Little Rock, AR Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- Cuts/fills over 10 vertical feet
- Permit trigger
- 1,000+ cubic yards cut or fill
- Sediment basin size
- 3,600 cu ft/acre on steep slopes
- Erosion control timing
- Installed within 1 week of grading stop
- Base permit fee
- $100 for under half an acre
Summary
Little Rock requires a grading permit before clearing, filling, cutting, or construction disturbing land, and mandates erosion and sediment control measures to protect neighboring properties and waterways throughout construction.
A grading permit is required for land alteration activities specified in this section. All construction work shall include appropriate drainage and erosion control measures to protect neighboring properties. All land alteration on properties within the designated floodplain requires a grading permit without exception.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 83).
Full Breakdown
Under Chapter 29 of the Little Rock Code, anyone clearing, filling, cutting, quarrying, or building on land in the city must get a grading permit and an approved grading and drainage plan before work starts. Permits are required for hillside cuts or fills over 10 feet, projects moving 1,000 or more cubic yards, tree clearing beyond the small-lot exemptions, and any land alteration inside the mapped floodplain. Contractors must install sediment basins sized to 3,600 cubic feet per acre on slopes steeper than 5 percent, silt fencing, and stabilized construction entrances, with erosion controls fully functioning within one week of work stopping.
Violations & Fines
Grading or clearing land without a permit, or letting erosion controls lapse, draws a stop-work order and a remedial-work order from the city, and any later grading permit on that property carries a doubled fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Little Rock require an erosion control plan for construction?
What triggers a Little Rock grading permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Little Rock
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