Administrative overview · FIPS 05103
Ouachita County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
Municipal Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked Municipal Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
Ouachita County Judge’s Office for county administration; City of Camden Code Enforcement Department handles verified building inspections, plan review, permits, and certificates of occupancy within Camden city limits, with Bearden, Chidester, East Camden, Louann, Reader, Stephens, and other incorporated areas routed to their respective municipalities
For a project in or near Ouachita County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
870-837-2210 (Ouachita County Judge Robbie McAdoo); 870-837-5508 (Camden Permit Coordinator/Code Enforcement)
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
Ouachita County Courthouse, 145 Jefferson Street SW, Camden, AR 71701; City of Camden Code Enforcement, 206 Van Buren Street NE, Camden, AR 71701
Operating hours
Camden City offices: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; county office hours were not separately published in the reviewed official sources.
Review expectation
N/A. Camden’s permit form states the permit expires 60 days after approval if work does not commence or if work stops for more than 60 days, but no plan-review duration was published.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Ouachita County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 870-837-2210 (Ouachita County Judge Robbie McAdoo); 870-837-5508 (Camden Permit Coordinator/Code Enforcement).
How long might review take?
N/A. Camden’s permit form states the permit expires 60 days after approval if work does not commence or if work stops for more than 60 days, but no plan-review duration was published.
How are inspections scheduled?
Camden’s Building Inspections Team performs plan reviews and issues certificates of occupancy after required inspections. Contact Permit Coordinator LaKeshia Frazier/Code Enforcement at 870-837-5508 to request inspections and confirm required inspection stages; the reviewed page does not state a separate notice period.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
Camden’s current-code sheet lists Arkansas Fire Prevention Code 2021 Volumes I-III, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code 2003 Edition as adopted by Arkansas, Arkansas State Plumbing Code 2018, Arkansas State Fuel Gas Code 2018, National Electrical Code 2020, the Camden Code of Ordinances, zoning code/map, and land-development/subdivision regulations. Camden requires separate electrical, plumbing, gas, and mechanical permits. The building code allows extensions to existing plumbing piping without a separate permit when installed in accordance with the plumbing code; no broader minor/cosmetic exemption list was published.