Security deposit law in Arkansas

The rule in Arkansas

Arkansas limits a residential security deposit to 2 months' rent (landlords who rent six or more dwellings). The wording in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-16-304, 18-16-305: “If you are required to pay a security deposit, you cannot be charged in excess of two months' rent.”

The return deadline is 60 days, counted after the tenant moves out. The text reads: “When you move, the landlord must return your security deposit within 60 days..”

Of the 44 jurisdictions verified here, 41 give landlords less time and 0 give more; the median is 30 days. Alabama and West Virginia also allow 60 days.

What the cap means in dollars: $1,000 rent: up to $2,000, $1,500 rent: up to $3,000 and $2,000 rent: up to $4,000.

Worked date: if the clock starts on November 30, 2026, the deadline falls on January 29, 2027.

In neighbouring states with verified rules: Missouri allows 30 days and caps deposits at two months' rent, Oklahoma allows 45 days and sets no cap and Texas allows 30 days and sets no cap.

The Attorney General's page says the deposit law applies only to landlords who rent six or more dwellings, and that an itemized list of deductions is due within 60 days of move-out.

The statute text is hosted on a platform that could not be read; the Arkansas Legislature's list of code sections amended in the 2025 regular session shows no change to the deposit sections.

If a deposit is not returned, the small claims limit in Arkansas is $5,000 (small claims rules); at the cap, a full-deposit claim fits whenever rent is $2,500 a month or less.

Source: Arkansas Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Rights · last checked October 21, 2026.

If the deposit does not come back

The statute above sets the deadline; what happens after it passes is covered in general terms in the guide on a deposit that is not returned, and the way each state starts and counts the clock is compared in how deposit deadlines are counted.