Fort Smith, AR Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Fort Smith's primary blight authority is the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), adopted by reference at Section 6-401 of the Code of Ordinances, with local amendments. The IPMC governs structural, exterior, sanitary, and occupancy conditions for all existing residential and nonresidential structures (and their accessory structures and fences). Day-to-day enforcement runs through the Neighborhood Services Division (Department of Development Services), which deploys Property Maintenance Inspectors to canvass neighborhoods and respond to complaints filed through the myFortSmith application or by phone. The enforcement workflow is: (1) Notice of Violation posted on the property and mailed to the owner/occupant identifying the violation and compliance window; (2) reinspection at the deadline; (3) if uncorrected, the property is assigned to a contractor for abatement at the owner's expense and the cost becomes a lien on the property under A.C.A. §14-54-904 (collection of costs); (4) three warnings in a single calendar year triggers an affidavit for failure to care for premises and a Criminal Summons in Fort Smith District Court (Class B or C misdemeanor depending on conduct). The municipal authority traces to A.C.A. §14-54-901 (incorporated towns and cities empowered to order owners to cut weeds, remove garbage and rubbish, eliminate unsanitary conditions) and A.C.A. §14-54-903 (the seven-day notice requirement before abatement and lien). The Board of Directors in recent budgets named blight reduction the top municipal priority and doubled the cleanup-and-demolition line from $150,000 to $300,000 annually, signaling more aggressive contractor abatement on persistent violations.