Dallas County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Low

Dallas County, Arkansas eviction laws carries an average eviction-risk score of 1.9/10 (Low), placing it in the middle third of the state at rank 39 of 75 Arkansas counties. That means 38 counties are riskier for landlords and 36 are more landlord-friendly, a genuinely middling position that nevertheless leans toward manageable operating conditions. Across the county's 5 cities, scores run from 1.3 to 2.3, so market selection within Dallas County matters more than a glance at the county average alone.

With a total county population of roughly 3,936 and an average rent of $619, this is a small, low-rent market. Renters make up about 35.2% of households, and average rent burden sits at 27.7% of income, both figures that suggest tenants are not broadly overextended. Landlords willing to work in a rural, low-margin environment will find that the legal framework here is structurally reasonable, as the risk scores and state statutes both reflect.

The cities inside Dallas County

Sparkman carries the highest risk score in the county at 2.3/10, with a population of 430. Carthage follows at 2.1/10 (population 185). Both towns sit above the county average, and landlords active in those communities should budget accordingly for vacancy and tenant-turnover costs. Risk is genuinely hyper-local: a few miles can separate a 2.3 from a 1.3.

Fordyce, the county seat and by far the largest city at 3,268 residents, scores at exactly the county average of 1.9/10. At the other end of the spectrum, Ivan and Princeton both score 1.3/10, the lowest in the county, though their populations (50 and 3, respectively) reflect minimal rental-unit counts. Investors evaluating the county should weigh Fordyce as the practical operating center, with Sparkman and Carthage requiring tighter underwriting.

State-level laws that apply here

Arkansas state law under Ark. Code § 18-17 (Residential Landlord-Tenant Act) sets three notice types that govern every lease in Dallas County. Non-payment of rent triggers a 3-day notice; a lease violation requiring cure carries a 14-day notice; and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. These are comparatively short timelines that favor landlords relative to many other states. The full Arkansas eviction process, from notice to writ, runs 30 to 60 days for uncontested cases and 90 to 150 days when contested.

On cost, the Arkansas eviction costs landlords can expect include a court filing fee of $165 to $250, a sheriff lockout fee of $40 to $120, and attorney fees ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity and whether the case is contested. Arkansas imposes no rent control and does not require just cause for non-renewal; in fact, the state preempts any local rent-control ordinance, so Dallas County landlords operate under a single, uniform rule set statewide. Arkansas security deposit limits and Arkansas tenant protections are both governed at the state level, leaving landlords no patchwork of local overlays to navigate.

With a poverty rate of 14.3% and renters representing 35.2% of households, Dallas County's rental pool is modest in size but not unusually distressed; review the city-by-city grid above to identify which of the 5 communities best fits your risk tolerance before committing capital here.