Sources checked:
Quick answer. Arkansas: deposit capped at 2 months of rent; deposit returned within 60 days; one-month notice to end month-to-month; 3-day notice for unpaid rent; $5,000 small claims limit. 14 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 9 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- 2 months' rent
- Deposit back within
- 60 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 1 month
- Unpaid rent notice
- 3 days
- Time to answer or appear
- 5 days
- Small claims limit
- $5,000
Security deposit (4 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: Ark. Code 18-16-301 to 18-16-306.
Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.
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ConfirmedDeposit limit
No more than two months' rent.
Sources: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights; Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2020 Arkansas Code 18-16-306 (Remedies), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
The deposit is returned, with a written itemized list of charges withheld, within 60 days of the time the tenant vacates.
Sources: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights; Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2020 Arkansas Code 18-16-306 (Remedies), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
A written, itemized list of the charges withheld.
Sources: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights; Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2020 Arkansas Code 18-16-306 (Remedies), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedInterest on the deposit
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed from official text. Check the Arkansas Code.
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Not confirmedWhere the deposit is held
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed from official text. Check the Arkansas Code.
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Damages of twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus the money due, costs and reasonable attorney fees; only costs and the amount wrongfully withheld if the landlord shows an error despite reasonable procedures or a good-faith dispute over the amount (18-16-306(a), 2020 edition on Justia).
Source: Justia (statute text) (secondary source): 2020 Arkansas Code 18-16-306 (Remedies), checked November 2026
Who the deposit rules cover: The Attorney General says this law applies only to landlords who rent six or more dwellings.
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (5 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Oral lease: one rental period's notice, for any reason. A written lease follows its own terms. | Source: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Oral lease: one rental period's notice. Written lease: as the lease says. | Source: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 |
| Rent increase notice | At least one rental period's notice before raising rent, for oral and written leases. | Source: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 |
| Unpaid rent notice | Three days' written notice to vacate before an unlawful detainer case. | Source: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 |
| Entry notice | No entry notice period stated: Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025) cites Ark. Code 18-17-602 and lists the notice amount and form as 'Not specified'. Check the lease. | Source: Nolo (secondary source): State Laws on Landlord's Access to Rental Property, 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025), checked November 2026 |
| Late fee limits | Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and tenant rights. Not on the Attorney General's page. Check the lease and the Arkansas Code. |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (4 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: Three days' written notice to vacate before an unlawful detainer case.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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ConfirmedCourt
The complaint is filed with the circuit clerk in the county where the property is.
with the clerk of the circuit court
Source: Arkansas Judiciary: Circuit Court Judges' Benchbook, Civil and Criminal (2022), Forcible Entry and Detainer, checked November 2026
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Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
Five days after the summons to object in writing; an objection leads to a hearing.
After you receive a summons to appear in court, you have five days to object in writing to the eviction.
Source: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights, checked November 2026
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- Hearing or trial
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Not confirmedHearing after filing
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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Not confirmedJudgment to writ
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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Not confirmedWrit to lockout
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The county sheriff removes a tenant who loses.
you can be removed from the dwelling by the county sheriff.
Source: Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights, checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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Not confirmedPaying to stop the case
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here.
An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:
Source: National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights. Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer due (if served the day of filing) | Saturday, March 6, 2027 |
Help the official pages name: Arkansas Legal Services landlord and tenant information, linked by the Attorney General.
More: Eviction process timeline by state · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$5,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
The Attorney General's guide describes disputes of less than $5,000. Not for divorce, guardianship, name change, bankruptcy, or title to or possession of real estate.
Filing fee to start a case: $30 to $65.
Source: Arkansas Attorney General: Guide to Small Claims Court, checked November 2026
More: Arkansas small claims court
Still to confirm
- Interest on the deposit: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Where the deposit is held: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Late fee limits: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and tenant rights
- Filing fee: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Hearing after filing: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Judgment to writ: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Writ to lockout: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Paying to stop the case: check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Arkansas Attorney General: Landlord and Tenant Rights
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Arkansas?
No more than two months' rent.
How long does a Arkansas landlord have to return a deposit?
The deposit is returned, with a written itemized list of charges withheld, within 60 days of the time the tenant vacates. What goes with it: A written, itemized list of the charges withheld.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Arkansas?
From the landlord: Oral lease: one rental period's notice, for any reason. A written lease follows its own terms. From the tenant: Oral lease: one rental period's notice. Written lease: as the lease says.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Arkansas?
Three days' written notice to vacate before an unlawful detainer case.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Arkansas?
No entry notice period stated: Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025) cites Ark. Code 18-17-602 and lists the notice amount and form as 'Not specified'. Check the lease.
How long does an eviction case take in Arkansas?
Time to answer or appear: 5 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
Can a Arkansas deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $5,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords