State Guide

How to Appeal Your Property Taxes in Arkansas (2026 Guide)

Published July 10, 2026

If you own a home in Arkansas, your county assessor sets an appraised value — what the county thinks your property would sell for — and that number drives your tax bill. Every year you have a statutory window to challenge it before it's locked in, and in Arkansas that window closes in mid-August.

The Arkansas deadline: the third Monday in August

Arkansas's appeal window closes on the third Monday in August — August 17 in 2026 — set by Ark. Code §26-27-317. You apply to your county Equalization Board, in person, by petition, or by letter, on or before that date. This is the first, cheapest rung of the appeal ladder, and missing it generally forfeits your challenge for the year.

Because the deadline is a fixed statutory date rather than a rolling "X days after your notice" window, it's easy to plan around — but county boards keep their own hearing calendars once you're in the door, so confirm your county's exact schedule after you file. If the Equalization Board's decision doesn't go your way, the next rungs are an appeal to County Court and then a de novo trial in Circuit Court, where the value is heard fresh.

How Arkansas assesses your home

Arkansas does not tax your home at 100% of its value. Your assessed value is 20% of your appraised (market) value — Ark. Code §26-26-1122. A home the county appraises at $250,000 carries a $50,000 assessed value, and your millage rate is applied to that $50,000. That fraction changes how you read your notice, but not how you win: your appeal contests the appraised value — the 100% figure — and if you get it lowered, your 20% assessed value falls right along with it.

Category	Arkansas
Assessment basis	Assessed value = 20% of appraised (market) value (§26-26-1122)
Appeal deadline	Third Monday in August — Aug 17, 2026 (§26-27-317)
Where you file	County Equalization Board
Assessment cap	Amendment 79: homestead 5%/yr, other property 10%/yr, freeze for 65+/disabled
Can the board raise your value?	Yes, if the evidence supports it (§26-27-317)

Arkansas also layers a growth cap on top of that 20% ratio. Under Amendment 79, your taxable assessed value can rise by only 5% a year for a homestead and 10% for other property, and it's frozen entirely for owners who are 65 or older or disabled (codified at Ark. Code §26-26-1122). If you've owned your home for a while, that cap may already be holding your taxable value below what the home would sell for — in which case a comparable-sales win mainly protects your future baseline, and a current-year cut only happens if your proven appraised value drops below your capped taxable amount. But if you bought recently, the cap doesn't protect you yet: it resets on transfer, and a new owner can't claim it until the second assessment date after the purchase (Ark. Code §26-26-1123). Recent buyers — and anyone whose home isn't a capped homestead — get the full benefit of a lower value right away.

Building your case

Because the whole question is your home's appraised (market) value, the winning evidence is recent, nearby comparable sales — homes like yours that actually closed, similar in size, age, and condition — not listing prices or online "Zestimate"-style guesses. Three or four solid comps with clear adjustments are far harder for an Equalization Board to wave off than a complaint that the number "feels high." One Arkansas-specific caution: on your own petition the board can "raise or lower" your valuation (Ark. Code §26-27-317), so file only when your comps clearly support a lower appraised value, and bring your strongest, cleanest set.

Filing at the county level

Arkansas's appeals run through your county Equalization Board, and the mechanics — where to submit your petition, whether your county accepts it by letter or online, and the board's hearing schedule — vary across all 75 counties. We're building out county-specific guides with the exact filing office and local notes for each. In the meantime, use PROppeal to pull licensed comparable sales for your address and confirm the filing logistics directly with your county assessor's office.

Get your case built

You don't need to wait on a county-specific guide to get started. PROppeal pulls licensed comparable sales for your address, applies Arkansas's 20%-of-market rule, factors in whether the Amendment 79 cap changes your savings, and gives you a straight answer on whether your assessment is out of line — before the third Monday in August arrives.

Property tax rules and deadlines vary by jurisdiction and can change — verify with your county before relying on this.