Bill
HB 1991
Creates Arkansas Fire Prevention Code exemption: rural, unincorporated subdivisions with lots at least one acre need not have two separate fire apparatus access roads.
Note on source material
- The materials provided appear to combine text and activity for multiple different bills from different jurisdictions (an Arkansas bill, an Illinois appropriation bill, and an unrelated “suffrage restore” title). This summary focuses on the substantive bill text included from the Arkansas 95th General Assembly ( Regular Session, 2025 ), which amends the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code. The supplied “Bill Information” field lists the title “Suffrage; restore to Jon Eric Walker of Benton County” and a status of “Died In Committee,” but that title and status do not match the Arkansas fire-code text. Please verify the correct jurisdiction and bill number if you need an authoritative status or legislative history.
Purpose and intent
- The bill creates a targeted exception in the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code regarding required fire apparatus access roads for residential developments. Its intent is to relieve certain rural residential developments from the Code’s requirement to provide two or more separate and approved fire apparatus access roads.
Key provisions
- Adds a new section to Arkansas Code Title 18, Chapter 10, Subchapter 1 (proposed § 18-10-101).
- States that the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code shall not require a residential development to maintain two (2) or more separate and approved fire apparatus access roads if both conditions are met:
1. The residential development is not located in a city of the first class, a city of the second class, or an incorporated town (i.e., it is in an unincorporated/rural area); and
2. Each lot in the residential development is at least one (1) acre in size.
Who is affected
- Developers and property owners of residential subdivisions in unincorporated/rural parts of Arkansas where individual lots are one acre or larger.
- Local fire departments, code enforcement officials, and emergency responders operating in affected areas, who may have fewer approved apparatus access routes to reach residences.
- Municipalities and incorporated towns are not affected by the exception (the exception explicitly excludes developments within cities or incorporated towns).
Practical impacts and considerations
- For qualifying rural developments, the bill reduces a compliance requirement (fewer required access roads), which could lower development costs and reduce road construction/maintenance obligations.
- Potential public-safety implications: fewer separate access routes could affect emergency response times or contingency access if a primary access is blocked. Local fire authorities may need to assess alternative mitigations (e.g., wider single access, turnarounds, fire hydrant placement, water supplies).
- The provision as written is a forward-looking statutory exception to the Fire Prevention Code; the text does not specify grandfathering, retroactivity, or additional local authority — these would need clarification in practice.
Sponsors and procedural note
- Sponsors listed in the source: Representative Childress (primary) and Senator J. Bryant (primary).
- Source material also lists other sponsors (Tony M. McCombie) and a mixed legislative action timeline that appears to belong to other HB1991 filings; the provided “Died In Committee” status may refer to a different bill. Verify the bill’s official status with the Arkansas legislative records or the appropriate legislative clerk for the 95th General Assembly before relying on its enactment status.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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