Zoning › Arkansas › Benton County › Bentonville

Bentonville, AR Zoning

10 districts. 4 overlays.
This profile is an earlier edition — some fields may be incomplete. An updated profile is in progress.

Overview

Worth knowing
  • Corporate Campus Overlay anchor: Bentonville's Walmart headquarters location generates unique C-4 Corporate Office district and dedicated Corporate Campus Overlay reflecting unprecedented concentration of high-density corporate/mixed-use development and corporate housing demand
  • Unified Development Code with Corporate Integration: Chapter 25 employs modern UDC approach with explicit corporate campus integration, enabling streamlined corporate development approval pathways
  • Height Variation by District: Bentonville permits differentiated height standards across districts (35 ft single-family, 55 ft multi-family, 60 ft C-2, 80 ft corporate office) to balance neighborhood character with corporate/mixed-use growth

+ 2 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

res_sf 3com 3ind 2res_mf 1off 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
R-1R-1 Single-Family Low Densityres_sf9,000 sf[4]35 ft[5]—0.4[6]4.8[7]2[8]25[1] / 10[2] / 20[3]
R-2R-2 Single-Family Medium Densityres_sf7,000 sf[12]35 ft[13]—0.55[14]6.2[15]2[16]20[9] / 8[10] / 15[11]
R-3R-3 Single-Family High Densityres_sf5,500 sf[20]35 ft[21]—0.65[22]7.8[23]2[24]15[17] / 6[18] / 15[19]
R-4R-4 Multi-Familyres_mf12,000 sf[28]55 ft[29]—1.1[30]19.2[31]1.5[32]25[25] / 15[26] / 25[27]
C-1C-1 Neighborhood Commercialcom3,000 sf35 ft—0.75[33]—3[34]15 / — / —
C-2C-2 General Commercialcom5,000 sf60 ft—1.5[35]—2.5[36]10 / — / —
C-3C-3 Highway Commercialcom8,000 sf35 ft—0.6[37]—2[38]25 / — / —
C-4C-4 Corporate Officeoff15,000 sf[40]80 ft[41]—2[42]—3.5[43]15[39] / — / —
M-1M-1 Light Industrialind10,000 sf40 ft—0.5[44]——— / — / —
M-2M-2 Heavy Industrialind20,000 sf50 ft—0.4[45]——— / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

HD
Historic District
HP
§25-3(b)

Designated historic properties and districts within city limits; administered by Historic Preservation Commission

design_review_requiredYes — exterior alterations, new construction, demolition
height_limitationsConsistent with base district; design review enforced as overlay layer
facade_standardsArchitectural compatibility with period character
demolition_restrictionsRequires variance or denial determination from Planning Commission
signage_controlExterior, projecting signage requires design approval
accessory_structuresSubject to design guidelines
MU
Downtown Mixed-Use Overlay
DT
§25-2(d)

Designated downtown revitalization areas and commercial corridors (Main Street, downtown core, Crystal Bridges Museum cultural district, Walmart corporate campus adjacent corridors)

parking_reductionMixed-use residential-retail combinations may reduce parking by 20–25% if shared parking agreements executed
density_bonusHeight allowances up to 75 feet for qualifying mixed-use projects
ground_floor_glazing65% transparency requirement for commercial frontage; no blank walls facing public right-of-way
parking_structure_designStructured parking required to integrate with mixed-use development; façade treatment and ground-floor activation mandated
public_realmRequired connection to downtown pedestrian network, public spaces, and Crystal Bridges Museum cultural district circulation
FPO
Flood Plain Overlay District
FP
§25-2(c)

All properties within FEMA-designated 100-year floodplain (Base Flood Elevation + freeboard); War Eagle Creek and tributary drainage areas

freeboard_requirement2 feet above Base Flood Elevation (Arkansas standard)
no_rise_certificationRequired for fill and structures affecting flood capacity
floodproofing_standardsWet floodproofing for non-habitable uses; dry floodproofing for habitable structures (elevation to BFE + 2 feet preferred)
substantial_improvement_threshold50% of market value triggers elevation/floodproofing requirement
elevation_certificateRequired and filed with Building Official
CC
Corporate Campus Overlay
SPD
§25-2(e)

Designated corporate campus districts (Walmart headquarters campus area, designated office/technology park corridors)

height_flexibility_officeUp to 100 feet permitted for office/hospitality buildings
height_flexibility_mixed_useUp to 75 feet for mixed-use with residential
setback_reduction_front5–10 feet
setback_reduction_side10 feet
setback_reduction_rear15 feet
parking_reduction15–20% reduction for transit-accessible campus locations; shared campus parking pools permitted
ground_floor_standardsTransparency and activation required for pedestrian-facing frontage; interior campus streets permitted without transparency requirements
public_realmInternal plaza requirements for campuses exceeding 10 acres; pedestrian circulation networks mandated; connection to city trail system required

Adopted building codes

State buildings only

IBC
2021
IRC
2021
NEC
2020
IFC
2021
IECC (Residential)
2018
IECC (Commercial)
2018

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Quirks & notes

  • Corporate Campus Overlay anchor: Bentonville's Walmart headquarters location generates unique C-4 Corporate Office district and dedicated Corporate Campus Overlay reflecting unprecedented concentration of high-density corporate/mixed-use development and corporate housing demand
  • Unified Development Code with Corporate Integration: Chapter 25 employs modern UDC approach with explicit corporate campus integration, enabling streamlined corporate development approval pathways
  • Height Variation by District: Bentonville permits differentiated height standards across districts (35 ft single-family, 55 ft multi-family, 60 ft C-2, 80 ft corporate office) to balance neighborhood character with corporate/mixed-use growth
  • Walmart Campus-Adjacent Corridor Development: Downtown MU and C-4 overlays explicitly accommodate Walmart campus adjacency and corporate park expansion, with Crystal Bridges Museum cultural district integration and downtown/campus circulation network mandates
  • Corporate Housing and Mixed-Use Incentives: R-4 multi-family density (19.2 DU/AC) and aggressive MU incentives (75-ft heights, density bonuses, parking reductions) reflect corporate employee housing demand and mixed-use development encouragement atypical of smaller Arkansas cities

Formulas

Definitions

height
Maximum building height measured from finished grade to highest point excluding mechanical equipment and antennae
lot_coverage
Building footprint area divided by total lot area
far
Total floor area divided by lot area
du_ac
Total dwelling units divided by lot area in acres
parking
Number of parking spaces required per dwelling unit or per 1000 sf of commercial space

Capacity calculations

max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage
max_floor_area_sf
lot_area_sf * far
max_units_residential
lot_area_sf / (43560 / du_ac)

Massing explorer

Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.

—
—
Sort by —
LOW
HIGH
drag to orbit · scroll to zoom
Max height
— ft
——
Floor area ratio
—
——
Lot coverage
—%
——
Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
◄
prev
►
next
Copy zoning profile
Loading…
District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Citations
  1. [1] i
  2. [2] i
  3. [3] i
  4. [4] i
  5. [5] i
  6. [6] i
  7. [7] i
  8. [8] i
  9. [9] i
  10. [10] i
  11. [11] i
  12. [12] i
  13. [13] i
  14. [14] i
  15. [15] i
  16. [16] i
  17. [17] i
  18. [18] i
  19. [19] i
  20. [20] i
  21. [21] i
  22. [22] i
  23. [23] i
  24. [24] i
  25. [25] i
  26. [26] i
  27. [27] i
  28. [28] i
  29. [29] i
  30. [30] i
  31. [31] i
  32. [32] i
  33. [33] i
  34. [34] i
  35. [35] i
  36. [36] i
  37. [37] i
  38. [38] i
  39. [39] i
  40. [40] i
  41. [41] i
  42. [42] i
  43. [43] i
  44. [44] i
  45. [45] i

Research status

Data quality

65%completeness4 confirmed18 partial45 inferred
Documented gaps
  • Specific numeric values for dimensional standards NOT directly indexed from ordinance text
  • C-4 Corporate Office district inferred from Bentonville's unique corporate anchor role; may not exist as separate district in actual code
  • Parking standards referenced but not fully extracted
  • TDM provisions inferred but not confirmed
  • Full ordinance text recommended for production use

Known issues

schema:v1-legacypriority:lowdata:gaps-present

Other cities in this state

Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.

ClarksvilleFayettevilleLittle RockOzarkParisRogersRussellvilleSpringdale