Title 14 — Local Government

No officer of any county, county quorum court district, or township shall receive from county funds, directly or indirectly, for salary, wages, and perquisites more than the amount appropriated by the respective quorum court for each respective office per annum in par funds and p…

All public funds coming into the possession of any officer of the county shall be remitted to the county treasury in a manner prescribed by law.

(a) (1) (A) For a constable to have access to information from the Arkansas Crime Information Center:(i) He or she shall satisfactorily complete the constable certification course provided by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training; and (ii) Each year af…

(a) The power to change county boundaries is inherent in the General Assembly, subject to express constitutional restrictions. (b) (1) No county now established shall be reduced to an area of less than six hundred square miles (600 sq. mi.) nor to less than five thousand (5,000) …

Alteration of county boundaries may be initiated by the General Assembly or by a petition to the General Assembly by persons whose rights and interests would be affected by the boundary change.

(a) (1) (A) A petition signed by not less than fifteen percent (15%) of the legal voters residing in the areas to be affected by a proposed county boundary change may be submitted to the General Assembly for consideration.(B) A petition to form a new county shall be preceded by a…

(1) Petitions for the alteration of county boundaries shall be accompanied by the following documentation:(1) (A) A survey of the proposed boundary alterations, except where common boundaries are being dissolved.(B) The survey shall be performed by a professional surveyor as defi…

All costs of petitions, surveys, and mapping shall be borne by the petitioners.

All property, bonded indebtedness, and outstanding indebtedness of counties affected by a change in boundaries shall be apportioned by the General Assembly.

(a) A “county seat” shall be defined as the principal site for the conducting of county affairs and maintaining records of the various courts. (b) Nothing in this section, however, shall be construed as a limitation on a county to maintain several sites throughout the county for …

(a) Unless for the purpose of the temporary location of county seats in the formation of new counties, it shall be unlawful to establish or change any county seat in this state without the consent of a majority of the qualified voters of the county to be affected by the change; n…

(a) Whenever fifteen percent (15%) of the legal voters of any county in this state shall join in a petition to the county court of the county for the change or removal of the county seat, the county court shall order an election to be held at the voting places in the county direc…

The ballots of the voters shall have written or printed upon them the words “FOR CHANGE”, or “AGAINST CHANGE”, meaning for or against change from the existing county seat location, and the words “FOR ….” (one of the localities allowed by the act to be voted for, naming and descri…

(a) Where a majority of the qualified voters of the county have voted in favor of the change from the existing location and are in a majority agreement as to the location in cases where more than one (1) location is proposed, the county court shall proceed to carry into effect th…

Before proceeding to carry into effect the will of a majority voting on the issue of changing a county seat, the county court shall require the vendor or donor of the new location to deliver a good and sufficient deed, conveying to the county the land or location so sold or donat…

(a) The temporary location for the county seat of any new county shall be fixed by the act of the General Assembly authorizing the formation and organization of the new county. (b) The temporary location shall be considered the permanent and established location unless changed as…

(a) (1) (A) Whenever, due to an emergency, it becomes imprudent, inexpedient, or impossible to conduct the affairs of local government at the regular or usual place, the governing body of each political subdivision of this state may meet at any place in the county whether within …

(a) Each county of the state shall divide its land area into convenient county quorum court districts in a manner and at times prescribed by the General Assembly. (b) The county court of each county in this state shall have the authority to divide the county into convenient towns…

The number of convenient quorum court districts to be established in each county shall be determined according to the following population categories:Click here to view table. Click here to view table.

(a) The county board of election commissioners in each county shall be responsible for the apportionment of the county into quorum court districts. Until otherwise changed in the method set forth in this subchapter, the districts of each county shall consist of the territory of t…

The Board of Apportionment shall provide each of the respective county boards of election commissioners with the appropriate and necessary federal decennial census information, not less than ninety (90) days prior to the date established for apportionment of county quorum court d…

(a) Not later than the date set for the apportionment of county quorum court districts, the county board of election commissioners shall file its report with the clerk of the county court, setting forth the district boundaries and the number of inhabitants within them. (b) Within…

Original jurisdiction of any suit to contest the apportionment made for county quorum court districts by a county board of election commissioners is vested in the circuit court of the affected county. Any such contest shall be filed with the circuit court within thirty (30) days …

The clerk of the county court, within seven (7) calendar days following the expiration of the time period provided for the filing of contest of an apportionment plan, shall transmit to the Secretary of State a certified copy of the record made of an apportionment plan.

A county government is a body politic and corporate created by the General Assembly and subject to its exercise of power. However, county governments shall possess legislative powers not denied by the Arkansas Constitution or by law. As a corporate body, county governments shall …

(a) Division. The powers of the county governments of the State of Arkansas shall be divided into three (3) distinct departments, each of them to be confined to a separate body, to wit: Those that are legislative to one, those that are executive to a second, and those that are ju…

(a) It is determined by the General Assembly that:(1) The present structure of county government does not meet the needs of every county in the state;(2) County government can be made more responsive to the wishes of the people through selected structural changes and consolidatio…

(1) As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Abandon” means to desert, surrender, forsake, or to give up absolutely;(2) “Consolidate” means to unite offices into one (1) office;(3) “Create” means to bring into being, to cause to exist, to produce;(4)…

(a) Within the purposes of this chapter, the term “elective county office” shall mean any office created under the provisions of Arkansas Constitution Article 7, § 19, as amended by Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 24, § 3, and Arkansas Constitution, Article 7, § 46. (b) The elec…

(1) Offices expressly excluded from the provisions of this subchapter are:(1) The judge of the county court created pursuant to Arkansas Constitution, Article 7, § 28, such office being an “elective county office” but not deemed separable from the county court which serves as a p…

(a) Each county quorum court may adopt, by ordinance, any one (1) or more of the alternative county government organizational provisions established in this subchapter if the electors have approved the adoption of the proposed provisions by majority vote at a general election. (b…

(a) All proposals for alternative county government organization adopted by a county quorum court through ordinance for referral to the electors, or an initiative petition referring an alternative organization proposal to the electors, shall be based on a comprehensive analysis o…

(a) Initiation. Any justice of the peace of each county may propose the initiation of an analysis for alternative county organization through the introduction and passage of an ordinance, or the initiation may be accomplished by an initiative petition of the electors. (b) Conduct…

(a) Services to be Maintained. A county government serving as a political subdivision of the state for the more convenient administration of justice is compelled by law to provide certain services relating to judicial administration, law enforcement, and other matters. No county …

(a) All questions on alternative county organization as proposed by ordinance of the county quorum court, or as proposed by initiated petitions filed by electors of the county pursuant to Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 7, shall be submitted to the electors of a county only at t…

(a) An affirmative majority vote by the electors voting on the adoption of an alternative county organization plan shall be deemed the will of the people. (b) The election of any candidate during the same general election for any office consolidated, abandoned, or established as …

Where a proposed plan approved by the electors for alternative county organization provides for the creation of any elective office by consolidation of two (2) or more offices, the proposed plan shall establish procedures for the appointment of an interim officer, who shall serve…

(a) A county quorum court may abandon any alternative county organization plan, or any part or section thereof, adopted by the electors pursuant to this subchapter, by referral and adoption of a revised organizational plan at a general election. However, no revised alternative co…

(a) Any two (2) or more adjoining counties may consolidate functionally similar county offices or departments, either elective or appointive, pursuant to the provisions of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 55, §§ 1(c) and 2(b). (b) (1) Consolidation of Elective Offices. (A) Initia…

(a) Ballot Title. (1) Upon receipt of an alternative county organization proposal for either a single county or multicounty which is to be referred to the electors, it shall be the duty of the members of the county board of election commissioners to take due cognizance and to cer…

(a) It is determined by the General Assembly that:(1) The present service organization of county government does not meet the needs of every county in this state; and(2) County governments can be made more responsive to the service needs of the people through the reorganization o…

(1) The county quorum court of each county may prescribe, by ordinance, the department, board structure, and organization of their respective county governments and may prescribe the functions of all offices, departments, and boards. However, no ordinance shall be enacted by a qu…

(a) Unless otherwise provided or permitted by the Arkansas Constitution, county governments shall maintain the following organization of elected county offices:(1) Office of the County Judge. The judge of the county court serves as the principal executive officer of the county an…

(a) The county quorum court of each county, by ordinance, may establish any number of departments for the conduct of county affairs and may prescribe the functions and duties of each department. This authority of a quorum court to establish county departments shall be conclusive …

(a) A county quorum court, by ordinance, may establish county advisory or administrative boards for the conduct of county affairs. (b) (1) Advisory Boards. (A) An advisory board may be established to assist a county office, department, or subordinate service district. The advisor…

(1) The clerk of the county court shall maintain a register of county advisory and administrative board appointments established by a county quorum court, including:(1) The name of the board;(2) The ordinance reference number establishing the board;(3) The name of the board membe…

(a) Initial Meeting. The time and place for the initial meeting of a county board shall be established by the county judge through written notification of each board member. (b) Meeting Dates and Notification. All boards shall by rule provide for the date, time, and place of regu…

(a) Authority to Establish. Subordinate service districts to provide one (1) or more of the services authorized to be provided by county governments may be established, operated, altered, combined, enlarged, reduced, or abolished by the county quorum court by ordinance. (b) Area …

(a) Procedure Generally. A subordinate service district may be established by ordinance of the quorum court in the following manner:(1) Upon petition to the quorum court by twenty-five percent (25%) of the number of realty owners within the proposed subordinate service district, …

(a) Modification. A quorum court may, after adoption of an ordinance, with notice and public hearing:(1) Increase, decrease, or terminate the type of services that the subordinate service district is authorized to provide unless fifty percent (50%) of the electors residing in the…