Perry County Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law: Courthouse Fires, the Goat Festival, Heifer International, and What Every Landlord Needs to Know
Perry County, Arkansas occupies 561 square miles in the central part of the state — the fourth-smallest county in Arkansas by land area, yet perched at the edge of the Little Rock metropolitan area, part of the MSA that includes Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway. Perryville, the county seat, sits in the Fourche La Fave River valley with the Ouachita National Forest to its north and south and four major Arkansas cities within an hour’s drive. This geographic position — rural and scenic but accessible — defines the county’s character and its primary land use: residential exurbs for people employed elsewhere who choose to live in the mountains.
The county was created in 1840 from Conway County land and named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the naval hero of the War of 1812 whose famous dispatch after the Battle of Lake Erie — “We have met the enemy, and they are ours” — entered the American lexicon. Perry County’s own history has been notably turbulent, particularly in the second half of the nineteenth century, when a series of violent episodes gave the county a reputation for political disorder that it spent decades living down.
The Perry County War: Three Courthouses and a Lot of Arson
The original Perry County courthouse was a log cabin built in 1841 that burned in 1850 during a feud between the Lively and McCool families, destroying all county records. A second courthouse burned in 1874 under circumstances attributed to political disputes, destroying all records again. A third was built and promptly burned in December 1881 by arsonists during what historians have labeled the “Perry County War” — a period of sustained political violence that included the assassination of the founder and editor of the Perryville News, who was shot in the street while his office across from the courthouse was simultaneously torched. Governor Thomas James Churchill responded to the disorder by dispatching the Arkansas civil militia, the Quapaw Guards, to restore order. The Guards arrived, spent three weeks lounging in courthouse hallways and congregating on the lawn, accomplished essentially nothing, and departed. Finally, in 1888, the present courthouse was constructed of bricks fired from local clay by Sheriff John Edwin Oliver for $4,000. It is the oldest building in Perryville’s commercial historic district, has been modified and expanded over the decades, and remains in use today — though the clerk’s office and courtroom are now split between the historic building and a newer court facility.
Heifer International Ranch and the Arkansas Goat Festival
In 1971 Heifer International — the global nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger and poverty by providing livestock and agricultural training to low-income farmers worldwide — purchased the 1,200-acre Fourche River Ranch three miles south of Perryville and established Heifer Ranch as its working educational facility. The ranch has become one of Perry County’s most distinctive assets, drawing visitors, school groups, volunteers, and program participants from around the world to see goats, llamas, chickens, pigs, rabbits, and other livestock in an interactive educational setting. The ranch operates sustainable agriculture programs and serves as a training center for agricultural development practices used in Heifer’s international projects.
The Heifer connection partly inspired Perryville’s most distinctive annual event: the Arkansas Goat Festival, launched in 2016 and held each October in the city park. The festival draws thousands of visitors with a goat parade, costume contests, food trucks, vendors, and live music, establishing Perry County on the Arkansas festival circuit. The county also hosts Fourche River Days each April — a car, truck, and motorcycle show with live music along the Fourche La Fave River. These events generate modest hospitality and retail employment and support a small seasonal STR market near town.
Scenic Highway 7 and Outdoor Recreation
Scenic Highway 7, which passes through Perry County on its way through the Ouachita Mountains, was designated Arkansas’s first state scenic byway and is considered one of the most visually dramatic drives in the state. Within the county’s boundaries of the Ouachita National Forest, the Flatside Wilderness Area, the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, Flatside Pinnacle, Lake Sylvia Recreation Area, and the Hollis CCC Camp (a National Register property with the distinction of being the only surviving WPA/CCC-constructed Girl Scout facility in the United States) provide hiking, camping, and historical tourism opportunities. Lake Nimrod, situated between the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains at the county’s western edge, offers water skiing, fishing, and hunting. Harris Brake Lake provides waterfowl hunting and angling for catfish on the Fourche La Fave. The Perry County Museum on Courthouse Square — housed in a 1930s CCC-built American Legion hut on the National Register — features an unusual chandelier made from a World War I Sopwith Camel airplane.
The Commuter Market and Screening in Perry County
The vast majority of Perry County workers commute to employment centers outside the county. The county’s position within the Little Rock MSA means it captures residents who want rural mountain living within reach of metro employment. Screen these tenants on their income from their place of employment, not the local Perry County economy. W-2 verification is standard. The key screening question for commuters is employment tenure — how long they have been in their current position and whether they have a stable track record with the employer. Agricultural workers, sod farmers, and timber operators who are self-employed should provide Schedule F or Schedule C returns for two years; note that these industries have seasonal income patterns that may not be reflected in any single month’s pay.
Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law in Perry County
All residential rental relationships in Perry County are governed entirely by statewide Arkansas law. There is no local rent control, no just-cause eviction requirement, and no landlord licensing requirement in Perryville or Perry County. For nonpayment of rent, serve a written 3-day notice to vacate after rent is at least 5 days past due. For lease violations other than nonpayment, serve a 14-day notice to cure or quit. 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 and must be returned with itemized deductions within 60 days. Arkansas does not impose a default implied warranty of habitability; tenants have no repair-and-deduct remedy. Self-help evictions are prohibited. Perry County is a dry county.
File evictions with Circuit Clerk Renee Rainey, P.O. Box 358 / 310 W. Main St., Perryville, AR 72126, (501) 889-5126. The clerk’s office is in the historic 1888 brick courthouse; court is held in the new court building nearby.
This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed Arkansas attorney or contact the 6th Judicial Circuit Court Clerk at (501) 889-5126 for guidance specific to your situation. Last updated: March 2026.
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