Desha County Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law: A Guide for Rental Property Owners at the Confluence of Three Great Rivers
Desha County sits at one of the most historically significant geographic locations in the American South: the convergence of the White River, the Arkansas River, and the Mississippi River, all meeting within or along the county’s boundaries. This confluence made the area a hub for steamboat commerce, a strategic military target during the Civil War, and ultimately a center for grain shipping that continues to function through modern river transportation infrastructure. The county’s county seat — Arkansas City — is a tiny survivor of the steamboat era whose 1900 courthouse is one of the oldest active courthouses in Arkansas. The longest levee in the United States runs along the Mississippi River in Desha County. This is a county whose geography defined its history and whose history continues to define its economy and culture.
A Critical Filing Note: Arkansas City vs. McGehee
Arkansas City is the legal county seat of Desha County, and the historic 1900 courthouse (renovated in 2005) sits there on spacious grounds with a distinctive two-story white brick facade and a twenty-three-foot-high courtroom ceiling on the second floor. However, Arkansas City has a population of approximately 361 people. The practical commercial center of Desha County is McGehee, the county’s largest city at roughly 3,849 residents. The 10th Judicial Circuit Court eviction filings are handled at 406 W. Oak St., McGehee, AR 71654, (870) 222-0930, under Circuit Clerk Kristen N. Christmas. When you need to file an eviction, go to McGehee, not Arkansas City. The mailing address for the Circuit Clerk is P.O. Box 309, Arkansas City, AR 71630.
PotlatchDeltic Paper Mill: The County’s Industrial Anchor
The Potlatch (now PotlatchDeltic, following merger with Deltic Timber) paper mill near Arkansas City is one of Desha County’s most significant industrial employers. Paper and pulp mill operations employ workers in technically demanding, continuous-process manufacturing environments with stable, unionized or salaried income. PotlatchDeltic workers at the Arkansas City facility represent the strongest local industrial tenant profiles in the county. Verify employment directly with PotlatchDeltic HR, confirm the applicant is a direct mill employee rather than a contractor or staffing-agency worker, and qualify on base wage rather than overtime-inflated totals.
Three Rivers, Yellow Bend Port, and the Grain Economy
Desha County’s position at the convergence of the White, Arkansas, and Mississippi rivers gives it waterway connections from New Orleans to Tulsa — a genuine commercial advantage for the industrial-scale rice, soybean, and cotton operations that cover the county’s flat Delta lowlands. The Yellow Bend Port and Industrial Park, developed jointly by Desha and Chicot counties on the Mississippi River, provides a $3.9 million river terminal and industrial facility for grain shipping and storage. Port and logistics workers at Yellow Bend have stable employment, though volumes vary seasonally with harvest cycles. Grain elevator, cotton gin, and rice dryer workers throughout the county are year-round employees with more predictable income than field agricultural workers.
For field agricultural workers — equipment operators, farm hands, and contract laborers on the county’s large industrial farms — income is highly seasonal. A worker who earns significant income during spring planting and fall harvest may earn very little between November and March. Always request prior-year tax returns rather than relying on a recent pay stub that may represent peak seasonal earnings. Evaluate annualized, verified income rather than seasonal peaks.
The Rohwer WWII Relocation Center: A National Historic Landmark
Twelve miles northeast of McGehee, the Rohwer Relocation Center operated as one of ten WWII internment camps for Japanese Americans from September 1942 to November 1945, holding nearly 8,000 people from the West Coast. The camp’s cemetery — the only surviving physical remnant of the center — is a National Historic Landmark. A monument honors Japanese American soldiers who served in the U.S. military while their families were interned. The World War II Japanese American Internment Museum opened in McGehee in 2013, with an audio tour narrated by George Takei, who was himself interned as a child during WWII. The museum draws researchers, documentary filmmakers, descendants of internees, and history-focused tourists to Desha County — creating modest but real heritage tourism demand that supports short-term lodging in McGehee.
White River Wildlife Refuge and Outdoor Recreation
The White River National Wildlife Refuge, which covers bottomland hardwood habitat along the White River, is one of the most significant migratory waterfowl sanctuaries in the country and provides world-class duck and goose hunting in the fall and winter season. Desha County’s multiple river systems, oxbow lakes, and bottomland timber areas are among the most productive waterfowl hunting environments in the Delta. Properties on or near the White River, with river access, hunting leases, or bottomland positioning, have meaningful short-term rental potential for waterfowl hunters during the duck season, which runs from November through January. Sport fishing on the Mississippi and its connected oxbow lakes draws spring and summer visitors. Verify any STR permit requirements before listing.
Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law in Desha County
All Arkansas landlord-tenant law applies statewide with no local modifications in Desha County. The governing statutes are A.C.A. §§ 18-16-101 through 18-16-108 and the Arkansas Residential Landlord-Tenant Act of 2007, A.C.A. §§ 18-17-101 et seq. Security deposits are capped at two months’ rent and must be returned within 60 days (applies to landlords with 6+ units). No habitability warranty by default; no repair-and-deduct. Abandoned property may be disposed of immediately on lease termination. No rent control anywhere in Arkansas. Desha County has been depopulating since 1940; the thin renter pool favors tenant retention strategies over aggressive turnover.
All evictions are filed in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court, Circuit Clerk Kristen N. Christmas, 406 W. Oak St., McGehee, AR 71654, (870) 222-0930, fax (870) 877-3407. Filing fee: $165. Serve the 3-day notice for nonpayment (or 14-day cure notice for violations), file the Unlawful Detainer complaint, allow 5 days for the tenant to object, then proceed to hearing or default and Writ of Possession. Self-help evictions are prohibited.
This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Arkansas landlord-tenant law is governed by the Arkansas Code Annotated and applies statewide, with no local rent control or just-cause eviction requirements in Desha County. Consult a licensed Arkansas attorney or contact the 10th Judicial Circuit Court Clerk at (870) 222-0930 for guidance specific to your situation. Last updated: March 2026.
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