Fort Smith metro building permit values down 2.1% through April

Building activity in the Fort Smith metro area declined in April compared with the same period in 2025. Permit values in Fort Smith, Greenwood, and Van Buren totaled $13.084 million in April, 20.5% lower than $16.453 million in April 2025 and down 60.7% from $33.287 million reported in March.

In the first four months of the year, the region had $88.377 million in permitted building activity, down 2.1% from $90.296 million reported in the same period of 2025.

Fort Smith issued 240 permits in April with a value of $10.386 million, down 25% from the $13.842 million value of 171 projects permitted in April 2025. The city had $80.621 million in permitted activity in the first four months of this year, up 6.6% from $75.601 million from January through April 2025.

There were eight permits issued for new single-family residential projects in the month with a value of $1.412 million, up 4.1% from $1.357 million with five new residential projects permitted this time last year. There was one permit issued for a new duplex with a value of $291,400, down 48.1% from the $561,520 value of three new duplexes permitted in April of last year.

There was one permit issued for one new commercial construction, a $510,000 new women’s transition living house for Harbor House, down 64.2% from the $1.426 million value of one new commercial construction project permitted in April 2025.

The Harbor House work at 3805 Armour St. will be an exact duplicate of the transitional housing project the behavioral health agency completed in 2025. The 4,100-square-foot facility will house up to 14 women, plus a house monitor. Women will live in the space after they complete treatment at Gateway Recovery Center for Women, a service of Harbor House. Women must have a job and pay a small weekly rent.

“We call this transitional living housing,” said CEO Carl Norris. “Clients continue treatment in outpatient clinics and group therapy while living in this house. This continuum care is from six to 18 months, depending on the individual’s progress.”

VAN BUREN, GREENWOOD NUMBERS
Van Buren had 104 projects permitted in April with a value of $704,067, up 31% from the $537,552 value of 77 projects permitted in April 2025.

The city issued 17 permits for residential construction with a value of $672,400, a  72% increase from the $390,900 value of 11 residential projects in April 2025. There were no commercial projects permitted in the month, compared to the $68,500 value of two commercial projects permitted in the same month in 2025. Building permit values in the four months of 2026 for the city totaled $2.874 million, a decrease of 73.5% from $10.849 million in the same time last year.

Greenwood issued 42 building permits in the month with a value of $1.994 million, 3.8% less than the $2.073 million value of 25 projects permitted in April 2025. The city has had $4.88 million in permitted activity so far in 2026, up 1.3% from $4.819 million through April 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.)