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Arkansas’ Recreational Use Statute

Paul Goeringer, H.L. Goodwin, Jr. and, Dan Rainey (July, 2013)

Summary

Farmers and landowners have long looked for ways to diversify their earning potential. In recent years, opening up property for hunting, camping or other recreational uses has been promoted as a way to broaden a landowner’s income. But opening up property to the public could also expose a farmer to new liabilities if some ­ one is injured on the land. Recognizing property owners’ liability concerns, Arkansas lawmakers passed a law in 1965 to “encourage owners of land to make land and water areas available to the public for recreational purposes by limiting their liability toward persons entering thereon for such purposes.”