Arkansas nuisance animal laws split into two very different tracks depending on what kind of animal is causing the trouble. If it’s someone’s dog, cat, or livestock, the owner carries the liability, and enforcement runs through state statutes and local ordinances. If it’s wildlife, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sets the rules, and those rules let landowners deal with common nuisance species directly while requiring a permit for game animals and protected species. Getting the category wrong can turn a lawful response into a fine or criminal charge, so the first step is always identifying which framework applies.
Domestic Animals vs. Wildlife
Domestic animals become nuisances through their owners’ failure to control them: barking, trespass, roaming, destroyed gardens, killed chickens. The owner is legally responsible, and most enforcement happens through city or county ordinances plus civil claims.
Wildlife is different. The AGFC defines a “nuisance animal” as any wild animal creating a problem by committing damage to personal property.1Legal Information Institute. Arkansas Code R. 002.00.84-003 – Code Book Regulations Whether you can act on your own, and how, depends on whether the species is game, non-game, protected, or one of the common nuisance species the state has singled out for open removal.
When a Dog Kills or Injures Livestock
Arkansas Code 20-19-102 imposes strict liability on dog owners whose dogs kill or injure domesticated animals. The dog’s owner owes the full value of the livestock lost or hurt.2Justia Law. Arkansas Code 20-19-102 – Injuries to Domesticated Animals by Dogs – Definition The statute’s list of domesticated animals includes sheep, goats, cattle, swine, and poultry, and it is not exhaustive.
The livestock owner can sue in the circuit or district court where the loss occurred. Losses of $5,000 or less can go through small claims, which is designed to work without an attorney.
The statute also gives a self-help right that catches people off guard. If you know a dog has already killed or is about to catch, injure, or kill a domesticated animal, you may kill that dog with no liability to its owner.2Justia Law. Arkansas Code 20-19-102 – Injuries to Domesticated Animals by Dogs – Definition The operative word is “knowing.” Shooting a neighbor’s dog that wandered near a pasture, without evidence it was threatening livestock, would not be covered.
When a Dog Attacks a Person
Attacks on people fall under a separate criminal statute. A dog owner commits unlawful dog attack when three things are true together: the owner knows the dog has a tendency to attack people without provocation, the owner negligently allows the attack, and the attack causes death or serious physical injury. The offense is a Class A misdemeanor, and the court can order restitution for the victim’s medical bills.3Justia Law. Arkansas Code 5-62-125 – Unlawful Dog Attack
A first-time bite from a dog with no known history of aggression will not meet the criminal standard, though civil liability can still apply.
A Neighbor’s Pet Causing Damage, Noise, or Trespass
For problems short of livestock injury or physical attack, local ordinances are the primary tool. Most Arkansas municipalities regulate leash use, noise, and animals running at large. Violations produce warnings or citations, with impoundment and escalating fines for repeat offenders.
Ongoing damage, excessive noise, or repeated trespass by a neighbor’s pet can also support a civil claim. Small claims handles disputes of $5,000 or less. Before filing, document everything: dates, times, photographs of damage, and witness contacts. Some jurisdictions require a sworn affidavit before acting on a noise complaint, so be ready to put your account in writing under oath.
For a loose dog or continuous barking in the moment, call local animal control or the county sheriff.
Wildlife You Can Take Without a Permit
Landowners can take the following species year-round when they are causing damage to personal property on their land, with no permit and no bag limit:
- Beaver
- Coyote
- Muskrat
- Nutria
- Opossum
- Raccoon
- Squirrel
- Striped skunk
You may shoot these species during daylight or trap them at any time. The regulation authorizes taking other non-game wildlife during daylight with firearms or traps, but bats, migratory birds, and endangered species are excluded from that general authority.4Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Regulation 05.10 – Nuisance Wildlife Control Requirements
One narrow bat exception: a bat that has bitten or potentially exposed a person, pet, or livestock to rabies can be killed, but it must then be submitted to the Arkansas Department of Health for rabies testing.
Feral Hogs
Feral hogs get their own rules. On private land, the landowner or anyone with the landowner’s permission can kill or trap feral hogs year-round with no hunting license or special permit.5Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Feral Hogs On public land, you can only take feral hogs during open firearms or archery seasons for bear, deer, or elk, using weapons legal for that season, and you need a valid hunting license. Selling or transporting live feral hogs is prohibited.
Deer, Bear, Elk, and Protected Species
Game animals and protected species cannot simply be shot when they damage property. Taking deer, bear, elk, or any protected or endangered species outside of regular hunting seasons requires a Depredation Permit from the AGFC plus a valid hunting license.6Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Nuisance Wildlife The permit authorizes taking game and non-game animals by shooting, day or night, or by trapping.
Depredation Permits are not available online. Contact the nearest AGFC regional office and be ready to describe the crop, property, or livestock damage you’re experiencing.
Live Trapping Rules
If you choose to live-trap rather than kill, several restrictions apply. You cannot live-trap alligators, bears, birds, deer, or elk. Any other live-captured nuisance wildlife must be released unharmed within 24 hours, outside the municipality’s boundaries, on private land with the landowner’s permission, and within the county of capture or an adjacent county.4Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Regulation 05.10 – Nuisance Wildlife Control Requirements
Trapping inside a city or town also has to comply with local ordinances, which often regulate placement and trap types. Check with your city government before setting traps in an incorporated area. The AGFC maintains a directory of licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators for people who prefer to hire the work out.
Poison Is Not an Option for Mammals
Under the federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, any pesticide must be registered with the EPA and used according to its label.7U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Federal Facilities A rodenticide labeled for rats does not authorize use on raccoons or coyotes. Off-label use is a federal violation and also creates secondary poisoning risks for pets, children, and non-target wildlife. For nuisance mammals, firearms and trapping are the lawful methods.
Rabies Quarantine After a Bite
An animal bite triggers a mandatory observation process in Arkansas. If the biting animal has no current rabies vaccination, or its vaccination status is unknown, local health authorities, the county sheriff, or municipal police must arrange for it to be confined and observed.8Justia Law. Arkansas Code 20-19-307 – Confinement of Animals If the animal has a current vaccination and the owner can prove it, the owner may confine it at home.
Dogs and cats are confined for 10 days. Other species follow timeframes set by the Arkansas Department of Health to match rabies incubation periods, and if no known incubation period exists for a species, the department may order the animal euthanized and tested. At the end of confinement, the veterinarian, owner, or pound must notify local public health authorities of the animal’s condition.8Justia Law. Arkansas Code 20-19-307 – Confinement of Animals Any bite that breaks the skin should be reported to local animal services, even one from your own vaccinated pet.
Livestock Running at Large
Loose livestock have their own liability rule. It is unlawful for livestock to run at large, and the owner is liable for all trespass damages plus the costs of impounding the animals.9Justia Law. Arkansas Code 2-38-301 – Running at Large Unlawful Once notified of trespass, the owner must retrieve the animals immediately and confine them.
State police and county sheriffs have a duty to impound livestock found running at large on public highways, so reporting loose cattle or horses on a roadway to the sheriff’s office can trigger removal. Some counties operate under local “stock law” districts with additional restrictions, so specific rules vary by location.
How to Report a Problem
For domestic animal complaints, call local animal control or the county sheriff. Keep a written log with dates, times, and descriptions, plus photographs of any damage. Some jurisdictions require a sworn affidavit before opening a formal noise case.
For nuisance wildlife, the AGFC operates a hotline at 833-345-0315, staffed 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with voicemail returned during business hours.6Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Nuisance Wildlife The hotline can direct you to a regional office for a Depredation Permit, or you can look up a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator on the AGFC website.