Arkansas landlord guide — county ordinances, courthouse info & local rules for Clinton
📍 County Seat: Clinton 👥 Pop. 15,796 (2020) ⚖️ 20th Judicial Circuit 🌊 Greers Ferry Lake (JFK’s Last Dedication) / Chuckwagon Races / Fairfield Bay / Titan II Missiles / Wet County since 2020
Van Buren County sits in the heart of the Ozark Mountains in north-central Arkansas, 56 miles north of Little Rock via U.S. Highway 65. The county was formed on November 11, 1833, and named for Martin Van Buren, who was serving as Vice President at the time (he later became the 8th President of the United States). Its county seat, Clinton, was named for DeWitt Clinton, the New York governor famous for building the Erie Canal. The county is bisected by the Little Red River and encompasses the western half of Greers Ferry Lake, a 40,000-acre Army Corps of Engineers reservoir that has been the county’s dominant economic engine since its creation in 1962. With a population of 15,796 (2020 census), the county is growing modestly, driven primarily by retirement and lake-lifestyle migration to the Fairfield Bay area and the broader Greers Ferry Lake corridor.
The economy centers on tourism, retirement housing, healthcare, government, and livestock/poultry agriculture. All evictions are filed in the 20th Judicial Circuit Court. Van Buren County became a wet county on November 3, 2020 when voters approved alcohol sales — the same election that also made Sevier, Sharp, and Randolph counties wet.
🌊 Greers Ferry Lake — JFK’s Last Public Dedication — President John F. Kennedy presided at the dedication of the Greers Ferry Dam on October 3, 1963 — one of his last major public appearances before his assassination; lake formed 1962; 40,000 acres; 343-mile shoreline |
🏇 National Championship Chuckwagon Races — Annual Labor Day event at the Bar of Ranch, Clinton; started 1985 with 8 friends; now draws 100+ teams and thousands of spectators; rodeo, futurity events, live music, the Snowy River Grand Finale |
🚀 Titan II Missile Silos — The U.S. Department of Defense built 18 Titan II nuclear missile silos in Van Buren and surrounding counties in the 1950s–60s; staffed by USAF; explosion at a Van Buren County site in 1980 killed one airman |
🌪️ EF4 Tornado (2008) — February 5, 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak; EF4 struck Clinton; killed 3, destroyed homes and businesses including a boat manufacturing plant
📊 Quick Stats
County Seat
Clinton (~2,509)
Other Communities
Fairfield Bay (~2,108; spans Cleburne), Shirley, Damascus
Population
15,796 (2020 Census)
Major Employers
Tourism/lake recreation, Fairfield Bay retirement, healthcare, government, livestock/poultry
Court
20th Judicial Circuit
Rent Control
None
Alcohol
Wet county (since November 2020)
⚡ Eviction At-a-Glance
Nonpayment Notice
3-Day Notice to Vacate
Lease Violation
14-Day Notice to Cure or Quit
Month-to-Month Term.
30-Day Written Notice
Week-to-Week Term.
7-Day Written Notice
Eviction Filing
Unlawful Detainer / Complaint
Tenant Response Window
5 days after summons
Eviction Timeline
3–6 weeks typical
Security Deposit Cap
2 months rent (6+ unit landlords)
Deposit Return
60 days after termination
Statute
A.C.A. §§ 18-16-101; 18-17-101 et seq.
Van Buren County Ordinances & Local Rules
Topic
Rule / Notes
Circuit Clerk & Filing
All evictions in Van Buren County are filed in the 20th Judicial Circuit Court. Circuit Clerk: Debbie Gray — 273 Main St., Suite 2, Clinton, AR 72031; Phone: (501) 745-4140; Fax: (501) 745-7400; Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. File the Unlawful Detainer complaint at the courthouse after the required notice period expires without tenant compliance. The Van Buren County Courthouse in Clinton (1934–35 WPA construction) is listed on the Arkansas state historic registry.
Rent Control
None. Arkansas preempts local rent control statewide. No city or county in Arkansas may impose rent control. Landlords throughout Van Buren County may raise rents freely at renewal or with 30 days’ written notice on month-to-month tenancies.
Security Deposit
Capped at 2 months’ rent (A.C.A. § 18-16-304). Applies to landlords renting six or more dwellings. Return with written itemized deductions within 60 days of termination (A.C.A. § 18-16-305).
Notice to Vacate — Nonpayment
Written 3-day notice to vacate required before filing for unlawful detainer for nonpayment. Best practice: wait until rent is at least 5 days past due before serving (A.C.A. § 18-17-901). Retain dated proof of service.
Lease Violation Notice
For non-rent violations, serve a written 14-day notice to cure or quit identifying the specific breach (A.C.A. § 18-17-701). If the tenant remedies the violation within 14 days, the tenancy continues.
Month-to-Month Termination
30-day written notice required to terminate a month-to-month tenancy (A.C.A. § 18-17-704). Week-to-week tenancies require 7-day written notice.
Wet County Since November 2020
Van Buren County was a dry county until November 3, 2020, when voters approved alcohol sales. Landlords with lease templates referencing the formerly dry county status should update those provisions. Do not include lease provisions that purport to regulate tenants’ off-premises legal purchases or consumption of alcohol.
Lake & Retirement Community Market
Greers Ferry Lake and the Fairfield Bay retirement community drive a significant retiree and near-retiree rental market in Van Buren County. Retirees on fixed income (Social Security, pension, retirement account distributions): verify income with current Social Security award letters, pension statements, and/or 2–3 months of bank statements. Apply the same documented income ratio criteria uniformly to all applicants — age is a protected class under the Fair Housing Act. Fairfield Bay straddles the Van Buren–Cleburne county line; properties on the Van Buren County side file in the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in Clinton.
Tourism & Seasonal Income
The Greers Ferry Lake recreation corridor and the National Championship Chuckwagon Races draw large seasonal visitor volumes. Hospitality and marina workers tied to seasonal lake activity may have variable annual income. Verify income over a full 12-month cycle for seasonal workers; do not rely solely on peak-season pay stubs.
No Warranty of Habitability (Default)
Arkansas does not impose a general implied warranty of habitability by default. Leases executed after October 2021 carry some statutory habitability protections unless waived in writing. Tenants have no repair-and-deduct remedy under Arkansas law.
Abandoned Property
Personal property remaining after lease termination is deemed abandoned and may be disposed of by the landlord (A.C.A. § 18-16-108). Document with timestamped photos and video before disposal.
Self-Help Eviction
Prohibited. Do not attempt lockouts, utility shutoffs, or removal of belongings without a court order. Use the lawful judicial process through the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in Clinton.
Late Fees & NSF Checks
No statutory cap on late fees in Arkansas. Specify amount and grace period in writing in the lease. For returned checks: $30 per check plus bank fees (A.C.A. § 5-37-307(c)(2)(B)).
Notice Type3-Day Notice to Quit (Civil unlawful detainer) / 10-Day Notice (Criminal failure to vacate)
Notice Period3 days
Tenant Can Cure?No - 3-day civil notice is unconditional quit; tenant must vacate (landlord not required to accept late rent)
Days to Hearing5-15 days
Days to Writ1-5 days
Total Estimated Timeline15-30 days
Total Estimated Cost$100-$350
⚠️ Watch Out
Arkansas historically had a criminal eviction statute allowing landlords to charge tenants with a misdemeanor for failure to vacate. This was struck down in 2023 but some counties still reference it. Civil unlawful detainer is now the primary path.
Serve the required notice based on the eviction reason (nonpayment or lease violation).
Wait for the notice period to expire. If tenant cures the issue (where allowed), the process stops.
File an eviction case with the Circuit Court (or District Court with concurrent jurisdiction). Pay the filing fee (~$65-165).
Tenant is served with a summons and has the opportunity to respond.
Attend the court hearing and present your case.
If you prevail, obtain a writ of possession from the court.
Law enforcement executes the writ and removes the tenant if necessary.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This page provides general information about Arkansas eviction laws and does not constitute legal advice.
Eviction procedures can vary by county and may change over time. Local jurisdictions may have additional requirements or tenant protections.
For specific legal guidance, consult a qualified Arkansas attorney or local legal aid organization.
🔍 Reduce Your Risk Before Signing a Lease:
Arkansas landlords who screen tenants carefully before signing a lease significantly
reduce their risk of ending up in eviction court. Understanding
tenant screening in Arkansas —
including background checks, credit history, income verification, and rental references — is one of the most
cost-effective steps you can take to protect your rental property. Before you ever need Arkansas's
eviction process, proper tenant screening can help
you identify red flags early and avoid problem tenancies altogether.
Ready to File?
Generate Arkansas-Compliant Legal Documents
AI-generated, state-specific eviction notices, pay-or-quit letters, lease termination documents, and more — pre-filled with your tenant's information and built to Arkansas requirements.
Select your state, eviction reason, and the date you plan to serve notice. We'll calculate your earliest filing date and key milestones.
⚠️ Disclaimer: These calculations are estimates based on state statutes and typical court timelines. Actual results vary by county, court backlog, and case specifics. Always verify current requirements with your local courthouse. This is not legal advice.
Underground Landlord
🏘️ Communities & Screening Tips
Key communities: Clinton (county seat, ~2,509), Fairfield Bay (~2,108; spans Cleburne County), Shirley, Damascus.
Van Buren County market: 20th Judicial Circuit; Circuit Clerk Debbie Gray, 273 Main St., Suite 2, Clinton, (501) 745-4140; hours M–F 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Wet county since Nov. 2020 — update lease templates. Fairfield Bay properties on Van Buren County side file in Clinton. Large retiree market: verify fixed income with Social Security/pension letters + bank statements; apply criteria consistently. Seasonal lake workers: verify 12-month income. Government/school/healthcare staff: stable W-2.
Arkansas key rules: 3-day notice (nonpayment), 14-day cure (violations), 30-day M-to-M termination, no rent control, 60-day deposit return, 2-month cap (6+ unit landlords), no habitability warranty by default, no repair-and-deduct.
Background checks, eviction history, credit reports — get the full picture before handing over the keys.
Van Buren County Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law: Greers Ferry Lake, JFK’s Last Dedication, the Chuckwagon Races, and What Every Landlord Needs to Know
Van Buren County was created on November 11, 1833, from land that had previously been recognized as Osage hunting territory before an 1825 treaty opened it to American settlement. The county was named for Martin Van Buren, then serving as Vice President of the United States under Andrew Jackson; Van Buren later became the 8th President. The county seat, Clinton, was established in 1833 by settler George Counts and named after DeWitt Clinton, the New York governor who built the Erie Canal. For most of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Clinton and Van Buren County were isolated in the Ozark Mountain valley of the Little Red River — bypassed by major railroads, Civil War battles, and the industrial transformations that reshaped the rest of Arkansas.
Greers Ferry Lake: JFK’s Last Major Dedication
Construction of the Greers Ferry Dam began in March 1959, just east of Heber Springs in Cleburne County. When completed in 1962, it impounded the Little Red River into a 40,000-acre lake with 343 miles of shoreline that extends about 35 miles westward into Van Buren County. The dam covered former farmland, villages, and cemeteries — including the communities of Choctaw and Eglantine. On October 3, 1963, President John F. Kennedy traveled to Arkansas to dedicate the Greers Ferry Dam. It was one of his last major public appearances before his assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963, making the Greers Ferry Dam dedication a historically memorable event in the Kennedy presidency. The lake created by the dam transformed the county’s economy from timber and subsistence agriculture to tourism, boating, fishing, and retirement living. Fairfield Bay, a planned lakeside retirement and resort community, was developed beginning in 1966 and became one of the most significant demographic influxes in the county’s history.
Titan II Missiles and the National Chuckwagon Championships
During the height of the Cold War, the U.S. Department of Defense developed 18 Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile silos across Van Buren and surrounding Ozark Mountain counties. The silos, staffed by U.S. Air Force personnel, were part of the nation’s nuclear deterrence posture. In 1980, an explosion at a Van Buren County missile site killed one airman. By the mid-1980s, the silos had been decommissioned. In 1985, a very different kind of event was born in Clinton: eight friends organized an informal chuckwagon race on Dan Eoff’s ranch west of town. What began as a friendly competition grew into the National Championship Chuckwagon Races, a major Labor Day weekend event that now draws more than 100 competitive teams and thousands of spectators, with rodeo events, futurity competitions, live music, and the dramatic “Snowy River” grand finale race.
Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law in Van Buren County
All residential rental relationships in Van Buren 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 Debbie Gray, 273 Main St., Suite 2, Clinton, AR 72031, (501) 745-4140. 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: Van Buren County approved alcohol sales in November 2020. Landlords with lease templates that reference the formerly dry county 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.
⚠️ Legal Disclaimer: This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Age is a protected class under the Fair Housing Act; apply screening criteria consistently regardless of income source. Consult a licensed Arkansas attorney for guidance specific to your situation. Last updated: March 2026.
