Arkansas landlord guide — county ordinances, courthouse info & local rules for Murfreesboro
📍 County Seat: Murfreesboro 👥 Pop. 10,171 • Southwest Arkansas / Ouachita Mountains ⚖️ 9th West Judicial Circuit 💎 Crater of Diamonds / World’s Only Public Diamond Mine / Uncle Sam Diamond / Art Deco Courthouse / DRY COUNTY
Pike County is a geologically extraordinary county in southwest Arkansas — a land of volcanic lamproite formations, diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes, Ouachita Mountain river gorges, and the kind of landscape that attracts rockhounds, canoeists, anglers, hunters, and curious visitors from around the world. With 10,171 residents spread across rugged northern terrain and flatter southern bottomlands, Pike County’s economy rests on commercial forestry, family farms, and one attraction with no peer anywhere in North America: Crater of Diamonds State Park, the world’s only diamond-bearing site open to the public, where visitors pay a modest admission fee, dig in a 37.5-acre plowed field, and keep whatever they find.
Named for Zebulon Pike — the explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named — the county was formed in 1833 and has accumulated an improbable inventory of geological superlatives. More than 60,000 diamonds have been found at the Crater since 1906, including the 40.33-carat Uncle Sam diamond, the largest ever found in the United States. The Tyson Foods hatchery in Murfreesboro hatches approximately one million chicks per week, making it a significant local employer. Lake Greeson, the Caddo River, and the Little Missouri River provide outdoor recreation that supports a small tourism economy. All evictions are filed in the 9th West Judicial Circuit Court. Pike County is a dry county.
💎 Crater of Diamonds State Park — world’s only public diamond mine; 60,000+ diamonds found since 1906; Uncle Sam (40.33 ct, largest ever in US, 1924); Star of Murfreesboro (34.35 ct, 1964); Star of Arkansas (15.33 ct, 1956); Strawn-Wagner Diamond (1.09 ct, perfect D-flawless, highest quality ever graded by AGS, 1990) |
🏛️ Art Deco Courthouse (NR 1986) — three-story, finest Art Deco in Pike County; fourth courthouse on site; first built 1836, year of AR statehood; deed records for diamond mine = only title records in NA to a diamond mine |
🏕️ Lake Greeson & Little Missouri River — 7,000-acre Lake Greeson (Narrows Dam, 1951); Class IV Winding Stair Rapids (4.4-mi wild river); trout fishing; Daisy State Park |
🎬 Clark Duke — actor/director (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Office, directed film Arkansas 2020) raised in Glenwood
📊 Quick Stats
County Seat
Murfreesboro (~1,500)
Population
10,171 (2020 Census)
Named for
Zebulon Pike (Pikes Peak explorer)
Major Attraction
Crater of Diamonds State Park (world’s only public diamond mine)
Economy
Commercial forestry, family farms, Tyson hatchery (~1M chicks/wk), diamond tourism, Lake Greeson recreation
Court
9th West Judicial Circuit
Rent Control
None
Alcohol
DRY COUNTY
⚡ 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.
Pike County Ordinances & Local Rules
Topic
Rule / Notes
Circuit Clerk & Filing
All evictions in Pike County are filed in the 9th West Judicial Circuit Court. Circuit Clerk: Sabrina Williams — P.O. Box 219 / 1 Courthouse Square, Murfreesboro, AR 71958; Phone: (870) 285-2231; Fax: (870) 285-3281. The courthouse is the three-story Art Deco building on Courthouse Square, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1986) as the finest Art Deco structure in Pike County. Notably, the deed records for the Crater of Diamonds diamond mine are housed in this courthouse — the only title records in North America to a diamond mine. File the Unlawful Detainer complaint after the required notice period expires without tenant compliance.
Rental Licensing
No county-level rental license required. Arkansas has no statewide landlord licensing statute. Check with the City of Murfreesboro for any local rental registration, code enforcement, or STR permit requirements within city limits. Properties near Crater of Diamonds State Park and Lake Greeson have genuine STR potential; verify local zoning before listing.
Rent Control
None. Arkansas has no statewide rent control statute and Pike County has no local ordinance. Landlords 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 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 remedied 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.
Tyson Foods Hatchery Workers
The Tyson Foods hatchery in Murfreesboro — which hatches approximately one million chicks per week — is among the county’s largest employers. Hatchery and production workers are typically year-round W-2 employees. Verify with current pay stubs and prior-year W-2. Tyson is a large, stable employer; this is a straightforward income profile. Contract and staffing agency poultry workers should provide their W-2 from the staffing agency, not Tyson’s name, as the employer of record.
Forestry & Agricultural Workers
Commercial forestry is the county’s primary industry. Timber company W-2 employees and government forestry workers (USFS, state) have predictable income; verify with pay stubs. Independent logging contractors and timber haulers: request two years of Schedule C returns; ask about equipment financing debt. Farm operators: use Schedule F two-year net income. At one time Pike County had the largest peach orchard in the United States; fruit and specialty crop farming may still employ workers on seasonal schedules — screen on annual income.
Diamond Tourism & Outdoor Recreation Workers
Crater of Diamonds State Park and Lake Greeson support hospitality, retail, and outdoor recreation employment. State park employees (ADPHT) are W-2 government workers. Private hospitality staff at lodges, campgrounds, marinas, and guide operations may be seasonal. Screen on annual income; ask about year-round vs. seasonal employment. STR hosts near the Crater and Lake Greeson have genuine income potential given the park’s year-round appeal.
Dry County
Pike County is a dry county. No alcohol sales are permitted. Residents purchase alcohol in neighboring counties. This is relevant market context and affects local restaurant and entertainment business options. It is not a lawful tenant screening criterion.
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 without tenant recourse (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. Always use the lawful judicial process through the 9th West Judicial Circuit Court in Murfreesboro.
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.
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Ready to File?
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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.
Pike County market: 9th West Judicial Circuit; Circuit Clerk Sabrina Williams, P.O. Box 219, Murfreesboro, (870) 285-2231. DRY COUNTY. Tyson hatchery W-2: year-round, stable; staffing agency workers — verify W-2 employer of record. Forestry W-2: standard. Contract loggers: Schedule C 2-year net; ask about equipment debt. Farm operators: Schedule F 2-year net. State park workers: government W-2. Tourism/hospitality: annual income basis.
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.
Pike County Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law: The Crater of Diamonds, the Uncle Sam Diamond, the Art Deco Courthouse, and What Every Landlord Needs to Know
In 1906, a farmer named John Wesley Huddleston was prospecting on land he had recently purchased near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, looking for gold, tin, or lead. Instead he found glittering pebbles in the soil — pebbles that turned out to be diamonds. Word spread quickly, and what had been a quiet agricultural county in southwest Arkansas suddenly became the center of a diamond rush. Prospectors poured in. The town of Kimberly developed almost overnight. By 1912 the first commercial diamond company had burned through its capital and closed, unable to mine the small, scattered stones profitably. But the diamonds themselves never stopped coming.
In 1924, a mine employee named Wesley Oley Basham — known to everyone as “Uncle Sam” — found a 40.23-carat diamond in the field, the largest ever found in the United States. The stone took his nickname. In 1956, the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas was unearthed. In 1964, the Star of Murfreesboro weighed in at 34.35 carats. In 1990, Shirley Strawn of Murfreesboro found a 3.03-carat diamond in the dirt, which was cut into a 1.09-carat brilliant and certified by the American Gemological Society as a perfect D-flawless — the highest quality diamond ever graded by that institution. It is now on display at the park and bears her name. More than 60,000 diamonds have been found at Crater of Diamonds since 1906. The park averages two diamond finds per day by visitors. It is the world’s only diamond mine open to the public on a finders-keepers basis.
The Geology Behind the Diamonds
The diamonds at Crater of Diamonds originate from an ancient volcanic lamproite pipe — the Prairie Creek Diatreme — formed during the early Cretaceous period approximately 95 to 106 million years ago. Rising magma from deep within the mantle (from depths exceeding 93 miles, at pressures around 5 GPa and temperatures of 1000°C) erupted to the surface carrying xenolith diamonds from the harzburgitic peridotite mantle region where diamond formation occurs. The site is one of only a handful of diamond-producing lamproite pipes in the world, and the only one on the North American continent accessible to public visitors. The 37.5-acre plowed search field is regularly tilled to expose fresh diamond-bearing material. Visitors can find not only diamonds but also amethysts, garnets, agates, opal, jasper, and quartz. The deed records for the diamond mine — the only title records in North America to a diamond mine — are housed in the Pike County Courthouse.
The Art Deco Courthouse and Pike County History
Pike County was formed in 1833 from Clark and Hempstead counties and named for Zebulon Pike — the explorer whose name also adorns Pikes Peak in Colorado. The county seat, Murfreesboro, has hosted four courthouses on the same square, the first being a log structure built in 1836, the year Arkansas was admitted to statehood. The current courthouse is a three-story Art Deco structure built in the early twentieth century, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as the finest example of Art Deco architecture in Pike County. Outside the courthouse stands a war memorial to veterans from World War I through Vietnam and a metal sculpture of a mining wheel and pickaxe honoring the county’s diamond mining heritage. Unusually, the courthouse houses the only title records in North America to a diamond mine.
The county’s other geological distinctions include cinnabar (mercury ore) deposits discovered in 1930 stretching across the county, and the Little Missouri River’s upper reaches, which drop 1,035 feet through the Ouachita Mountains before reaching Lake Greeson. A 4.4-mile stretch of the upper Little Missouri has been designated a wild river, including the Class IV Winding Stair Rapids. Lake Greeson itself — a 7,000-acre reservoir created in 1951 by Narrows Dam — offers bass and trout fishing, camping at Daisy State Park, and hunting in one of the best deer habitats in Arkansas.
Arkansas Landlord-Tenant Law in Pike County
All residential rental relationships in Pike 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 Murfreesboro or Pike County. For nonpayment, serve a 3-day notice to vacate after rent is 5+ days past due. 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 itemized deductions within 60 days. No implied warranty of habitability by default; no repair-and-deduct remedy; self-help evictions prohibited. Pike County is a dry county.
File evictions with Circuit Clerk Sabrina Williams, P.O. Box 219 / 1 Courthouse Square, Murfreesboro, AR 71958, (870) 285-2231.
This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed Arkansas attorney or contact the 9th West Judicial Circuit Court Clerk at (870) 285-2231 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. Arkansas landlord-tenant law is governed by the Arkansas Code Annotated and applies statewide. Consult a licensed Arkansas attorney for guidance specific to your situation. Last updated: March 2026.
