Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
54 of Arkansas's 75 counties — 72% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 2nd-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Cleveland County (85/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 1042 counties nationwide → Arkansas: no building codes → Arkansas: no codes, no zoning → Arkansas: owner-builder → Arkansas: rv living → Arkansas: tiny homes → Arkansas: no minimum home size → Full Arkansas profile →
From the Arkansas guide
Arkansas has 54 counties without countywide zoning and 5 counties with zoning.410 The highest-scoring counties without countywide zoning are Cleveland County, Drew County, Dallas County, Clark County, Grant County, Ouachita County, Hempstead County, Madison County.4 Arkansas county planning boards may prepare zoning ordinances for all or part of an unincorporated area, so ask the county planning office about the actual parcel and current zoning map.17
For buyers seeking both conditions, 48 counties have neither a residential building-permit requirement nor countywide zoning.11 Compare the no-zoning list and no-building-permit and no-zoning list.411 State septic approval remains required for an onsite wastewater system even where the county does not require a residential building permit.12
From the Arkansas guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.
54 of 75 Arkansas counties · sorted by Index score
No county planning or zoning office is listed for Cleveland County on the state's official county directory, indicating no countywide zoning in unincorporated areas.
Arkansas.gov - Cleveland County ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed for Drew County; zoning applies only within incorporated municipalities such as Monticello.
Arkansas.gov - Drew County ↗Arkansas counties may adopt zoning but Dallas County lists no planning or zoning office, indicating unincorporated areas are not county-zoned.
Arkansas.gov - Dallas County Offices ↗Grant County's official department list includes no planning or zoning office and there is no county-wide zoning ordinance; zoning controls exist only within municipalities such…
Grant County, AR - Officials & Departments ↗The county has no planning/zoning department; zoning applies only within the corporate limits of cities like Arkadelphia and Gurdon, not unincorporated Clark County.
Clark County Arkansas - Official County Government Website ↗Ouachita County has no county-wide zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas; land-use control is set by its municipalities.
Ouachita County, AR Code of Ordinances (Municode) ↗The county does not enforce county-wide zoning; no planning/zoning department or ordinance is present. Zoning exists only within incorporated cities such as Huntsville.
Madison County, Arkansas - Official Website (offices/departments) ↗Hempstead County has no comprehensive county-wide zoning ordinance or county planning/zoning department; land-use regulation exists only within municipalities like Hope.
Hempstead County, Arkansas (official county site) ↗The county has adopted only an Interim Land Use Policy Plan (Ord. 1998-016); no actual zoning ordinance with districts/map has been adopted for the unincorporated area.
Sharp County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 13 ↗Zoning in Polk County is administered at the city level; there is no countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated land.
Association of Arkansas Counties - Polk County ↗Ashley County's official department list includes no planning or zoning office and there is no county-wide zoning ordinance; controls exist only within municipalities.
Ashley County - County Officials ↗No countywide zoning is administered by Van Buren County; land-use zoning in Arkansas is generally handled by municipalities, not rural counties.
Arkansas.gov - Van Buren County ↗Independence County does not enforce county-wide residential zoning; the county portal lists no planning/zoning office.
Arkansas.gov - Independence County ↗Union County's official offices listing includes no planning or zoning department, and county guidance references no zoning outside municipal limits.
Union County Arkansas - Official Site ↗No county-wide zoning office or ordinance exists; the county has no planning/zoning department and zoning is handled only at the municipal level.
Pike County, Arkansas Official Website ↗No county planning or zoning office is listed for Calhoun County, consistent with this rural Arkansas county having no county-wide zoning in unincorporated areas.
Arkansas.gov - Calhoun County ↗No county planning or zoning department appears on the Baxter County site; the county code merely authorizes a planning board to prepare zoning, with no adopted county-wide zoni…
Baxter County AR - Government Website ↗Inferred: no county planning board or zoning office is listed; Arkansas counties are zoned only where a planning board adopts zoning, which was not found for Howard County.
Arkansas.gov - Howard County ↗No countywide zoning ordinance or planning/zoning office is documented for Randolph County; Arkansas counties generally do not zone unincorporated rural land absent adoption.
Randolph County (Arkansas.gov county portal) ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed on the official White County site; zoning is handled at the municipal level.
White County (AR) Government ↗Perry County has no county planning or zoning department and no county-wide zoning ordinance; land-use controls exist only within incorporated cities.
Perry County - Arkansas.gov ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed for Nevada County; county zoning is optional in Arkansas and not adopted here.
Arkansas.gov - Nevada County ↗Chapter 13, Article II (Planning/Zoning) only recites the Arkansas enabling statute (A.C.A. 14-17-209/210) and leaves the operative Section "Reserved," indicating no county zoni…
Clay County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 13 (Urban/Rural Development) ↗No county planning or zoning department appears among Hot Spring County's official offices, indicating no county-wide zoning in unincorporated areas.
Hot Spring County, Arkansas - Official Site ↗The county maintains no planning or zoning department and has not established county-wide zoning in unincorporated areas; land-use control exists only within municipalities.
Little River County - Departments ↗No county planning or zoning department or ordinance exists; land use in unincorporated areas is unregulated by the county.
Yell County AR - Government ↗Zoning in Phillips County is administered at the city level (Helena-West Helena code enforcement); no countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas was found.
Arkansas.gov - Phillips County ↗The county maintains no county-wide zoning; no planning/zoning department or ordinance is listed. Land-use regulation exists only within municipalities such as Yellville and Bul…
Marion County, Arkansas - Official Website (departments) ↗The county lists no planning/zoning office; zoning is set by the incorporated cities, with no county-wide zoning ordinance for unincorporated Carroll County.
Arkansas.gov - Carroll County ↗No county zoning department exists; zoning in Sevier County is handled only within incorporated municipalities.
Arkansas.gov - Sevier County directory ↗No county planning/zoning department is listed for Bradley County and Arkansas counties generally have no countywide zoning unless specifically adopted.
Arkansas.gov Bradley County Portal ↗Formal county zoning in Logan County; municipal and locally adopted ordinances may still apply to particular places or establishments. Everyone must abide by federal and state l…
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Logan County Commission Code Enforcement Division ↗Arkansas County has not adopted comprehensive countywide zoning; land-use regulation exists only within municipalities, and no county planning/zoning department is listed.
Arkansas.gov - Arkansas County ↗The county maintains no planning/zoning department and has not adopted a general residential zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas; land-use regulation is handled by municip…
Greene County AR – Official County Website ↗Lafayette County has no planning or zoning department and no county-wide zoning ordinance; land-use controls exist only within incorporated cities.
Lafayette County - Arkansas.gov ↗Arkansas county zoning is opt-in and requires establishing a county planning board and adopting an ordinance under Ark. Code Title 14 Ch. 17; no Prairie County planning/zoning b…
Prairie County, Arkansas — official state county portal ↗No planning or zoning department appears among Franklin County's listed offices, consistent with unzoned rural Arkansas counties.
Franklin County Arkansas Government - Departments ↗No county planning or zoning office is listed for Lee County; land-use regulation is handled by incorporated cities such as Marianna, not the county.
Arkansas.gov - Lee County ↗No county planning/zoning office is listed; zoning exists only within incorporated cities, not at the county level.
Arkansas.gov - Monroe County ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed; land use in unincorporated Sebastian County is not subject to county zoning controls.
Sebastian County Government (official county site) ↗No county planning or zoning office is listed and reporting indicates land-use is left to the municipalities, consistent with this rural county having no county-wide zoning in u…
Arkansas.gov - Chicot County ↗No county planning or zoning office appears in the official Jackson County directory; land-use/zoning in Arkansas is generally set by municipalities rather than at the rural cou…
Arkansas.gov - Jackson County Directory ↗No county planning or zoning office was found on official Lawrence County sources; Arkansas county zoning is optional and appears not adopted here.
Arkansas.gov - Lawrence County ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed for Lonoke County; Arkansas counties may adopt zoning under Title 14 but none is evident here.
Arkansas.gov - Lonoke County ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed for Scott County; county zoning is optional in Arkansas and not adopted here, so land-use control is municipal only.
Arkansas.gov - Scott County ↗St. Francis County has not adopted a general residential zoning ordinance and relies on its municipalities for zoning; the county portal lists no planning/zoning office.
Arkansas.gov - St. Francis County ↗No county planning board or zoning department is listed for Woodruff County on the state's official county portal; Arkansas counties zone unincorporated land only by adopting an…
Arkansas.gov - Woodruff County ↗The county government lists no planning or zoning department; unincorporated Johnson County has no county-wide zoning.
Johnson County AR (county departments) ↗The Saline County Planning Board regulates only subdivision rules; no countywide zoning ordinance was found for the unincorporated county.
Saline County Planning Board ↗No county zoning or planning department is listed; the county has not adopted a general zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas.
Poinsett County, AR official website ↗The county states it currently does not have a planning board in place; only floodplain permitting is handled at the county level.
Craighead County - Floodplain (Office of Emergency Management) ↗Crawford County lists no planning or zoning department, indicating no countywide zoning of unincorporated areas.
Crawford County, Arkansas - County Officials/Departments ↗Zoning program administered by Garland County; incorporated municipalities may administer separate municipal zoning. The county memorandum also states that Garland County does n…
Information on Planning, Zoning, Development, Doing Business and Permitting in Garland County ↗Zoning in unincorporated Benton County. Municipal limits are administered by the respective city planning department or city hall. Subdivision, commercial, and industrial develo…
Zoning - County Planning ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Arkansas state page for all 75 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Arkansas counties? The kit we'd start with:
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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
