Fort Smith's Code of Ordinances does not contain a dedicated urban-beekeeping chapter, so backyard hives sit in regulatory gray space governed by Chapter 4 nuisance provisions and zoning review. Arkansas state law at A.C.A. Section 2-22-110 (the Arkansas Bee Law) requires every beekeeper to register every apiary location with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Apiary Section within ten days of acquiring bees. Registration is free. Hives that trigger neighbor complaints can draw nuisance citations under Chapter 4.
Fort Smith has not adopted a comprehensive urban-beekeeping ordinance. Chapter 4 of the Code of Ordinances at https://library.municode.com/ar/fort_smith/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH4AN does not list bees as a regulated species and the City's zoning code at Chapter 27 does not list bees as a permitted accessory use in residential districts. The practical effect is that any hive sits in regulatory gray space: it is not expressly authorized, but it is not expressly banned, and is subject to (1) nuisance review under Chapter 4 if a hive triggers complaints about swarms or stings; and (2) potential zoning review if the Department of Development Services treats the apiary as a non-customary residential use. The state-level framework is mandatory and clear. The Arkansas Bee Law at A.C.A. Section 2-22-101 et seq., including the registration requirement at A.C.A. Section 2-22-110 (https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-2/subtitle-2/chapter-22/section-2-22-110/), requires anyone owning, leasing, or possessing bees in Arkansas to file an application for registration with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Apiary Section within ten days of acquiring bees or before moving bees into Arkansas. Registration is free and supports state tracking of American foulbrood and other diseases. The Apiary Section is reached at 501-219-6354, P.O. Box 1069, Little Rock, AR 72203 (https://agriculture.arkansas.gov/crops-industry/regulatory-services/apiary/). The Arkansas Beekeepers Association (https://arbeekeepers.org/) provides best-practice guidance — water sources, hive orientation, six-foot fence flyway barriers, setbacks — that helps minimize neighbor complaints in residential settings.
Hives that produce swarms, stinging incidents, or otherwise become a public nuisance can be cited under Chapter 4 of the Code of Ordinances with fines up to several hundred dollars per occurrence and abatement orders requiring hive removal. Failing to register an apiary with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture under A.C.A. Section 2-22-110 is a separate state-law violation enforced by the State Plant Board, with civil penalties and potential quarantine orders. Bees adjudicated a public nuisance can be ordered removed regardless of registration status.
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