Title 3 — Alcoholic Beverages

Local option elections to determine the legality or illegality of the manufacture, sale, bartering, loaning, or giving away of intoxicating liquors shall be held only on the regular biennial November general election days.

(a) Retail dealers in alcoholic beverages shall be allowed a period of sixty (60) days in which to dispose of stock after the final determination of the results of local option election by which the political subdivision in which the dealer is located shall have voted against the…

(a) It shall be lawful for any warehousing and office facility used by an authorized wholesaler of alcoholic beverages or manufacturing facility of a producer of native wines, or the manufacturing facility of a producer of beer, or the facilities of an alcoholic beverage distille…

As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise requires, “intoxicating liquor” includes any beverage containing more than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of alcohol by weight.

It is expressly declared that §§ 3-8-201 — 3-8-203 and 3-8-205 — 3-8-209 shall be cumulative to the liquor laws now in force in this state. These sections shall at all times be construed so as to permit, upon petition of fifteen percent (15%) of the qualified electors in any area…

Nothing in §§ 3-8-201 — 3-8-203 and 3-8-205 — 3-8-209 is to be construed to affect manufacturers who sell their product exclusively to wholesalers.

A.C.A. § 3-8-204Current 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) If the petition is determined to be sufficient under § 3-8-801 et seq., the county clerk shall certify that finding to the county board of election commissioners, and the question shall be placed on the ballot in the county, township, municipality, ward, or precinct at the ne…

(a) (1) The county board of election commissioners of the particular county shall cause the question to be placed on the ballot at the general election in the following form:“[ ] FOR the Manufacture or Sale of Intoxicating Liquors[ ] AGAINST the Manufacture or Sale of Intoxicatin…

Upon petition of ten (10) interested legal voters in the territory affected, filed with the circuit clerk of the county in which proceedings are pending, the circuit court shall immediately by mandamus compel the county court or other officials to perform the duties imposed upon …

(a) If the majority of the electors voting on the issue at the election vote for the manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquors, then it shall be lawful for the Director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division to continue to issue licenses or permits for such manufacture or s…

(a) Except as provided in § 3-5-1901 et seq., it is unlawful for a person, firm, or corporation to manufacture, sell, barter, loan, or give away intoxicating liquor in a county, township, municipality, ward, or precinct in which the manufacture or sale of intoxicating liquor is p…

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Division shall have the authority to continue to issue permits for the sale of beer and of vinous, spirituous, and malt liquors in any political subdivision of the State of Arkansas of the same kind and type issued prior to July 4, 1996, provided th…

The provisions of this act shall not apply to any manufacturer or wholesale dealer who, in good faith and in the usual course of trade, sells, by the wholesale, in quantities of not less than five gallons (5 gals.), delivered at one (1) time, not to be drunk on the premises. The …

A.C.A. § 3-8-302Current 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 county court shall not make the order for the election until the persons signing the petition have deposited with the county judge, in money, an amount sufficient to pay for printing or posting advertisements as provided for, and the fees of the clerk making entries in the or…

A.C.A. § 3-8-304Current 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) No election in any town, city, district, or precinct of a county shall be held under this subchapter on the same day on which an election for the entire county is held.(2) When an election is held in an entire county and a majority of the legal votes cast at the election …

(a) If it shall be found that a majority of the legal votes cast at any election provided for in this subchapter were given for or against the manufacture, sale, barter, loan, or giving away of any intoxicating liquors in the county, city, town, district, or precinct, it shall be…

If, at any election provided for in this act, a majority of the legal votes cast are against the sale, barter, or loan of spirituous, vinous, or malt liquors, then the sale, barter, or loan of any such liquors shall be unlawful in such county, city, town, district, or precinct, a…

(a) If, at any election provided for in this act, any person shall vote who is not entitled to vote under the laws of this state at elections for county officers, he or she shall be punished as for a violation of the general laws on elections. (b) All general laws to protect the …

(a) Any election held under this act may be contested as provided for in this section. (b) (1) Any number of the citizens and legal voters, but not less than ten (10), of the county, city, town, district, or precinct in which the elections have been held, shall have the right to …

(a) (1) Whenever a local option election shall be held in any county, city, town, district, or precinct in this state and a majority of the votes cast at the election shall be in favor of prohibiting the sale of liquor in the territory in which the election shall have been held, …

A.C.A. § 3-8-311Current 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) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to sell or barter, or possess for purposes of sale or barter, any intoxicating liquor or beverage in any county, township, municipality, ward, or precinct in which the sale or barter of intoxicating liquor or beverage …

(a) In an indictment for a violation of any provision of this act or for a violation of any act amendatory hereof, it shall not be necessary to allege that a vote was taken or any election held, or any other step relative thereto. (b) It may be simply stated that the act or acts …

(a) On the second or any subsequent conviction for a violation of this act or any of its amendments, the court shall require the defendant to execute bond in the sum of two hundred dollars ($200) to be of good behavior for the period of twelve (12) months. (b) The court may, in i…

(a) All the shipments of spirituous, vinous, or malt liquors to be paid for on delivery, commonly called “C.O.D. shipments”, into any county, city, town, district, or precinct where this act is in force shall be unlawful and shall be deemed sales of such liquors at the place wher…

It shall be the duty of the judges of the circuit courts to give this act in charge to the grand juries of the counties within their jurisdiction.

(a) (1) It shall be unlawful to sell by wholesale any spirituous, vinous, malt, or other intoxicating liquor, regardless of the name by which it is called, except manufacturers selling liquor of their own make at the place of manufacture to a wholesale dealer or a licensed retail…

(a) At each general election for state and county offices, there may be submitted to the qualified electors of any county in the State of Arkansas so desiring, in the manner provided for the submission in a county of the question under the initiative and referendum provisions of …

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Dry” means that the manufacture, sale, barter, loan, or giving away of intoxicating liquors is unlawful in a prescribed area;(2) “Intoxicating liquors” means all beverages containing more than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of alcohol by weight…

(a) (1) (A) If an area meets the qualifications provided in subdivision (a)(1)(B) of this section, the residents of the area may petition the county clerk of the county for a local option election to determine whether off-premises retail beer permits and off-premises Arkansas nat…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Beer” means a fermented liquor made from malt or a malt substitute and containing not more than ten percent (10%) alcohol by weight.(B) “Beer” includes malt beverages having an alcoholic content not in excess of ten percent (10%) by weight;…

(a) (1) Under subsection (b) of this section, an area within the boundaries of a defunct voting district may conduct an election to permit the sale of alcoholic beverages identified in subdivision (a)(2) of this section.(2) The sale of alcoholic beverages under this section shall…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Disclosure Act for Initiative Proceedings”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Contribution” means, whether direct or indirect, advances, deposits, transfers of funds, contracts, or obligations, whether or not legally enforceable, payments, gifts, subscriptions, assessments, payments for services, dues, advancements, …

(a) (1) (A) A local-option ballot question committee shall file a Local-Option Ballot Question Committee Statement of Organization with the Arkansas Ethics Commission within five (5) days of receiving contributions or making expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) f…

(a) No local-option ballot question committee shall accept any contribution in cash, meaning currency or coin, that exceeds one hundred dollars ($100). (b) No local-option ballot question committee shall accept any contribution from a prohibited political action committee as defi…

(a) A local-option ballot question committee that either receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) for the purpose of expressly advocating the qualification, disqualification, passage, or defeat of a local-option ballot question shall f…

(1) In addition to the information required under §§ 7-9-407 — 7-9-409, a financial report of a local-option ballot question committee, individual person, or elected official shall contain the following information:(1) The name, address, and telephone number of the local-option b…

The financial reports identified in § 3-8-706 shall be verified by affidavit by the person filing them to the effect that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the information disclosed is a complete, true, and accurate financial statement of contributions or expenditure…

(a) (1) The first financial reports shall be filed no later than fifteen (15) days following the month in which the threshold of five hundred dollars ($500) under § 3-8-706 is met and thereafter no later than fifteen (15) days after the end of each month until the election is hel…

(a) All statements of organization and financial reports required by this subchapter shall be open to public inspection at the office of the Arkansas Ethics Commission during regular office hours. (b) All records supporting the reports filed under this subchapter shall be:(1) Mad…

The Arkansas Ethics Commission shall have the same power and authority to enforce the provisions of this subchapter as are provided the commission under §§ 7-6-217 and 7-6-218 for the enforcement of campaign finance laws.

Any funds appropriated to any state agency, board, or commission that are expended for the purpose of opposing or supporting a local-option ballot question that is submitted or intended to be submitted to a popular vote at an election, whether or not it qualifies for the ballot, …

(1) The use of state funds under this subchapter includes expenditures for:(1) Newspaper, television, radio, and other forms of communication;(2) Publication materials;(3) Travel expenses relative to reimbursement;(4) Surveys;(5) Private contracts; and(6) Postage. (1) Newspaper, …

This subchapter does not apply to state funds appropriated to any elected officials.

Nothing in this subchapter may limit, waive, or abrogate the scope of any statutory or common law privilege, including, but not limited to, the work product doctrine and the attorney-client privilege.

Upon conviction, any person who knowingly fails to comply with this subchapter shall be fined an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) or be imprisoned for not more than one (1) year, or both.