Stoop & Kin

Arkansas

The four things that differ here, and where the law says so.

Ten acres can escape the septic permit law, and a state land sale is final.

A white frame farmhouse with a tin roof, a front porch and a picket fence, under a big tree on a grey day
The Sylvester Smith Farmstead, Arkansas. Photo: Valis55, CC BY-SA 3.0.

$4,350 an acre is the average for farm real estate here, against $4,500 nationally (NASS, 2026). Pasture averages $3,500.

Land sold for back taxes

Land unpaid for a year after taxes were due on October 15 is forfeited and certified to the Commissioner of State Lands. The owner can redeem until 4 p.m. on the last business day before the sale; there is no redemption after it. The buyer gets a limited warranty deed. Parcels that do not sell go to online auctions, and after two years can be sold at a negotiated price.

What to do: Read the Commissioner of State Lands' county auction lists. Unsold parcels that have sat for two years can be bought at a negotiated price, which is a different kind of bargain from an auction.

Source: Ark. Code Ann. §26-37-101; Ark. Code Ann. §26-37-202; 26 CAR §400-108

Septic before you build

The state onsite wastewater law does not apply to a system on a tract of ten acres or more whose field line is at least 200 feet from the property line. Otherwise, a Designated Representative does the soil test and designs the system, through the county health unit.

What to do: On acreage, ten acres can beat nine. Confirm with the county health unit before you rely on the exemption, and site the field line with the 200 feet in mind.

Source: Ark. Code Ann. §14-236-104(c); Arkansas Department of Health, Onsite Wastewater FAQs

Being taxed as a farm

Agricultural, pasture and timber land is valued on its use, not its market value. A parcel of five acres or less is assessed at market value unless the owner can show a genuine agricultural, pasture or timber use, managed with a view to profit.

What to do: On a small parcel, the farm rate has to be earned and shown. Keep the receipts from the first hay cut or timber sale.

Source: Arkansas Assessment Coordination Division, Agricultural Real Estate; Assessment Coordination Department Rule 3.51

Old well records

The Arkansas Geological Survey's water well reports can be searched by county, township, range and section.

What to do: Search the section the parcel is in, and the sections around it.

Source: Arkansas Geological Survey, Water Well Reports Search

Laws change. Check the source before you rely on a date or a deadline, and ask the county office named, because local rules sit on top of these.

The county research checklist

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