Arkansas laws by category

Consumer (Class C) fireworks are legal in Arkansas only within limits: state law allows their retail sale and their use only from June 13 through July 10 and from December 10 through January 5 each year (permanent stores may sell all year), and only the item types listed in Ark. Code 20-22-708 (Ark. Code 20-22-711). Exceptions may apply — read the full rule.

No license is needed to carry a handgun in Arkansas, concealed or openly, if you are 18 or older and may lawfully possess one. Exceptions may apply — read the full rule.

Arkansas is not a control state, but spirits are restricted: distilled spirits are sold only at licensed liquor stores (package stores), and grocery and convenience stores may sell beer and wine only. Sales are subject to local wet or dry status.

Radar detectors are legal in passenger vehicles — Arkansas has no state ban on them.

In Arkansas, you may generally burn yard waste (grass, leaves, garden waste, shrub trimmings) only on the property where it grew; the state calls it strongly discouraged and allowed only in some areas under set conditions (Ark. Code 8-6-1703). Exceptions may apply — read the full rule.

In Arkansas, you need a freshwater fishing license from age 16. Licenses are issued by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC).

6.5% state sales/use tax; groceries are fully exempt from the state rate (reduced food tax cut to 0% effective Jan 1, 2026). Cities and counties levy additional local sales taxes that vary by locality.

Recreational cannabis is illegal in Arkansas, and only registered medical patients may use it (Amendment 98, 2016). A 2022 legalization measure failed.

In Arkansas, all hunters, including archery hunters, and those accompanying hunters must wear hunter orange, chartreuse or blaze camouflage in areas where modern gun or alternative firearms deer, bear or elk seasons are open. Exceptions may apply — read the full rule.

Arkansas sports betting is legal both retail and online/mobile (Casino Gaming Rule 20); minimum age 21. Mobile launched broadly 2022; FanDuel/DraftKings mobile launched March 2026.

Arkansas requires anyone born on or after Jan 1, 1986 (and of legal operating age) to complete an approved AGFC Boating Education Course and carry proof while operating a motorboat or sailboat.

Switchblades and butterfly knives are legal to own and carry; carrying a knife is an offense only if done with a purpose to unlawfully employ it as a weapon (Ark. Code 5-73-120).

Arkansas criminalizes knowingly using a drone to secretly record or view a person with a reasonable expectation of privacy (video voyeurism, Ark. Code 5-16-101(b)).