By State › Arkansas

Arkansas: Laws & Legal Considerations

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Rainwater harvesting: unrestricted for non-potable use

Arkansas places no state-level restriction on collecting rainwater in a barrel or cistern for garden or other non-potable use.

RuleArkansas
Source water Rooftop or other catchment
Permit required No, at the state level, for basic residential collection
Permitted uses Non-potable; the state's onsite non-potable reuse guideline also covers uses like water closet and urinal flushing
Technical requirements for reuse systems Filtration, a debris excluder, and an automatic first-flush diverter

Where to find it: the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture (uaex.uada.edu) publishes homeowner guidance.

Water rights: pure riparian doctrine

Arkansas water law is built on riparian doctrine: the right to use water belongs to landowners whose property touches the source, and all riparian users must share limited supply proportionally rather than on a first-come basis.

ConceptHow it works in Arkansas
Basic rule Riparian landowners may use the water they need from an adjacent source, but must scale back if the source can't meet every riparian user's needs
Registration threshold Diverting more than 325,900 gallons (1 acre-foot) in a calendar year requires registering with the Arkansas Natural Resources Division
Groundwater Governed separately, with its own conservation and registration rules administered by the same division

Where to find it: the Arkansas Natural Resources Division (formerly the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission) administers water rights registration.

Permitless carry since 2013, clarified in 2023

Arkansas has recognized permitless carry since August 16, 2013, with a 2023 law change removing lingering ambiguity about whether carrying itself, not just possessing, a handgun without a permit was fully protected.

RequirementDetail
Standard Permitless carry, open or concealed, for anyone 18+ legally eligible to possess a firearm
2023 clarification SB480, signed February 3, 2023, confirmed the right to carry concealed without a license
Optional license A Concealed Handgun Carry License remains available, minimum age 21 (18 for active military and veterans), requiring a state-approved 5-hour course with live fire, for $100
Why get the optional license anyway Reciprocity in states that don't recognize Arkansas's permitless standard for out-of-state residents

A live legislative issue, not settled history

Arkansas’s induced-seismicity moratorium described on the Risks page was a regulatory action by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, not a permanent statute. Regulatory posture toward wastewater injection near populated areas can shift with drilling activity and state administration; residents near active or former injection-well zones should check the Commission’s current rules rather than assume 2011’s moratorium area still applies unchanged.

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