Business Licensing & Operations in Arkansas (2026)
29 rules on the books across Arkansas, 11 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Adult Entertainment
Zoning and licensing rules for adult entertainment establishments under LAMC §12.70, including distance buffers from schools, churches, and residential zones.
Benton County
Significant RestrictionsAdult-oriented businesses in unincorporated Benton County must sit at least 1,000 feet from any school, park, place of…
Read full rule →Fort Smith
Significant RestrictionsSexually oriented businesses in Fort Smith are confined to C-5, I-2, and I-3 zoning districts and must sit at least…
Read full rule →Garland County
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Garland County requires a $100 permit before opening any sexually oriented business and bars locating…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Significant RestrictionsJonesboro forces adult entertainment businesses apart from each other and away from sensitive uses through hard…
Read full rule →Sebastian County
Significant RestrictionsSexually oriented businesses in unincorporated Sebastian County must sit at least 500 feet from a church, school, or…
Read full rule →Springdale
Significant RestrictionsSpringdale confines sexually oriented businesses to C-2 zoning as a conditional use, use unit 34, and bars them within…
Read full rule →Washington County
Significant RestrictionsSexually oriented businesses in unincorporated Washington County face strict location limits: 500 feet from churches…
Read full rule →Tattoo & Body Modification
Health Department permits and city licensing for tattoo and piercing studios, including bloodborne-pathogen training and inspection requirements.
Tobacco Retail License
The local license required to sell tobacco and vape products, the conduct rules attached to it, flavored-product bans, self-service and age limits, and the zoning that applies to smoke shops.
Arkansas: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsArkansas regulates retail sale of vapor products and e-cigarettes, requiring permits, age verification, and compliance…
Read full rule →Fort Smith
Some RestrictionsFort Smith's Unified Development Ordinance treats tobacco and smoke shops as a distinct retail use, permitted by right…
Read full rule →Secondhand Dealers
LAMC §21.12 + CA Bus & Prof Code requirements for secondhand dealers, including item-reporting to law enforcement and 30-day holding periods.
Fort Smith
Significant RestrictionsFort Smith secondhand-article buyers must log every purchase in a daily register and hand a signed copy to police…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Some RestrictionsAnyone in Jonesboro who buys antique, used or scrap jewelry and precious metals for resale, in original form, melted…
Read full rule →Pulaski County
Some RestrictionsEvery pawnshop, pawnbroker and secondhand goods dealer doing business in unincorporated Pulaski County must run an…
Read full rule →Springdale
Some RestrictionsOperating as a junk dealer, auto salvage yard, or secondhand shop in Springdale requires a business license under Sec…
Read full rule →Washington County
Some RestrictionsWashington County requires every scrap metal recycler regulated under Arkansas's secondhand-dealer statute, A.C.A. §§…
Read full rule →Pawnbrokers
State and city pawnbroker licensing, item-holding periods, interest-rate caps, and the LAPD-monitored CalGang/CAPSS reporting system.
Springdale
Significant RestrictionsSpringdale pawnbrokers must run an electronic inventory system reporting to police within two days, and hold pawned…
Read full rule →Craighead County
Some RestrictionsEvery pawn shop operating anywhere in unincorporated Craighead County, or anywhere in the county under § 360.00's…
Read full rule →Fort Smith
Some RestrictionsFort Smith bars convicted felons from pawnbroker licenses and requires everyone else to hold a city occupation license…
Read full rule →Garland County
Some RestrictionsPawnshops and pawnbrokers doing business in unincorporated Garland County must keep detailed five-year records on every…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Some RestrictionsJonesboro pawnbrokers may never pawn merchandise with anyone under 18, and the city supplies daily report forms that…
Read full rule →Pulaski County
Some RestrictionsPawnshops, pawnbrokers and secondhand-goods dealers in unincorporated Pulaski County must run an electronic inventory…
Read full rule →Saline County
Some RestrictionsEvery pawn shop and pawnbroker in unincorporated Saline County must run an electronic inventory tracking system and…
Read full rule →Auto Repair on Residential Property
Whether commercial auto repair is permitted on residential property under LAMC §12.17.3, exemptions for occasional personal repair, and complaint enforcement.
Little Rock
Heavy RestrictionsLittle Rock's zoning code flatly prohibits engine or motor repair shops as a home occupation in any residential…
Read full rule →Springdale
Heavy RestrictionsSpringdale's home occupation ordinance lists ten permitted activities like tutoring and catering: auto repair isn't one…
Read full rule →Fort Smith
Significant RestrictionsFort Smith's home occupation rules bar any outdoor activity, storage or display, so home-based auto repair must stay…
Read full rule →Benton County
Some RestrictionsOn unincorporated lots of two acres or more, Benton County allows a small repair or welding shop as an exempt home…
Read full rule →Towing Companies
Permits, fee caps, and notification requirements for tow companies operating in the city, including official police-rotation tow contracts.
Garland County
Significant RestrictionsTow companies working non-consent calls for the Garland County Sheriff's Department must hold a sheriff-issued permit…
Read full rule →Jonesboro
Significant RestrictionsWrecker companies that want tow calls from the Jonesboro Police Department must run 24-hour service, carry liability…
Read full rule →Pulaski County
Some RestrictionsPulaski County lets the sheriff's office, general services, or a county-judge-designated employee call a wrecker…
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