Title 16 — Practice, Procedure, And Courts

The sheriff shall endorse upon every summons, order of arrest, or order for the delivery of property, or of attachment or injunction in his or her hands the day and hour it was received by him or her.

A.C.A. § 16-58-112Current 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.C.A. § 16-58-113Current 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. § 16-58-114Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

When a sheriff serves a summons, he or she shall note on the copy of the summons delivered or offered to the defendant or left at the defendant's residence the time and date the summons was served.

Service may be acknowledged by the defendant by an endorsement upon the summons, signed and dated by him or her, and attested by a witness. The affidavit of the witness shall be proof of the service.

(a) (1) Each sheriff, coroner, and constable, on the return made by him or her on any writ or other process, shall state at length the time when, the place where, and how the writ or process was served.(2) Otherwise, the officer shall not be entitled to demand or receive any fee …

A.C.A. § 16-58-118Current 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. § 16-58-119Current 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) Any cause of action arising out of acts done in this state by an individual in this state or by an agent or servant in this state of a foreign corporation may be sued upon in this state, although the defendant has left this state, by process served upon or mailed to the indiv…

(a) (1) The acceptance by a nonresident owner, chauffeur, driver, or operator, or by a resident owner, chauffeur, driver, or operator of any motor vehicle who subsequently absents himself or herself physically from the state, except such nonresident owners or operators, drivers, …

(a) When the defendant is the owner or operator of any motor bus or buses, motor coach or coaches, or motor truck or trucks engaged in the business of carrying and transporting either passengers, freight, goods, wares, or merchandise over any of the highways of this state, the se…

When any action to recover judgment against the owners or officers of any steamboat, vessel, or other watercraft for any debt or liability created by them, or either of them, is commenced in any county in which the steamboat, vessel, or watercraft was found and, from any cause th…

(a) When the defendant is a corporation created by the laws of this state, the service of the summons may be upon the president, mayor, or chairman of the board of trustees. In case of the absence of the above officers, then it may be served upon the cashier, treasurer, secretary…

(a) (1) Any and all foreign and domestic corporations which keep or maintain in any of the counties of this state a branch office or other place of business shall be subject to suits in any of the courts in any of the counties where the corporation keeps or maintains the office o…

Whenever process in any suit against a domestic corporation cannot be served in the county of the corporation's domicile upon any officer authorized to be served with process by the laws of the state and this fact is made to appear by the return of the sheriff of the county upon …

Where the defendant is a foreign corporation having an agent in this state, the service may be upon the agent.

A.C.A. § 16-58-128Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

Where the defendant is an incorporated insurance company and the action is in a county in which there is an agency of the company, the service may be upon the chief officer of the agency.

A.C.A. § 16-58-130Current 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. § 16-58-131Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

Where service of summons, process, or notice is provided for or permitted by registered or certified mail, under the laws of Arkansas, and the addressee refuses to accept delivery, and it is so stated in the return receipt of the United States Postal Service, the written return r…

A.C.A. § 16-58-133Current 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. § 16-58-134Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

To render the filing of any suit at law or in equity in either a state court or United States district court affecting the title or any lien on real estate or personal property constructive notice to a bona fide purchaser or mortgagee of any such real estate or personal property,…

The notice of the pendency of the suit shall set forth the title of the cause and the general object thereof, together with a correct and full description of the property to be affected thereby, the names of the parties to the suit, and the style of the court where the suit is pe…

It shall be the duty of the recorder of deeds to record the notice of the pending suit in either a state court or United States district court in a book kept for that purpose, upon the payment of the same fees as are provided by law for recording mortgages.

The recorder of deeds shall immediately upon the filing of the notice of the pendency of the action enter in an index to be kept in his or her office such reference to these notices as will enable all persons interested to search his or her office to obtain a description of the p…

For the indexing and recording of the notice of the pendency of the suit, the recorder of deeds shall be entitled to the same fees as are provided by law for recording and indexing deeds. The sum thus paid to the recorder shall be taxed as part of the costs of executing the proce…

The amount of any account audited, adjusted, and found due the state, with the penalties and interest thereon, shall be a lien on all the real estate of the person charged with the amount of any such account from the time the suit shall be brought for the recovery thereof.

A copy of the record, authenticated by the recorder of deeds, shall be evidence of the notice of the pendency of the suit and of the filing of the notice in all courts and places.

(a) A civil action other than a civil action mentioned in §§ 16-60-102 — 16-60-109, 16-106-101, and specific venue provisions codified in another title of the Arkansas Code shall be brought in any of the following counties:(1) The county in which a substantial part of the event o…

(1) A civil action for the following causes shall be brought in the county in which the subject of the civil action, or some part of the civil action, is situated:(1) The recovery of real property, or of an estate or interest in real property;(2) The partition of real property;(3…

(1) A civil action for the following causes shall be brought in the county where the cause, or some part of the cause, arose:(1) A civil action for the recovery of a fine, penalty, or forfeiture imposed by a statute, except that when the violation of the statute for which the cla…

(1) The following civil actions shall be brought in Pulaski County:(1) (A) A civil action on behalf of the state, or which may be brought in the name of the state, or in which the state has or claims an interest, except as provided in § 16-106-101.(B) However, if a civil action c…

A civil action for medical injury brought under § 16-114-201 et seq. against a medical care provider, as defined in § 16-114-201, shall be filed in the county in which the alleged act or omission occurred.

A civil action on a debt, account, or note, or for goods or services against a city of the first class, a city of the second class, an incorporated town, a public facilities board, or a county shall be brought in the county in which the city, town, public facilities board, or cou…

(a) A civil action in contract by a resident subcontractor, supplier, or materialman against a prime contractor or subcontractor who is a nonresident of this state or who is a foreign corporation may be brought in the county in which the plaintiff resided at the time the cause of…

(1) A civil action brought in this state by or in behalf of an insured or beneficiary against a domestic or foreign surety on a contractor's payment or performance bond may be brought in the county:(1) In which the loss occurred;(2) Of the insured's residence at the time of loss;…

A civil action, other than a civil action described in § 16-60-104 or a civil action for personal injury or death, against a public school district, a public school district board of directors, or a public school district's officer, agent, servant, or employee acting within the c…

(a) (1) Any party to a civil action to be tried by a jury may obtain an order for a change of venue therein by motion upon a petition stating that he or she verily believes that he or she cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial in the action in the county in which the action is …

Except as provided under § 16-60-201(e), the venue of civil actions shall not be changed unless the court or judge to whom the application for change of venue is made finds that the change of venue is necessary to obtain a fair and impartial trial of the cause.

Upon presenting the petition, which may be resisted, and upon notice to the judge, the judge may make an order for the change of venue in the action, if in his or her judgment it is necessary for a fair and impartial trial, to a county to which there is no valid objection and whi…

(a) When the order for change of venue is obtained out of term time, the party obtaining the order shall cause the petition, notice, affidavit, and order to be delivered to the clerk of the court in which the action is pending, who shall file the order with the papers in the case…

Only one (1) order for a change of venue shall be granted to the same party in the same action.

In all cases of change of venue, the action shall stand for trial in the court to which the change is made at the first term of the court which commences more than ten (10) days from the filing of the papers of the case in the office of the clerk of such court.

The venue of domestic relations cases in this state may be transferred between judicial districts in which either party resides, when agreed to by the parties to the action and the judges involved.

A.C.A. § 16-61-101Current 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 a husband and wife are sued together, the wife may defend:(1) For her own right; and(2) If the husband neglects to defend, for his right also. (1) For her own right; and (2) If the husband neglects to defend, for his right also. (b) Where a husband, being a father, has des…

(1) Where a party is judicially found to be of unsound mind during the pendency of an action, the fact being stated on the record:(1) If he or she is the plaintiff, his or her guardian may be joined with him or her in the action as such;(2) If he or she is the defendant, the plai…