Arkansas Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
Arkansas rules on privacy, guests & animals for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No landlord-specific statute. Using a camera or other image-recording device to secretly observe or record a person in a private area of a residence where they expect privacy, without consent, is video voyeurism (a felony). Ark. Code Ann. §§ 5-16-101, 5-60-120
The rules in Arkansas
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. Using a camera or other image-recording device to secretly observe or record a person in a private area of a residence where they expect privacy, without consent, is video voyeurism (a felony). Security monitoring run by or at the direction of the residence's occupant is exempt. Recording a conversation is legal only if the recorder is a party or one party consents. Official code not freely readable online; text verified on a public code mirror (code current as of March 28, 2024). The security-monitoring exemption covers the occupant of a residence (the tenant), not the landlord. |
|---|---|
| Guests & occupants | No statute — lease governs. Arkansas sets no guest-versus-tenant rule, state occupancy limit or roommate right. The tenant must make people on the premises with the tenant's permission behave so as not to disturb other tenants, and is responsible if they damage the premises. Local codes may set occupancy limits. |
| Service & support animals (state law) | Arkansas law guarantees people with visual, hearing or other physical disabilities full and equal access to rental housing, and makes interfering with that right a misdemeanor. Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal to a public accommodation carries a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation. Arkansas has no state statute on emotional support animal documentation or pet-fee limits in housing; the federal Fair Housing Act governs those requests. Official code not freely readable online; text verified on a public code mirror (code current as of March 28, 2024). The § 20-14-305 housing-access right does not cover a room rented in a single-family residence. § 20-14-310 refers to public accommodations, not housing. |
Related questions
- Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental?
- Can a landlord limit overnight guests or roommates?
- Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal?
Arkansas vs. neighboring states
| State | Cameras & privacy | Guests & occupants | Service & support animals (state law) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | No landlord-specific statute. Using a camera or other image-recording device to secretly observe or record a person in a private area of a residence where they expect privacy, without consent, is video voyeurism (a felony). Security monitoring run by or at the direction of the residence's occupant is exempt. Recording a conversation is legal only if the recorder is a party or one party consents. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 5-16-101, 5-60-120 | No statute — lease governs. Arkansas sets no guest-versus-tenant rule, state occupancy limit or roommate right. The tenant must make people on the premises with the tenant's permission behave so as not to disturb other tenants, and is responsible if they damage the premises. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-601(6)-(8) | Arkansas law guarantees people with visual, hearing or other physical disabilities full and equal access to rental housing, and makes interfering with that right a misdemeanor. Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal to a public accommodation carries a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation. Arkansas has no state statute on emotional support animal documentation or pet-fee limits in housing; the federal Fair Housing Act governs those requests. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-14-302, 20-14-305, 20-14-310 |
| Louisiana | No landlord-specific statute. Video voyeurism is a crime. It means using any camera or image-recording device, including a drone, to observe, photograph or film a person without consent to that specific instance, either for a lewd or lascivious purpose or in certain intimate circumstances where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Recording conversations is lawful if the person recording is a party or one party gave prior consent, unless it is done to commit a crime, tort or other injurious act. La. R.S. 14:283(A); La. R.S. 15:1303(C)(4) | No statute on guests versus tenants or occupancy limits — the lease governs. Under the Civil Code, the lessee has the right to sublease and assign unless the lease expressly prohibits it. A lease clause prohibiting one of these is deemed to prohibit the others unless a contrary intent is expressed, and otherwise is construed strictly against the lessor. The lessee is responsible for damage caused by people on the premises with the lessee's consent. La. C.C. arts. 2713, 2692 | The Louisiana Support and Service Animal Integrity Act (2024) sets strict rules for support-animal documentation. A health care provider may issue documentation only if licensed in Louisiana (or through a licensure compact) and qualified to diagnose disabilities, and only after a disability assessment. The provider must have a therapeutic relationship of at least 30 days and at least 2 sessions (in person or remote), and must do a clinical evaluation at least 30 days before. The letter must show its effective date, the provider's license number and license type. Online letter mills don't qualify. Individuals may not falsely claim a disability-related need for a support animal or misrepresent an animal as a service dog to a residential landlord. Fines are up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second and $2,500 for later offenses. Sellers of support animals or certificates must give written notices. The Act doesn't limit fair housing accommodation rights. La. R.S. 46:1971-1978 (Acts 2024, No. 558, HB 407) |
| Mississippi | No landlord-specific statute. It is a felony to photograph, film, videotape or record someone's image with lewd, licentious or indecent intent, without permission, where they would be undressed and reasonably expect privacy, including private dwellings, bathrooms and bedrooms. The penalty for an adult is up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents, unless done to commit a crime or tort. Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-63; § 41-29-531(e) | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. The tenant must make guests on the premises behave so as not to disturb neighbors, and must not knowingly let others damage the premises. Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-25(e)-(f); §§ 89-8-1 to 89-8-45 (checked) | A blind, mobility-impaired or hearing-impaired person, or a veteran diagnosed with PTSD, who uses a specially trained support animal is entitled to full and equal access to public conveyances, hotels, lodging places and other public accommodations. No fee or charge may be imposed for the animal. The statute does not expressly cover private rental housing. No state statute sets documentation rules or a misrepresentation penalty for assistance animals in housing. The federal Fair Housing Act governs, including reasonable accommodation for emotional support animals and no pet fees. Miss. Code Ann. § 43-6-155 |
| Missouri | No landlord-specific statute. It is the crime of invasion of privacy to knowingly photograph, film or otherwise create an image of someone, without consent, while they are fully or partly nude in a place where they would reasonably expect privacy. It is also a crime to create images under or through someone's clothing. This is a class A misdemeanor, and a class E felony if the image is distributed, more than one person is captured, or it is a repeat offense. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents (one-party consent). RSMo 565.252; RSMo 542.402.2 | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. Missouri's landlord-tenant chapters don't define guests versus tenants or give roommate rights. Separate expedited eviction procedures allow immediate removal of parties other than the tenant in certain cases involving criminal activity. RSMo ch. 441 and 535 (checked); RSMo 441.710-441.880 | It is a class C misdemeanor (class B for repeat offenses), with civil liability for actual damages, to knowingly misrepresent an animal as an assistance animal to get Fair Housing Act or Rehabilitation Act accommodations. This includes emotional support animals. Misrepresentation includes creating or providing false documents, fitting a vest or sign on an animal that isn't an assistance animal, or lying to a health care provider to get documentation. All assistance-animal documentation must come from a qualified professional as permitted under federal law. Separately, service dogs may not be subject to an extra charge in places like lodging, though the owner is liable for damage. State fair housing law bans disability discrimination. RSMo 209.204.3; RSMo 209.150.3; RSMo 213.040 |
| Oklahoma | No landlord-specific statute. Using photographic, electronic or video equipment in a clandestine manner for an illegal, illegitimate, prurient or lewd purpose to view a person without knowledge and consent where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy is a felony (Peeping Tom); loitering near a residence to watch someone clandestinely is a misdemeanor. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications is a felony unless the person is a party or one party consented (one-party consent). 21 O.S. § 1171; 13 O.S. §§ 176.3, 176.4(5) | A rental agreement may impose reasonable limits on use by a tenant or occupant. A landlord may demand in writing that an occupant who breaches a lease condition leave; an occupant who wrongfully fails to leave within a reasonable time commits trespass (fine up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail). An occupancy limit of two persons per bedroom is presumed reasonable, but does not apply to children born to the tenants during the lease. An occupant with no rental agreement whom the landlord has not accepted as a tenant may be told to leave without an eviction case. 41 O.S. §§ 117(B)-(C), 111(G) | Oklahoma defines 'assistance animal' to include service animals and emotional support animals. Unless the disability or need is readily apparent, the landlord may request reliable documentation verifying the disability under the Fair Housing Act, describing the accommodation, and showing the link between the disability and the need, and may independently verify it. Documentation acquired through purchase or exchange of funds for goods and services is presumed fraudulent. A landlord is not liable for injuries caused by an assistance animal allowed as an accommodation. If a tenant obtains an accommodation by knowingly false claim or fraudulent documentation, the landlord may use the Act's noncompliance remedies, and a prevailing landlord in eviction may recover costs, fees and damages up to $1,000. A landlord may not deny or end a tenancy because of a guide, signal or service dog. 41 O.S. §§ 113.2, 113.1 |
| Tennessee | No landlord-specific statute. Unlawful photography: it is an offense to knowingly photograph (including by video) a person who has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without prior effective consent, if the image would offend or embarrass an ordinary person and was taken for sexual gratification, or includes the person's unclothed intimate areas or sexual activity. Tennessee is a one-party consent state for audio interception. Tenants may not unreasonably refuse landlord entry for inspection or repairs; entry without consent is allowed in an emergency. T.C.A. § 39-13-605; § 39-13-601(b)(5); § 66-28-403 | No statute — no statewide occupancy limit or guest rule; the lease governs. The tenant must require other persons on the premises with the tenant's or other occupants' consent to act so as not to disturb neighbors, and may not let anyone damage the premises. In URLTA counties, an unauthorized occupant who refuses to leave is grounds for termination on 3 days' written notice. T.C.A. § 66-28-401(4)-(5); § 66-28-517(a) | A tenant or applicant with a disability may request an exception to a no-pet policy or pet fees for a service animal (trained dog or miniature horse) or support animal (prescribed or recommended by a health care provider, including for emotional support). If the disability is not apparent, the landlord may request reliable documentation of the disability and the disability-related need; if the disability is apparent but the need is not, only of the need. 'Reliable documentation' must come from a health care provider, licensed disability service provider, caregiver or other reliable third party with actual knowledge — not from a website whose main function is selling animal certificates or registrations. The landlord may verify documentation (but not obtain protected medical records) and may deny the request if accurate documentation is not provided. Misrepresenting a disability or need, or providing documentation falsely stating an animal is a service or support animal, is a material default allowing termination and recovery of damages and attorney's fees. Landlords are not liable for injuries caused by an animal permitted as a reasonable accommodation. T.C.A. § 66-7-111 |
| Texas | No landlord-specific statute. Criminal laws apply: it is a state jail felony to photograph or record, without consent and with intent to invade privacy, another person in a place where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, which the statute says includes a bathroom, bedroom and changing room; posting a sign does not establish consent. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications is a crime unless a party to the communication consents (one-party consent), so audio recording of tenants' conversations is restricted. Tex. Penal Code Sec. 21.15; 16.02 | State occupancy cap: a landlord may not allow more adults (18+) to occupy a dwelling than three times the number of bedrooms, except where a fair housing law requires more, or for up to one month for an adult seeking sanctuary from family violence. Neighbors within 3,000 feet (or a government or civic association) may sue to enjoin violations and recover $500 per violation plus fees. No statute defines when a guest becomes a tenant or gives roommate/additional-occupant rights; the lease governs. Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.010 | Texas law guarantees persons with disabilities equal access to rental housing and says a person with a service animal may not be charged extra compensation or a deposit for the animal, but is liable for damage the animal causes beyond reasonable wear and tear. The state definition of 'assistance animal'/'service animal' is limited to a specially trained or equipped dog. Knowingly misrepresenting an animal as an assistance or service animal is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and 30 hours of community service. No state statute sets documentation rules for emotional support animals. Tex. Hum. Res. Code Sec. 121.002, 121.003(g)-(h), 121.006 |
City rules that may add to state law
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Arkansas Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules FAQ
Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental in Arkansas?
No landlord-specific statute. Using a camera or other image-recording device to secretly observe or record a person in a private area of a residence where they expect privacy, without consent, is video voyeurism (a felony). Security monitoring run by or at the direction of the residence's occupant is exempt. Recording a conversation is legal only if the recorder is a party or one party consents. (Ark. Code Ann. §§ 5-16-101, 5-60-120)
Can a landlord limit guests or roommates in Arkansas?
No statute — lease governs. Arkansas sets no guest-versus-tenant rule, state occupancy limit or roommate right. The tenant must make people on the premises with the tenant's permission behave so as not to disturb other tenants, and is responsible if they damage the premises. (Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-601(6)-(8))
Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal in Arkansas?
Arkansas law guarantees people with visual, hearing or other physical disabilities full and equal access to rental housing, and makes interfering with that right a misdemeanor. Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal to a public accommodation carries a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation. Arkansas has no state statute on emotional support animal documentation or pet-fee limits in housing; the federal Fair Housing Act governs those requests. (Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-14-302, 20-14-305, 20-14-310)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.