Arkansas Code 8-9-301, enacted in 2019, preempts cities and counties from banning or taxing plastic bags or other auxiliary containers. Little Rock cannot adopt a bag ban or fee; voluntary retailer programs remain unrestricted.
Arkansas Act 411 of 2019, codified at Arkansas Code 8-9-301, broadly preempts local governments from imposing any ban, fee, or tax on auxiliary containers, including single-use plastic bags, bottles, cups, and packaging. The preemption was modeled on the American Legislative Exchange Council preemption template adopted in many southern states. As a result, Little Rock cannot follow Boulder, Seattle, or California-style bag bans. The city may still pursue voluntary retailer take-back programs, public education campaigns, and recycling infrastructure, but cannot make participation mandatory. Litter is enforced through general solid-waste rules under Chapter 34.
Any local ordinance attempting a plastic bag ban or fee would be void as preempted; private litter remains punishable under city solid-waste rules.
Little Rock, AR
Little Rock cannot ban polystyrene foam containers because Arkansas Code 8-9-301 preempts local regulation of auxiliary containers. Voluntary recycling and r...
Little Rock, AR
Arkansas preempts local plastic straw bans under Code 8-9-301. Little Rock cannot require restaurants to switch to paper or limit straws to on-request distri...
See how Little Rock's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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