Sharp County, Arkansas Eviction Risk: Very Low

Sharp County, Arkansas eviction laws posts a county-wide average eviction-risk score of 2.3/10 (Low), placing it among the two least-risky counties in the state out of 75 total. With 72 Arkansas counties carrying higher scores, landlords and buy-and-hold investors operating across the county's 11 cities encounter one of the more stable rental environments in the region. The county's total population of roughly 12,525 keeps the rental pool modest, and an average rent of $818 reflects the rural Ozark foothills market -- modest by national standards but consistent with tenant profiles that tend toward long-term occupancy.

Risk does not sit uniformly across the county. Scores range from 1.1/10 to 1.7/10, a spread that matters when selecting specific submarkets. Rent burden averages 27.6% of income, which is below the level that typically accelerates non-payment events, and the renter share of 23.9% of households means the owner-occupant base dominates -- reducing the pool of potential problem tenancies by volume alone.

The cities inside Sharp County

The highest-risk cities in the county are Ozark Acres (population 1,217, score 2.9/10), Ozark Acres (population 670, score 2.9/10), Ravenden (population 390, score 2.8/10), and Smithville (2.2/10). Hardy, at 2.5/10 with a population of 890, and Evening Shade at 2.3/10 with 534 residents, round out the upper tier of the county's risk distribution. Even at 1.7, these are objectively low scores on a national scale, but landlords should still weigh local poverty rates and tenant turnover before concentrating units there.

The lowest-risk cities sit at the opposite end of the county's narrow band. Cave City, the county's second-largest city at 2,090 residents, carries the lowest score of 1.1/10. Cherokee Village, the largest city at 5,046 residents, scores 1.2/10. Highland rounds out the middle at 2.3/10. Risk is hyper-local even in a low-risk county -- the gap between a 1.1 and a 1.7 reflects real differences in local income stability and rental demand that show up in tenant quality and turnover rates. Investors evaluating individual properties should look at city-level data rather than relying on the county average alone.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlords in Sharp County operate under Arkansas eviction laws state law -- specifically the Arkansas eviction laws Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, Ark. Code § 18-17. The notice structure is favorable: non-payment of rent requires only a 3-day notice, a lease violation triggers a 14-day cure notice, and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. Uncontested eviction cases typically resolve in 30 to 60 days; contested matters run 90 to 150 days. Court filing fees range from $165 to $250, sheriff lockout fees from $40 to $120, and attorney fees from $500 to $2,500 for those who retain counsel. A full breakdown is available in the Arkansas eviction costs guide.

Arkansas eviction laws does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy, and state law preempts any local rent-control ordinance -- no Sharp County city can impose rent caps that conflict with state law. Source-of-income is not a protected class under Arkansas eviction laws fair housing rules, administered by the Arkansas eviction laws Fair Housing Commission. Landlords researching the complete procedural sequence should consult the Arkansas eviction laws eviction process guide for the step-by-step statutory workflow. No retaliation statute or habitability code reference appears in the current statutory record for this state, so landlords should rely on lease terms and the Ark. Code § 18-17 framework directly. Arkansas security deposit limits are set at the state level and should be confirmed before drafting any lease.

With a poverty rate of 17.2% across the county and renters making up only 23.9% of households, Sharp County's risk profile is driven more by limited renter volume than by any acute financial stress signal -- review the city grid above to identify which of the 11 cities best fits your target tenant profile and return threshold.