Title 14 — Local Government

A.C.A. § 14-43-319Current 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) The mayor shall hold his or her office during the term for which he or she shall have been elected and until his or her successor shall have been elected and qualified.(2) The mayor shall keep an office at some convenient place in the city, to be provided by the city coun…

(a) (1) Each city of the first class having the mayor-council form of government may provide by ordinance for the election or appointment of its city treasurer.(2) (A) The city council may designate by ordinance or resolution the city clerk as “clerk-treasurer”, allowing one (1) …

(a) Each city council shall cause to be provided for its clerk's office a seal, in the center of which shall be the name of the city and around the margin the words “city clerk”. (b) The seal shall be affixed to all transcripts, orders, or certificates which it may be necessary o…

(a) Any city attorney of a city of the first class, subject to the provisions of this section, shall have the power to appoint one (1) or more deputies for whose official acts the officer appointing the deputy shall be responsible. (b) A deputy city attorney appointed pursuant to…

A.C.A. § 14-43-408Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

Any officer provided for in this subtitle, and by ordinance of any city under this subtitle, shall receive such salary as the council of any city may designate, and in no instance shall he or she receive an additional compensation by way of fees, fines, or perquisites.

(a) Any city of the first class, city of the second class, or incorporated town in the State of Arkansas may provide by ordinance that the city attorney of the city shall receive as part of his or her compensation, for all prosecutions tried by the city attorney for violations of…

(a) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of council member in a city of the first class having a population of less than twenty thousand (20,000) according to the most recent federal decennial census, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the vacanc…

In case any office of an elected officer, except council members of the ward, becomes vacant before the expiration of the regular term, then the vacancy shall be filled under § 14-42-103.

(a) (1) The members of a governing body elected for each city or town shall annually in January assemble and organize the governing body.(2) (A) A majority of the whole number of members of a governing body constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business.(B) (i) The governin…

(a) The city council shall possess all the legislative powers granted by this subtitle and other corporate powers of the city not prohibited in it or by some ordinance of the city council made in pursuance of the provisions of this subtitle and conferred on some officer of the ci…

A.C.A. § 14-43-503Current 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) The mayor of the city shall be its chief executive officer and conservator of its peace. It shall be his or her special duty to cause the ordinances and regulations of the city to be faithfully and constantly obeyed. (b) The mayor shall:(1) Supervise the conduct of all the of…

A.C.A. § 14-43-505Current 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) The city clerk in cities of the first class shall have the custody of all the laws and ordinances of the city and shall keep a regular and correct journal of the proceedings of the city council. (b) (1) (A) The city clerk, city clerk-treasurer, or city treasurer, as the case …

Treasurers in cities of the first class shall be required to make similar reports as prescribed in § 14-43-506 and shall perform such other duties as may be required by the ordinances of the city.

Collectors in cities of the first class shall be required to make similar reports as prescribed in § 14-43-506 and shall perform such other duties as may be required by the ordinances of the city.

In cities of the first class, all city officers whose terms of office are not prescribed, and whose powers and duties are not defined in this subtitle, or by bylaw or ordinance, shall perform such duties and exercise such powers, and continue in office two (2) years, unless soone…

(a) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Municipal affairs” means all matters and affairs of government germane to, affecting, or concerning the municipality or its government except the following, which are state affairs and subject to the general laws of the State of Arkansas:(A) Pu…

(a) A municipality is authorized to perform any function and exercise full legislative power in any and all matters of whatsoever nature pertaining to its municipal affairs, including, but not limited to, the power to tax. (b) The rule of decision known as “Dillon's Rule” is inap…

No municipality may declare any act a felony.

A municipality may not authorize gambling except as provided by state law.

No municipality may authorize the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages.

(a) No municipality shall levy any sales, which includes gross receipts or gross proceeds, use, payroll, or income tax other than those authorized by law. (b) No tax on alcoholic beverages shall be levied by a municipality other than those authorized by law.

A.C.A. § 14-43-607Current 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) No municipality shall have the power to regulate prices for goods, rentals, or services sold or performed within the municipality by individuals or firms. (b) Nothing in this section shall prohibit municipalities from establishing prices for goods, rentals, or services furnis…

(1) The provisions of this subchapter shall not repeal, limit, modify, or affect any of the powers conferred upon municipalities to regulate, in the manner prescribed by law, the rates or charges to be made for services rendered in the municipality by any regulated public utility…

Nothing in this subchapter shall limit the power reserved to the General Assembly to specifically limit the exercise of any powers, functions, and authority granted in this subchapter.

Any city of the first class may sell, under such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, city property to any publicly supported postsecondary educational institution.

(a) As soon as practicable after an incorporated town becomes a city of the second class, the city council shall form the city into the number of wards that, to it, will seem to best serve the interests of the city. (b) It shall be the duty of the council to see that each ward ha…

(a) City councils in cities of the second class shall have the authority to redistrict the wards of their cities when they determine that the people can best be served by adding wards, combining wards, or changing ward boundary lines to equalize the populations in the various war…

(a) (1) Except as provided under subdivision (a)(3) of this section, on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November 1982, and every two (2) years thereafter, the qualified voters in cities of the second class shall elect for each of the wards of these cities two (2) counci…

If a vacancy occurs in the office of council member in any city of the second class, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled under § 14-42-103.

The qualified voters of cities of the second class shall elect a mayor for a term of four (4) years on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November 1966 and every four (4) years thereafter.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor, marshal, recorder, treasurer, or recorder-treasurer in any city of the second class, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy the city council shall proceed to elect a person to fill the vacancy under § 14-42-103…

(a) The mayor in cities of the second class shall be ex officio president of the city council, shall preside at its meetings, and shall have a vote to establish a quorum of the council, or when the mayor's vote is needed to pass any ordinance, bylaw, resolution, order, or motion.…

The mayor of a city of the second class shall perform all duties required by the ordinances of the city and shall give bond and security in any amount to be determined and approved by the city council.

(a) (1) (A) At the time prescribed in this subtitle, the qualified voters of each city of the second class shall elect a city marshal, a city recorder, and a city treasurer.(B) Each city marshal, city recorder, or city treasurer shall continue in office until his or her successor…

Cities of the second class shall have the authority to require their appointed marshals to reside within their corporate limits, and they shall have the authority to permit their appointed marshals to reside outside their corporate limits.

The city marshal of cities of the second class shall be elected by the voters as provided by law. However, the city council of any such city, if the council deems it to be in the best interests of the city, and upon passage of an ordinance by the majority of the council, may prov…

A.C.A. § 14-44-112Current 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) The marshal of cities of the second class shall execute and return all writs and process directed to him or her by the mayor. In criminal cases or cases of a violation of the city ordinance, he or she may serve them in any part of the county. (b) It shall be the marshal's dut…

(a) (1) The city council of any city of the second class, if the city council deems it to be in the best interests of the city, and upon passage of an ordinance by a majority vote of the city council, may combine the offices of city recorder and city treasurer, authorizing one (1…

(a) On the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, 1972, and every four (4) years thereafter, the qualified voters of cities of the second class shall elect a recorder, a treasurer, or a recorder-treasurer, as the case may be, for a term of four (4) years. (b) (1) The cit…

A.C.A. § 14-44-116Current 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. § 14-44-117Current 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) The corporate authority of incorporated towns shall vest in a town council composed of the five (5) council members who shall be qualified electors residing within the limits of the incorporated town and who shall hold office until their successors are elected and qualified. …

(a) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this section, on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November 1982 and every two (2) years thereafter, the qualified voters of incorporated towns shall elect five (5) council members.(2) (A) The town council of an incorpor…

(a) When a vacancy occurs in the office of council member in an incorporated town, at the first regular meeting after the occurrence of the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled under § 14-42-103. (b) When a vacancy occurs in the office of recorder-treasurer in an incorporated tow…