a revamped website and a new kiosk to help them through the process.
County officials hope these and other efforts will make it easier and clearer.
County Judge Barry Moehring said via email Tuesday public input the county received last year guided almost all the changes. The county particularly focused on owner/builders, residents who will build or oversee the construction of a home or building.
“We hope our new communications tools will particularly help these citizens who make up a large share of the folks who seek permits from the county,” Moehring said.
As for contractors, those who are licensed and follow the state fire code, they should already be very familiar with the permits required and the process for obtaining those permits, he said.
County Fire Marshal Gary Yarno, who oversees the Building Safety Department, and Moehring briefed the Quorum Court on the new and planned improvements during its Committee of Whole meeting March 12. The department is responsible for building permits, inspections and code compliance for unincorporated Benton County, according to the county website.
Moehring said a Quorum Court subcommittee he formed in January 2023 received input from public meetings throughout the year as it reviewed the county planning code for updates it could propose to the whole Quorum Court, as well as updates to the county building code. He said several dozen people provided feedback during this process, including contractors, owner/builders, fire chiefs, architects, real estate agents and the general public.
Moehring said the county’s end goal is for people to build in the county with safety and compliance with the state fire prevention code in mind.
Larry Kelly, who runs Larry Kelly & Associates Realty in Bentonville, said people
expressed considerable frustration with the county permitting, inspection and code enforcement process during meetings of the Quorum Court and the subcommittee Moehring formed. Some even wanted to get rid of the process entirely.
“That’s how horrible the perception was,” Kelly said. “Now, did everyone have that same terrible experience? I’m very doubtful of that, but enough people did and enough people spoke up and were frustrated with it that it raised some questions and concerns about maybe making some changes, and I think that’s OK.”
Kelly believes what the county is doing will have the added benefits of making it easier for people to comply with the county building code.
“We went through our website to make sure that everything is easy to find.” — Gary Yarno, Benton County fire marshal
THE WORK SO FAR
Yarno told the Quorum Court last year’s public feedback allowed the department to recognize problems it needed to address such as a lack of guidance for owner/builders and a lack of clarity in both the application process and process requirements.
Yarno said the department revamped its website to try to make it more user-friendly.
“We went through our website to make sure that everything is easy to find,” he said. “We continue to add resources to our website as we discover them or as they’re suggested to us.”
People can complete and submit applications for different types of permits — such as residential and commercial building, trade and others — via resources available at the website, according to Yarno. They can also view existing permits from the department.
The department has made a commitment to stay cost-friendly, he said, noting the county has had the same fee schedule for building permits since 2007. For example, the cost of a permit to build a 2,000-square-foot home in the county is $625. In comparison, a building permit for the same-sized home would cost $1,274 in Bentonville and $1,154 in either Rogers and Bella Vista.
The department most recently installed a public kiosk in its office at the county administration building in Bentonville in the first week of March. People can use the kiosk to complete and submit permit applications and upload documents online, as well as learn how to do so with the help of department staff. They can also look up current permit and code information.
Yarno said the department has produced cards with contact information for people at the county and state levels others can use to get help in trying to resolve issues, like inspection disputes and disagreements concerning requirements in the state building code.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Yarno said his department is creating the Benton County Building Safety Guidebook. This will be a comprehensive step-by-step guide outlining how everyone from first-time owner/builders to seasoned contractors can navigate the county residential building permit and inspection process. He estimated the resource will be completed in April or May and will be offered in both print and digital formats.
The department is similarly planning a series of 15 videos outlining the application and inspection processes, as well as how to navigate its website, according to Yarno. It intends to roll out one video per month via the website and county social media.
Melody Kwok, county communications director, said the county will release the first video in April or May pending the completion of the Building Safety Guidebook.
Moehring also told the Quorum Court about plans to establish a review board, which would require the Quorum Court’s approval to go into effect. The board would be composed of five voting members and one nonvoting member from the community.
“What I think we’re going to do, though, is use this as a board where if somebody has some type of complaint with the inspections, the inspection process, things of that nature, that this board is available to them,” Moehring said. “I hesitate to say this, but it almost feels like a grievance committee kind of thing, in a way.”
Moehring said the board members he plans to nominate for the Quorum Court’s consideration include Kelly, a real estate broker and developer; Dave Burris of Burris Architecture in Bentonville; Richard Johnson of Phoenix Contractors in Springdale; Jack Hefner, construction inspector for the Texas-headquartered Halff & Associates, which has an office in Bentonville; and Danny McCrackin, county justice of the peace for District 10. Yarno would be brought on as the nonvoting member.
Moehring said Tuesday the county will begin working with the proposed review board “within a few weeks.” The county will bring the board’s recommended scope and charter and the nomination of the board members to the Quorum Court this summer.