The $5,000 line and what's exempt
The rule sits in the building-permit section of Little Rock's fee ordinance, Ordinance 22,204, § 8-31(c) I.A (read 26 October 2026): "Permits are required for any work that exceeds Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), including material and labor, or that requires an inspection", with these excluded:
| Work | Building permit in Little Rock? |
|---|---|
| Painting, floor coverings, "cosmetic changes" | No |
| Residential roofs | No |
| Residential fences under 7 feet | No |
| One-story detached shed, playhouse or similar, up to 200 sq ft | No |
| Other work at $5,000 or less | No fee unless an inspection is required ($25 each) |
| Other work over $5,000 (labor and material) | Yes, building permit |
| New or moved wiring, plumbing, gas or ductwork, at any value | Separate trade permit |
| Work in a local historic district | May also need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission |
The trade permits are priced separately: electrical by item, plumbing at $6 a fixture, mechanical by value, each with a $50 minimum (see the electrical, plumbing and HVAC guides). Little Rock applies the 2021 International Existing Building Code to work on existing houses (Enforced Construction Codes). Historic district applications are filed in person at 723 West Markham Street (Applications).
What it costs
From the same ordinance; the City values the job from the contract or an applicant's affidavit, or, without them, from the International Code Council's building valuation table:
| Job value | Building permit fee |
|---|---|
| $5,000 and less | No fee, unless an inspection is required ($25 each) |
| $5,000.01 to $50,000 | $50 for the first $2,000, plus $4 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,000.01 to $100,000 | $250 for the first $50,000, plus $3.50 per additional $1,000 |
| $100,000.01 to $500,000 | $420 for the first $100,000, plus $3 per additional $1,000 |
| Minimum / data processing fee | $50 / $25 |
| Re-inspection / investigative fee | $45 / $45 |
| Work started without a permit | Fee tripled |
Worked through: the usual Little Rock remodel, filed at $50,000, is $50 + 48 × $4 = $242, plus $25, before trade permits. A bathroom refresh at $12,000 is $50 + 10 × $4 = $90. A revision on the Board's 16 December 2025 agenda, written to take effect 1 January 2026, raises the minimum building fee to $51.50 and the data fee to $25.75 and keeps the $5,000 line and exemptions; the City's Building Codes page still links Ordinance 22,204, so check the invoice.
Who can pull it
The City's Documents Required sheet asks a contractor for its Arkansas contractor's license, a City business license and a $10,000 surety bond. Arkansas requires a Home Improvement License for specialty work on a single-family home "if the project is more than $2,000, including, but not limited to, labor and material" (Contractors Licensing Board), so a remodeler quoting $2,001 or more should have one. The City's pages do not describe an owner-pulled building permit; ask the permit desk, (501) 371-4832 or Permits@littlerock.gov.
How to apply and get inspected
- Apply through the City's Interactive Building-Construction Permit Program or at the permit desk, with the contract or affidavit showing the job value.
- Inspections. Building inspections are footing, framing and final; for an interior remodel usually framing and final (scheduling codes 130 and 150 in the City's instructions), plus each trade's rough and final.
- Schedule on 501-588-7493, by texting "SCHEDULE" to 855-949-5403, or at inspections.littlerock.gov.
- Permit life. A year; invalid if work does not start within six months or stops for six.
What 900 Little Rock remodel permits show
| Measure | Little Rock remodel and repair |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, May 2023 to April 2026 | 900 |
| Firms | 305 |
| Firms with one permit only | 153 (50.2%) |
| Firms with 10 or more | 16 |
| Usual filed value | $50,000 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value (83 firms) | $36,000 to $94,600 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 52.7% |
| Firms with 10+ permits closing under 70% | 11 of 13 |
| Busiest / quietest month | May (144) / December (53) |
Remodel permits close far less often than trade permits in Little Rock: 52.7%, against 88.5% for plumbing. Among firms with ten or more, 11 of 13 closed fewer than seven in ten. Hold back the last payment until the final building inspection (code 150) has passed. Because work under $5,000 needs no building permit, the permitted jobs are big ones; 50.2% of remodelers filed only one permit in three years. Prices by home value: Little Rock remodel cost; counts by year: Little Rock permit statistics.
See every Little Rock remodeler by permits closed →
Before you hire
Compare firms on the Little Rock remodeler list and check the license with How to check a contractor's license in Arkansas. Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for a home remodel, kitchen and bathroom; national prices in home remodel cost; questions in hiring a remodeling contractor.
What this does not tell you
Little Rock's file shows whether a permit closed, not when, and ends in April 2026. Jobs under $5,000 and unpermitted work leave no record. Filed values are the contractor's figure. We have not matched remodelers to state license records.
How we know this
The $5,000 rule, exemptions, fees, inspections and penalties are quoted from Little Rock Ordinance 22,204 (§ 8-31(c)), linked from the City's Building Codes page; the 2026 revision from the Board's 16 December 2025 agenda; contractor documents from the City's Documents Required sheet; the $2,000 license line from the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (read 25 October 2026); other City pages read 26 October 2026. Examples are our arithmetic. Permit counts are City of Little Rock remodel and repair permits on homes, May 2023 to April 2026; "closed" is the share a year or more old the City recorded as closed.
Numbers come from City of Little Rock Planning and Development permits on single-family, duplex and manufactured homes (the City's periodic permit download, the edition that runs to April 30, 2026), data through April 24, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in Little Rock?
If the job exceeds $5,000 in labor and material, or needs an inspection, yes. Little Rock's fee ordinance excludes painting, floor coverings and cosmetic changes, but new wiring, plumbing or ductwork in the kitchen brings separate trade permits at any price.
- How much is a remodel permit in Little Rock?
Under Ordinance 22,204, $50 for the first $2,000 of value plus $4 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000, then $250 plus $3.50 per $1,000 to $100,000, with a $50 minimum and a $25 data fee. A $50,000 remodel is $242 plus trade permits.
- What remodeling work is exempt from a permit in Little Rock?
The ordinance excludes residential fences under 7 feet, residential roofs, painting, floor coverings, cosmetic changes, and one-story detached sheds and playhouses up to 200 square feet. Work up to $5,000 needs no permit unless it requires an inspection.
- Does my remodeler need a license in Arkansas?
For specialty work on a single-family home over $2,000 in labor and material, a Home Improvement License from the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board. Little Rock's permit desk also asks for a City business license and a $10,000 surety bond.
- What if I remodeled without a permit in Little Rock?
The ordinance triples the permit fee for work started before a permit, and the City may charge a $45 investigative fee to check on-site conditions. No more permits are issued until the fees are paid.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Ames building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Foundation repair in Austin: the 128 sq ft permit line, the one-day Express permit, and who does the leveling
- Do I need a remodel permit in San Francisco? OTC kitchens and baths, when you need plans, and the fees
- Do I need a remodel permit in Somerville, MA? Yes for almost everything but paint, tile and floors
For one city
- Ordinance No. 22,204, permit fee schedules, § 8-31(c) (passed 6 December 2022) — City of Little Rock (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Proposed ordinance revising § 8-31(c) permit fees, Board of Directors agenda of 16 December 2025 — City of Little Rock (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Planning and Development Divisions (Building Codes; Cultural Heritage and Historic Preservation) — City of Little Rock (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Documents Required to Obtain a Building Permit — City of Little Rock Building Codes (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Enforced Construction Codes (7 January 2023) — City of Little Rock (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Inspection Scheduling Instructions — City of Little Rock (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Interactive Building-Construction Permit Program (Dynamic Portal) — City of Little Rock (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Applications (Historic District Commission, Certificate of Appropriateness) — City of Little Rock Planning and Development (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Apply for Contractors License/Registration — Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (2026-10-25)