Fort Smith, AR Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

The Fort Smith Unified Development Ordinance is codified as Chapter 27 of the Fort Smith Municipal Code and is the City's comprehensive zoning, subdivision and development code. Article 27-400 (Zoning Districts) establishes the bulk standards - minimum lot area, minimum lot width, front yard setback, side yard setback, rear yard setback, maximum building height, maximum lot coverage and floor area ratio - for each district. Fort Smith's principal residential districts are organized in Division II of Article 27-400 (Residential Districts) and run from low-density single-family through the RH High Density Residential district at Section 27-416. Article 27-600 (General Development Standards) provides supplemental rules that apply across districts, including accessory structure placement, fence height and screening, and setback exceptions; residential lots on a cul-de-sac street that have frontage on the cul-de-sac radius are permitted a reduced front yard setback of 20 feet under the supplemental standards. Setbacks are measured as the minimum horizontal distance between the front or side of a building and the front lot line or side lot line. Variances from the bulk standards are heard by the Fort Smith Board of Zoning Adjustment under Article 27-200 (Administration), with the applicant required to demonstrate practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship consistent with A.C.A. §14-56-422 (municipal zoning enabling authority). For the specific setback that applies to a parcel, the City Planning Department (479-784-2216; planning@fortsmithar.gov) confirms the zoning district and the applicable bulk standards.