A raccoon raiding your chicken coop, a beaver flooding your pasture, or a armadillo tearing up your lawn — nuisance wildlife problems are a daily reality for Arkansas property owners. Knowing what the law allows before you act can save you from a costly fine or criminal charge.
Arkansas gives landowners meaningful tools to protect their property, but those tools come with specific rules set by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). Some animals can be removed without any permit. Others require paperwork, a licensed professional, or both. A handful are protected at the state or federal level regardless of the damage they cause.
This guide walks you through the full picture — from which animals qualify as nuisance wildlife to what penalties apply when someone gets it wrong.
What Counts as Nuisance Wildlife in Arkansas
Arkansas does not publish a single statutory definition of “nuisance wildlife,” but the AGFC uses a working concept centered on animals that cause damage to property, threaten human safety, or create a public health risk. The classification is situational — the same species can be perfectly legal to leave alone in one context and eligible for removal in another…