Fort Smith building permit values up almost 14% through March

Building activity in the Fort Smith metro area showed growth in March. Permit values in Fort Smith, Greenwood, and Van Buren totaled $33.287 million in March, 24.6% higher than $26.723 million in March 2025 and up 32.7% from $25.078 reported in February.

In the first quarter of the year, the region has had $75.293 million in permitted building activity, up 2% from $73.843 million reported in the same period of 2025.

Fort Smith issued 294 permits in March with a value of $30.397 million, up 66.9% from the $18.209 million value of 235 projects permitted in March 2025. The city had $70.235 million in permitted activity in the first quarter of this year, up 13.7% from $61.759 million from January through March 2025.

There were 11 permits issued for new single-family residential projects in the month with a value of $3.933 million, up 55.1% from $2.535 million with 11 residential projects permitted this time last year.

There were four permits issued for new commercial construction with a total value of $5.418 million, up 80.6% from the $3 million value of one new commercial construction project permitted in March 2025.

A $600,000 commercial building with unspecified light commercial use was permitted on March 4 at 4328 Grand Ave. to Dustin Booth with Empire Construction Company as the contractor. A $218,000 new construction commercial addition was permitted at 5416 S. 28th St., the location of Fort Smith Popcorn Co., to Arnold and Linda Murray on March 19. And a new $400,000 chiropractor clinic was permitted at 5808 Massard Road with Didier Properties LLC listed as the owner.

KKJ Wholesale LLC also received a permit March 2 for a new Johnstone Supply building at 6200 Prairie Drive. The 39,049-square-foot industrial facility has a projected cost of $4.2 million. Johnstone Supply is a wholesale distributor for HVACR equipment, parts and supplies.

VAN BUREN, GREENWOOD NUMBERS
Van Buren had 76 projects permitted in March with a value of $756,800, down 90.6% from the $8.041 million value of 75 projects permitted in March 2025.

The city issued five permits for residential construction with a value of $418,000, an 82.5% decrease from the $2.39 million value of 20 residential projects in March 2025. There were four commercial permits issued with a value of $214,000, a decrease of 95.9% from the $5.204 million value of two commercial permits issued by the city in March 2025.

Building permit values in the first quarter of 2026 for the city totaled $2.17 million, a decrease of 78.95% from $10.311 million in the same time last year.

Greenwood issued 38 building permits in the month with a value of $2.133 million, 348% more than the $475,671 value of 23 projects permitted in March 2025. The city has had $2.886 million in permitted activity so far in 2026, up 5.1% from $2.746 million in the first quarter of 2025.

Building permit values in Fort Smith, Greenwood, and Van Buren totaled at least $282.576 million in 2025, up 4.2% compared with 2024.

Combined annual permit value totals for the three cities:
2025: $282.58 million*
2024: $271.09 million
2023: $520.64 million
2022: $480.37 million
2021: $343.28 million
2020: $265.97 million
2019: $241.74 million
2018: $231.78 million
2017: $210.84 million
2016: $211.34 million
2015: $218.89 million
(*The 2025 tally does not include December permit numbers for Greenwood.)