Best Places to Live in Arkansas

Off-grid & homestead laws in Arkansas

How Arkansas treats the things that matter for living off-grid or homesteading. Scores feed the national rankings; rules often vary by county.

• Building-code freedomState-adopted code enforced by municipalities; rural enforcement limited.ICC / NAHB code-adoption summaries (2026) ↗local-option
• Greywater reuseNo residential greywater provision; treated as wastewater.Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer (2026) ↗none
• Rainwater harvestingNon-potable; system must be engineer-designed with cross-connection safeguards.NCSL (2026) ↗regulated
• Zoning / land-use freedomStandard enabling act; no state plan; many unzoned counties.American Planning Association / Lincoln Institute (2026) ↗local-control
• Water rightsRiparian; domestic/livestock use unregulated.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗riparian
• Right-to-farm protectionRecovers attorney fees + statutory damage caps; covers expansions.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗strong
• Cottage-food / home sales$25k cap; non-TCS only.Institute for Justice / Forrager (2026) ↗limited
• Property tax burdenMedian ~0.5% effective rate across 75 counties.Census ACS (county median) (2023) ↗low
• Income tax burdenGraduated, top 3.9%.Tax Foundation (2026) ↗graduated-low
• Homestead exemption$500 homestead credit (→$600 in 2026) + 5% cap.Lincoln Institute / state revenue departments (2026) ↗moderate

General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.

All 75 Arkansas counties, ranked

1. 1Desha County79
2. 2Calhoun County78
3. 3Cleveland County76
4. 4Chicot County76
5. 5Bradley County76
6. 6Woodruff County76
7. 7Dallas County75
8. 8Little River County75
9. 9Lincoln County75
10. 10Pike County75
11. 11Prairie County74
12. 12Searcy County74
13. 13Monroe County74
14. 14Fulton County74
15. 15Scott County73
16. 16Nevada County73
17. 17Ouachita County73
18. 18Drew County73
19. 19Lee County73
20. 20Jackson County73
21. 21Howard County73
22. 22Phillips County72
23. 23Randolph County72
24. 24Perry County72
25. 25Ashley County72
26. 26Lafayette County72
27. 27Grant County72
28. 28Hempstead County72
29. 29Izard County72
30. 30Arkansas County72
31. 31Clay County71
32. 32Sharp County71
33. 33Van Buren County71
34. 34Stone County71
35. 35Lawrence County70
36. 36Union County70
37. 37Logan County70
38. 38Sevier County70
39. 39Clark County70
40. 40Polk County70
41. 41Columbia County69
42. 42Newton County69
43. 43Conway County69
44. 44Hot Spring County69
45. 45Franklin County68
46. 46Cross County68
47. 47Independence County68
48. 48St. Francis County68
49. 49Miller County68
50. 50Montgomery County67
51. 51Poinsett County67
52. 52Yell County67
53. 53Marion County66
54. 54Madison County66
55. 55Mississippi County66
56. 56Greene County66
57. 57White County65
58. 58Baxter County64
59. 59Johnson County64
60. 60Cleburne County64
61. 61Lonoke County64
62. 62Crawford County63
63. 63Pope County63
64. 64Crittenden County63
65. 65Carroll County63
66. 66Boone County62
67. 67Jefferson County62
68. 68Craighead County61
69. 69Sebastian County61
70. 70Saline County60
71. 71Faulkner County59
72. 72Garland County54
73. 73Washington County51
74. 74Pulaski County51
75. 75Benton County48