Fort Smith, AR Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Approval required
- Written engineering department sign-off
- Covers
- Pipes, channels, ditches, streams
- Design standard
- City storm drainage standards
- Erosion control
- Must meet ADEQ requirements
Summary
Fort Smith requires written approval from the Department of Engineering before any storm drainage facility, pipe, channel, ditch, or enclosed structure, is built, altered, or reconstructed in city subdivisions or public rights-of-way.
No storm drainage facility, whether an enclosed structure, pipe, or an open channel, ditch or stream, shall be constructed, altered, or reconstructed within a subdivision, planned development, or a developed area, within a public right-of-way or easement, or discharge into, upon, or under a public right-of-way or easement, or a subdivision or planned development or developed area within the planning jurisdiction of the city, without first obtaining written approval from the department of engineering.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 27-506-1, no storm drainage facility can go in, enclosed structures, pipes, open channels, ditches, or streams, within a subdivision, planned development, or the city's planning jurisdiction, nor may anything discharge into a public right-of-way or easement, without prior written sign-off from the engineering department. Sec. 27-506-2 requires the system to meet the city's storm drainage design standards, and Sec. 27-506-3 ties erosion control to Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality requirements, relevant given Fort Smith's location on the Arkansas River floodplain, where drainage design interacts directly with flood risk.
Violations & Fines
Building, altering, or discharging into a drainage facility without the engineering department's written approval violates Sec. 27-506-1 and can trigger stop-work orders or permit denial until compliance is documented.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need city approval before altering a drainage ditch in Fort Smith?
What design standard governs Fort Smith stormwater systems?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Smith
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