Pre-trip check · MO → AR
Driving from Missouri to Arkansas?
The law changes the moment you cross the line — what's legal to carry, light, or do in Missouri can be a violation in Arkansas. Every status below is live from LawLert's database, dated, and linked to its official source.
What changes for you (9)
Unlawful to possess an open alcoholic beverage container in the area designed to seat the driver or a passenger while the vehicle is in operation, or in any area readily accessible from a seated position while the…
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jul 30, 2026
No legal recreational possession. Registered patients may possess up to 2.5 oz per 14-day period.
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Arkansas criminalizes knowingly using a drone to secretly record or view a person with a reasonable expectation of privacy (video voyeurism, Ark. Code 5-16-101(b)).
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
In Arkansas, texting and social-media use while driving is banned for all drivers (A.C.A. 27-51-1504). Drivers under 18 may not use a wireless device at all; drivers 18–20 are hands-free only. All drivers — including…
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jul 30, 2026
Campfires are allowed when no county burn ban is active. During a burn ban, all outside burning—including campfires—is prohibited within that county for the ban period or until the county judge lifts it.
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
In zones open to firearm deer/bear/elk seasons, wear 400 sq in of hunter orange or chartreuse above the waist plus a matching hat. Archery-only exempt.
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
6.5% state sales/use tax; groceries are fully exempt from the state rate (reduced food tax cut to 0% effective Jan 1, 2026). Cities and counties levy additional local sales taxes that vary by locality.
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jul 2, 2026
No permit needed to buy or set off consumer fireworks.
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jun 5, 2026
Yes — Act 161 of 2025 amended 14-16-504 and 14-54-1411 so local governments may not regulate the ownership, transport, carrying or possession of knives.
Full Arkansas rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
Same status
Matching status ≠ identical law — details, limits and penalties can still differ.
Carrying with a permit? Whether Missouri permits are honored in Arkansas is its own map — check Arkansas concealed-carry reciprocity. And federal land (national parks, forests) plays by federal rules in both states — see the federal-land guide.
Also from Missouri: MO → IL · MO → IA · MO → KS · MO → KY · MO → NE · MO → OK · reverse (AR → MO)
Missouri to Arkansas: common questions
- Do the laws change when you drive from Missouri to Arkansas?
- Yes — 9 of the 13 categories LawLert tracks have a different status in Arkansas than in Missouri: alcohol, cannabis, drones, driving, burn bans, hunting, taxes, fireworks, knives. Each is listed on this page with its current status, the official source it came from, and the date it was last verified.
- What are the alcohol laws in Arkansas if I'm coming from Missouri?
- Arkansas: Restricted — Unlawful to possess an open alcoholic beverage container in the area designed to seat the driver or a passenger while the vehicle is in operation, or in any area readily accessible from a seated position while the… In Missouri the same category is Conditional.
- What are the cannabis laws in Arkansas if I'm coming from Missouri?
- Arkansas: Restricted — No legal recreational possession. Registered patients may possess up to 2.5 oz per 14-day period. In Missouri the same category is Permitted.
- What are the drones laws in Arkansas if I'm coming from Missouri?
- Arkansas: Restricted — Arkansas criminalizes knowingly using a drone to secretly record or view a person with a reasonable expectation of privacy (video voyeurism, Ark. Code 5-16-101(b)). In Missouri the same category is Info.
- Is my Missouri concealed carry permit honored in Arkansas?
- Permit reciprocity is decided separately from the firearms status shown on this page, so it is not answered here. LawLert publishes Arkansas's recognition list, with the statute or agency page behind it, at lawlertapp.com/firearms/AR/reciprocity. Permitless carry, where a state allows it, is a different question again — it does not make an out-of-state permit valid.
- How current is this Missouri to Arkansas comparison?
- Every rule on this page stores the date it was last checked against its source; the oldest on this comparison is 2026-05-31. LawLert carries 6,693 rules, each with a source URL, and publishes a log of every correction it has made at lawlertapp.com/how-we-verify. Laws change — confirm anything consequential against the linked source.