Title 1 — General Provisions

(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly that this Code, the Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated, be a recodification, revision, modernization, and reenactment of the laws of Arkansas of a general and permanent nature which are currently in force. (b) It is the intent of the Gene…

(a) The statutory portion of the codification of Arkansas laws prepared by the Arkansas Code Revision Commission and the Michie Company pursuant to a contract entered into on August 1, 1984, is enacted and shall have the effect of statutes enacted by the General Assembly of the S…

(a) All acts, codes, and statutes, and all parts of them and all amendments to them of a general and permanent nature in effect on December 31, 1987, are repealed unless:(1) Expressly continued by specific provision of this Code;(2) Omitted improperly or erroneously as a conseque…

(1) The omission from this Code of any act or section or part of a section of an act passed prior to the adoption of this Code shall in no way operate or be construed to repeal or destroy the effect of any act or section or part of a section where the act or section or part of a …

(1) The adoption of this Code shall not be construed to repeal any act or section or part of a section of an act in effect on December 31, 1987, and omitted from this Code, which:(1) Is of a local or special nature;(2) Relates to or applies to only one (1) county, municipality, p…

The adoption of this Code shall not validate an act or validate any section or part of a section of an act, which act or section or part of a section of an act is constitutionally invalid.

All acts or parts of acts which are repealed or superseded by this Code or are repugnant to any act repealed by this Code and which have not been reenacted or consolidated shall continue to be so repealed or superseded.

Unless otherwise provided, the adoption of this Code shall not invalidate or affect any rules or regulations which were in effect on December 31, 1987, promulgated pursuant to authority given by law. These rules and regulations shall remain in force until repealed, replaced, or i…

The adoption of this Code shall not validate or authorize a rule or regulation, cure any defect in a rule or regulation, or validate, authorize, or cure any section or part of a section of any rule or regulation, which rule or regulation or section or part of a section of the rul…

(a) The adoption of this Code shall not affect the term of office or the right to hold office of any person who is in office on December 31, 1987, unless otherwise expressly provided or unless the office is abolished by the adoption of this Code. (b) The adoption of this Code sha…

(a) The adoption of this Code shall not affect or impair any existing right, remedy, or defense nor affect, impair, discharge, or release any existing contract, obligation, duty, or liability of any kind. It shall not affect any pending suit or action, or prosecution now commence…

When a limitation or period of time prescribed in any act in effect on December 31, 1987, for acquiring a right, barring a remedy, or for any other purpose has begun to run before January 1, 1988, and when a limitation or period of time is prescribed in this Code for acquiring th…

(a) This codification of the laws of Arkansas, consisting of this title and the following titles, subtitles, chapters, subchapters, and sections, as amended from time to time, shall constitute and be known as the “Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated”. (b) As used in acts and resoluti…

(a) Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Code to titles, subtitles, chapters, subchapters, or sections shall mean titles, subtitles, chapters, subchapters, or sections of this Code. (b) Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in this Code or in a…

(a) The classification and organization of the titles, subtitles, chapters, subchapters, sections, subsections, and subdivisions of this Code, and any headings thereto, are made for the purpose of convenient reference and orderly arrangement, and no implication, inference, or pre…

(a) All acts enacted after December 31, 1987, of a general and permanent nature shall be enacted as amendments to this Code. No local, private, or temporary acts or provisions and no provisions appropriating funds shall be enacted as amendments to this Code. If the subject matter…

Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Code, in the event any title, subtitle, chapter, subchapter, section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, subparagraph, item, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this Code is declared or adjudged to be invalid or unconstitutional…

This Code is effective at midnight, December 31, 1987.

The common law of England, so far as it is applicable and of a general nature, and all statutes of the British Parliament in aid of or to supply the defects of the common law made prior to March 24, 1606, which are applicable to our own form of government, of a general nature and…

(a) When a statute is repealed and the repealing statute is afterwards repealed, the first statute shall not thereby be revived unless by express words. (b) When any criminal or penal statute is repealed, all offenses committed or forfeitures accrued under it while it was in forc…

No bill shall be considered and no law enacted unless the bill or law is written in clear, unambiguous language.

(a) Anything permitted or required by the laws of this state to be served or transmitted by registered mail, except when required by any law promulgated by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and referred to as a uniform state law, may be transmitted ei…

If the official electronic version of the Arkansas Code differs from the official hard copy version of the Arkansas Code, the hard copy version shall take precedence over the electronic version.

(a) (1) The General Assembly recognizes that language used in reference to individuals with disabilities shapes and reflects society's attitudes toward people with disabilities. Many of the terms currently used demean the humanity and natural condition of having a disability. Cer…

A.C.A. § 1-2-125Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

The rules prescribed in §§ 1-2-202 and 1-2-203 shall apply in all cases, both civil and criminal, unless it is otherwise specially provided or unless there is something in the context or subject matter repugnant to that construction.

All general provisions, terms, phrases, and expressions used in any statute shall be liberally construed in order that the true intent and meaning of the General Assembly may be fully carried out.

(a) When any subject matter, party, or person is described or referred to by words importing the singular number or the masculine gender, several matters and persons, and females as well as males, and bodies corporate as well as individuals, shall be deemed to be included. (b) Wh…

Whenever the term “heretofore” occurs in any statute, it shall be construed to mean any time previous to the day when the statute shall take effect. Whenever the term “hereafter” occurs, it shall be construed to mean the time after the statute containing the term shall take effec…

The provisions of each and every act enacted by the General Assembly after July 24, 1973, are declared to be severable and, unless it is otherwise specifically provided in the particular act, the invalidity of any provision of that act shall not affect other provisions of the act…

Whenever, by the decision of any circuit court, a construction may be given to any penal or other statute, every act done in good faith in conformity with that construction after the making of the decision, and before the reversal thereof by the Supreme Court of Arkansas, shall b…

(a) (1) When identical acts are enacted by the General Assembly during the same session, the act which the Governor signs last shall be deemed to have repealed the earlier enactment.(2) If the Governor does not sign one (1) or both of the acts then the act which was last voted on…

(1) As used in the Arkansas Code, an act of the General Assembly, and an initiated measure:(1) “Fiscal session” means with respect to the General Assembly the legislative session in which the General Assembly may consider only appropriation bills under Arkansas Constitution, Arti…

(a) (1) There is created within the legislative branch of government a commission to be known as the “Arkansas Code Revision Commission”.(2) The commission shall consist of seven (7) voting members and four (4) nonvoting observer members. (1) There is created within the legislati…

(a) (1) The Bureau of Legislative Research shall employ a person to serve as Code Revisor.(2) (A) If the Code Revisor is terminated by the Director of the Bureau of Legislative Research, the director shall discuss the reasons for the termination with the Arkansas Code Revision Co…

(a) (1) The Arkansas Code Revision Commission from time to time shall arrange for the publication of compilations, recompilations, revisions, codifications, or recodifications of or cumulative or noncumulative supplements to the statutes of Arkansas.(2) The commission shall arran…

(a) The Arkansas Code Revision Commission shall not enter into any contracts or incur any financial obligations with publishing firms for the compilation, recompilation, revision, codification, or recodification of the statutes of Arkansas, nor shall the commission enter into con…

A.C.A. § 1-2-305Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

A.C.A. § 1-2-306Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

A.C.A. § 1-2-307Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) (1) If an act of the General Assembly amends a provision of the Arkansas Constitution as expressly permitted by the Arkansas Constitution, the Arkansas Code Revision Commission may, by a majority vote of the commission, make the following revisions to the act amending the Ark…

(a) A commission is created to be known as the “Commission on Uniform State Laws”. The commission shall consist of three (3) recognized members of the bar who shall be appointed by the Governor for terms of four (4) years each and until their successors are appointed and, in addi…

The commissioners of the Commission on Uniform State Laws shall meet at least one (1) time in two (2) years and shall organize by means of the election of one (1) of their number as chair and another as secretary, who shall hold their respective offices for a term of two (2) year…

(a) Each commissioner of the Commission on Uniform State Laws shall attend the meetings of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and, both in and out of the National Conference, shall do all in his or her power to promote uniformity in state laws upon all…

This subchapter shall be known as the “Minorities in Arkansas Act of 2001”.

(a) The General Assembly finds that there are great disparities in the definition of “minority” in the Arkansas Code, and it would be advantageous to have a consistent definition of minority in the State of Arkansas. (b) The General Assembly also recognizes that the number of peo…

For terms of Arkansas law, “minority” means black or African American, Hispanic American, American Indian or Native American, Asian, and Pacific Islander.

(a) When enacting specific laws, the definition of “minority” shall be expanded to include other racial or ethnic groups when it is considered necessary by a legislative body. (b) However, under no circumstances should the definition of “minority” exclude black Americans or Afric…