Building activity in the Fort Smith metro area declined in June, keeping the year-to-date totals lower than in 2025. Fort Smith issued 381 permits in July with a value of $14.895 million, down 39.6% from the $24.643 million value of 227 projects permitted in July of last year.. Fort Smith’s building permit totals do not include the ongoing federal investment in new facilities at Ebbing Air National Guard Base located at the Fort Smith Regional Airport. Building permit values in Fort Smith, Greenwood, and Van Buren totaled at least $282.576 million in 2025, up 4.2% compared with 2024. ANNUAL PERMIT NUMBERSFollowing are combined annual permit value totals for the three cities since 2015.