Conway County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Low

Conway County, Arkansas eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 2/10, placing it in the Low-risk tier. Across 10 incorporated cities, scores run from 1.4 to 2.3 out of 10, which means landlords operating here face meaningfully lower-than-average tenant-dispute and eviction-filing pressures than in most of the state. At rank 27 of 75 Arkansas counties, 26 counties are riskier and 48 are less risky, putting Conway County squarely in the middle third of the state rather than at either extreme.

Average rent sits at $735 per month, and roughly 34.9% of households are renters, a moderate base for a rural market. A rent-burden rate of 32.8% signals that a meaningful share of tenants is spending a tight portion of income on housing, which warrants standard screening discipline even in a low-risk county. Still, for investors weighing entry-level cash-flow markets in Arkansas, the county-wide risk profile is comparatively approachable.

The cities inside Conway County

Risk is not uniform across the county. Houston leads at 2.3/10, the highest-risk location in the county despite a small population of 299. Morrilton, the county seat and largest city at 7,080 residents, scores 2.1/10, and Plumerville, with 1,128 residents, also posts 2.1/10. Landlords with portfolios concentrated in Morrilton or Plumerville should price that modestly elevated risk into their underwriting relative to the county average.

On the lower end, Center Ridge scores 1.4/10, the most landlord-friendly location in the county. Jerusalem comes in at 1.5/10, and Springfield and Menifee each score 1.6/10. The spread between Houston at 2.3 and Center Ridge at 1.4 is a full point, illustrating how granular local conditions can diverge even within a single small county. Investors should evaluate specific cities rather than relying on the county average alone.

State-level laws that apply here

Under the Arkansas eviction process governed by Ark. Code § 18-17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act), landlords must serve a 3-day notice for non-payment of rent, a 14-day notice for lease violations with opportunity to cure, and a 30-day notice for end-of-term or no-cause terminations. Uncontested cases typically resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested proceedings extend to 90 to 150 days. Court filing fees run $165 to $250, sheriff lockout fees add $40 to $120, and attorney fees range from $500 to $2,500 depending on case complexity.

Arkansas state law does not require just cause for non-renewal, and the state preempts any local rent-control ordinances, so no city in Conway County can impose rent caps. Source-of-income is not a protected class under Arkansas fair housing rules. For a full breakdown of what landlords owe at each stage, see the Arkansas eviction costs and Arkansas security deposit limits guides, which reflect the same statewide statutes that govern every tenancy in this county.

With an average poverty rate of 23.7% across the county, thorough income and rental-history screening is especially important before placing a tenant; the city-level grid above breaks out individual risk scores to help landlords pinpoint where that caution matters most.