ADU Pass
Washington
Howard County portion
Also in: Hempstead County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Washington, Howard County, Arkansas navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: allowed
Unincorporated Howard County does not have a stand-alone ADU ordinance. With Act 313 effective 2026-01-01 and no county zoning to restrict it, ADUs are functionally allowed by-right subject only to ADH septic and statewide building code. The City of Nashville (county seat, 421 N Main St) handles permits for parcels inside its corporate limits.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 250 | $250 | $45,000 | $45,250 |
| 600 | 600 | $250 | $108,000 | $108,250 |
| midpoint | 600 | $250 | $108,000 | $108,250 |
| maximum | 1,000 | $250 | $180,000 | $180,250 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
- Verify parcel is unincorporated Howard County (not inside Nashville city limits) (~5d)
Howard County does not have a 'City of Washington'. Confirm via Howard County Assessor parcel viewer that the lot is not within Nashville, Mineral Springs, Tollette, Dierks, or any other Howard County municipality. The required permitting path differs sharply. - ADH Designated Representative soil/perc evaluation (~30d)
Arkansas Department of Health requires a licensed Designated Representative to perform soil and percolation evaluation, then submits Form ENV-2 'Application for Permit to Construct an On-Site Wastewater System'. No municipal sewer in unincorporated Howard County. - Well permit if no rural water co-op connection (~21d)
Many unincorporated Howard parcels are served by Tollette Rural Water, Howard County Rural Water, or a private well. If new well, licensed driller files Notice of Well Construction with ADH. - Howard County Road Department driveway / culvert approval (~14d)
If access requires new driveway or culvert onto a county road, Howard County Road Department issues approval. Submit to County Judge's office at 421 N Main St, Nashville. - Building permit application (state-licensed third-party inspector or Nashville municipal contract) (~21d)
Howard County does NOT operate its own building department for unincorporated parcels. Owner contracts an Arkansas-licensed building inspector or, for parcels closest to Nashville, Nashville Codes office may inspect by mutual agreement. Fee capped at $250 by Act 313. - Construction inspections (foundation, framing, electrical/mechanical/plumbing rough, final)
Inspector visits at five standard milestones. AR has no residential sprinkler mandate (R313 amended out). - ADH septic Permit to Operate + final building inspection (~14d)
Final inspection plus ADH 'Permit to Operate' issuance. ADU is occupiable once both clear.
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental allowed; market thin in unincorporated areas. Nashville (county seat, ~10-30 mi depending on parcel) is the main rental market in Howard County.
- Short-term rental: yes (No county or city STR ordinance for unincorporated Howard County) STR demand thin. Closest tourism draws: Daisy State Park (Lake Greeson, ~25 mi), DeQueen Lake (~30 mi), Crater of Diamonds State Park (~40 mi north in Pike County). Rural cabin / hunting-cabin STR niche exists.
- Office rental: no ADU is residential by definition under Act 313; commercial office tenancy not allowed in residentially-coded ADU.
- Home office: yes Home occupation by-right under Act 313.
- Studio / workshop: yes Artist / craft / hunting-prep / meat-processing studio common rural Howard use.
- Agriculture: yes Howard is a major poultry / cattle / timber county. Agricultural operations on most parcels expected.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicit under Act 313. Common pattern for multi-generational poultry/cattle farm households.
Incentives
- USDA Rural Development Section 504 Repair Loan/Grant — Up to $40,000 loan / $10,000 grant for elderly low-income owners (Income-qualified rural homeowners; ADU rehab/conversion may qualify under repair scope)
Contacts
Staff: Howard County Judge's Office (Driveway / road frontage / unincorporated parcel approvals), Howard County Circuit Clerk (Deed and easement recording (lot-line / access work)), Arkansas Department of Health - Howard Local Health Unit (On-site wastewater (septic) and well permits), City of Nashville (Howard County) Codes Office (Inside-city-limits permits only; reference for adjacent unincorporated work)
Utilities
- Water: Tollette Rural Water Authority / Howard County Rural Water Association / private well (depending on parcel) · 21d connect · $1,800
- Sewer: Private septic (ADH-regulated) - no rural sewer in unincorporated Howard County · 45d connect · $8,800
- Electric: SWEPCO (American Electric Power) or Southwest Arkansas Electric Cooperative depending on parcel · 21d connect · $1,200
- Gas: Propane (most rural Howard parcels) or CenterPoint Energy near Nashville city limits · 14d connect
Property values & taxes
Market rent by ADU size
| Sq ft | Rent |
|---|---|
| 250 | $425/mo |
| 600 | $700/mo |
| 800 | $825/mo |
| 1,000 | $950/mo |
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 17mo
Howard County's contractor bench is thin but cost-competitive. Specialty trades (sprinkler not required; HVAC, electrical) often drive 30-60 mi from Hot Springs, Texarkana, or De Queen.
Modular pathway Arkansas Manufactured Home Commission - modular plan-approval · inspectors are occasional with modular
Howard's state highways (US 70, US 371, AR 4) accommodate standard 14-foot-wide modules. Saline River bridges and county roads in the Cossatot/Saline drainages can have weight limits.
Financing
State ADU loans:
- USDA Rural Development Section 502 Direct/Guaranteed (USDA Rural Development)
- ADFA Move-Up Choice Mortgage (Arkansas Development Finance Authority)
Insurance impact
Tornado / hail exposure pushes AR rural premiums above national average. Hunting-cabin STR scenarios may add liability rider.
HOA prevalence & preemption
Rural Howard County is essentially HOA-free fee-simple. Residential subdivisions with HOAs cluster only inside Nashville city limits.
Regulatory overlays (2)
- tornado-zone — Howard County is in Arkansas Tornado Alley / Dixie Alley overlap · +4% cost
ASCE 7-22 wind design speed 110 mph. FEMA P-320 saferoom voluntary; common rural addition for ~$4-6K. (map) - agricultural-zone — Most unincorporated Howard County is poultry-broiler / pasture / timber
AR Right-to-Farm Act protects active farm operations. ADU on a farming parcel must accept ambient odor/dust. (map)
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Volumes I-III — Removes residential sprinkler mandate (R313); state amendments to wildland-urban interface and tornado-resistant construction guidance.
Contractor market (aggregate)
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: No local Washington (Howard County) ordinance; controlled by Arkansas Act 313 + Howard County Judge process, adopted 2025-03-18, last amended 2025-03-18
- 1873-04-17 — Howard County established by Arkansas General Assembly (other)
Howard County formed from parts of Hempstead, Pike, Polk, and Sevier counties.
Effect: Set boundaries of present-day Howard; county seat moved from Center Point to Nashville in 1905. - 1905-01-01 — Howard County seat moved to Nashville (other)
County seat relocated from Center Point to Nashville due to railroad placement and population shift.
Effect: Nashville (not Washington) became the administrative center for Howard County permitting. - 1939-01-01 — Howard County Courthouse (PWA-funded) opens (other)
Two-story brick PWA-era H-shaped courthouse at 421 N Main St, Nashville.
Effect: Established the present permitting/recording center for Howard County. - 2017-01-01 — Arkansas Fire Prevention Code adopts IRC 2018 base (state-law)
Statewide AR Fire Prevention Code adopts IRC 2018 with state amendments and removes residential sprinkler mandate.
Effect: All Howard County construction governed by IRC 2018 + AR amendments. - 2025-03-18 — Arkansas Act 313 of 2025 (HB 1503) - statewide ADU by-right (state-law)
Statewide preemption requiring at least one by-right ADU on residential lots; $250 fee cap.
Effect: Howard County jurisdictions cannot impose restrictions stricter than Act 313 after 2026-01-01. - 2026-01-01 — Act 313 effective date (state-law)
Statewide ADU floor takes effect.
Effect: ADUs now expressly allowed in unincorporated Howard County and inside any municipal limits.
Known issues (1)
- policy-review (since 2025-03) — Mailing addresses and assessor records mix the two; verify county on every record before filing. (source)
Arkansas state — ADU law and programs
State ADU law
Arkansas enacted statewide ADU preemption through HB 1503, signed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on 2025-03-18 as Act 313 of 2025. The act takes effect 2026-01-01. From that date forward, every Arkansas municipality must permit at least one accessory dwelling unit by-right on every single-family-zoned residential parcel; ADUs may not exceed the lesser of 75% of the primary dwelling's floor area or 1,000 square feet; application fees are capped at $250; cities may not require a special-use permit, public hearing, or restrictive covenant as a condition of ADU approval. Existing local ADU regulations that conflict with the act become invalid on the effective date. Cities are free to adopt MORE permissive ADU rules but may not adopt stricter ones after 2026-01-01. Arkansas became the eighth US state to enact statewide ADU preemption.
State financing programs
Arkansas does not operate an ADU-specific statewide loan, grant, or forgivable-loan program. The Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA) is the state's housing finance agency and administers first-time-homebuyer mortgages, down-payment assistance, and the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit allocation. None target ADU construction directly, though an ADU-bearing primary residence can qualify for the underlying mortgage when other eligibility criteria are met. Statewide ADU programs may emerge under the Act 313 implementation framework after the 2026-01-01 effective date, but no ADU-specific ADFA program has been announced as of 2026-04-26.
State housing programs
Arkansas's state-level ADU programs operate primarily through the Act 313 preemption framework (effective 2026-01-01) rather than a separate pre-approved-plan catalog or fee-waiver statute. Act 313 itself functions as an effective fee cap (the $250 application-fee ceiling) and prohibits special-use permits or public hearings as approval conditions, which together act as a state-level streamlined-review mandate. Arkansas does not operate a statewide ADU plan library; municipal pre-approved-plan programs may emerge during 2026 implementation.
Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs
Federal ADU law
The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.
Federal financing programs
Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.
Federal tax credits
There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.
Federal housing programs
HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.
ZIP Code
- 71831
Post Office
- 211 Franklin St, 71862