Sevier County Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law: Arkansaurus, the Land of Lakes, the Cossatot River, and What Every Landlord Needs to Know
Sevier County, formed on October 17, 1828, from parts of Hempstead and Miller counties and named for Ambrose Sevier — a U.S. Senator from Arkansas and the first Arkansan to serve in that chamber — occupies the southwestern corner of the state along the Oklahoma border. It is simultaneously one of Arkansas’s most geographically blessed counties (five rivers, five major lakes within 35 miles, Ouachita Mountain foothills, and some of the state’s finest whitewater) and one of its most economically challenged — a small rural population of 15,839 anchored by the poultry processing industry, with a rental market shaped by that same industry’s workforce demographics.
How De Queen Got Its Name — and the Arkansas State Dinosaur
De Queen owes its very existence to a stubborn railroad dispute. In the late 1890s, railroad builder Arthur Stilwell was pushing the Kansas City, Pittsburg, and Gulf Railroad south toward the Gulf of Mexico, but ran out of money. He traveled to Holland and found a backer in Jan de Goeijen, a Dutch coffee merchant who provided the capital to complete the line. When the railroad was built through what would become the new county seat — bypassing Lockesburg because local landowners there refused to sell right-of-way — the town was named “De Queen” for the way de Goeijen’s last name sounded to American ears. (Stilwell used the same railroad and the same Dutch investors to name other towns along the line, including Mena in Polk County, which was named after de Goeijen’s wife.) The county seat was officially moved from Lockesburg to De Queen in 1905.
In 1972, dinosaur bones were discovered in Sevier County. The specimen was later identified as a new dinosaur species and named Arkansaurus fridayi — and in 2017, the Arkansas General Assembly designated it as the official state dinosaur of Arkansas. Sevier County is one of very few places in the state with a dinosaur fossil record.
The Cossatot River and the Land of the Lakes
Sevier County’s four rivers — the Little River, the Saline River, the Cossatot River, and the Rolling Fork River — are each impounded by Army Corps of Engineers lakes. The Cossatot River, before reaching its lake, passes through Cossatot River State Park–Natural Area, where it runs through a series of technical rapids that are among the most challenging whitewater in the mid-South — well known to kayakers throughout the region. Millwood Lake, at 29,500 acres, is one of the largest lakes in Arkansas and is renowned as one of the best fishing lakes in the state, particularly for bass and crappie. The county’s nickname — “Land of the Lakes” — reflects the fact that five major reservoirs sit within a 35-mile radius of nearly any point in the county.
The Poultry Industry and Sevier County’s Demographics
Pilgrim’s Pride operates a large poultry-processing plant in De Queen and a nearby hatchery, making it the county’s largest private employer. The plant drove a major demographic shift beginning in the 1990s, when a wave of Hispanic immigration brought workers to the area. By the 2020 census, approximately 35 percent of Sevier County’s population — more than 5,500 people — identified as Hispanic. De Queen itself is majority Hispanic. For landlords, this demographic reality has important Fair Housing implications: national origin is a protected class under the federal Fair Housing Act. Screening criteria must be applied consistently and evenhandedly to all applicants regardless of national origin, language, or immigration status. Income documentation in Spanish is valid income documentation. Poultry processing W-2 workers have regular pay cycles and predictable income; verify with 2–3 months of recent pay stubs and confirm full-time or part-time status.
Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law in Sevier County
All residential rental relationships in Sevier County are governed by statewide Arkansas law. There is no local rent control anywhere in Arkansas. For nonpayment, serve a 3-day written notice to vacate after rent is at least 5 days past due, then file an Unlawful Detainer complaint with Circuit Clerk Kathy Smith, 115 North 3rd Street, De Queen, AR 71832, (870) 584-3055. For lease violations, serve a 14-day notice to cure. Month-to-month tenancies require 30 days’ written notice to terminate. Security deposits are capped at two months’ rent for landlords with six or more units, returned with written itemized deductions within 60 days. No implied warranty of habitability by default; no repair-and-deduct remedy; self-help evictions are prohibited.
Note: Sevier County approved alcohol sales in November 2020. Landlords with lease templates referencing the formerly dry status should update those provisions.
This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed Arkansas attorney for guidance specific to your situation. Last updated: March 2026.
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