Buying land in Johnson County and the Arkansas River Valley

Start with the questions on this page: access, utilities, water, septic, boundaries, flood zone, covenants, minerals, and financing. Get the answers in writing where you can, then decide on your offer. Around Clarksville, acreage is mostly on the county roads outside town, and the Ozark National Forest begins just north of town.

Ask whether the land touches a public road or reaches one through a recorded easement. Both can work, but you want to see the access in writing before you commit.

Ask what is already at the property line, what would have to be brought in for power, water, and internet, and who pays for it. These can be very different from one road to the next.

Usually, yes. Land outside town typically means septic, not sewer. The Arkansas Department of Health permits septic systems through the health unit in the county where the land is. Ask for the Onsite Environmental Specialist, who can give you a list of people licensed to do soil tests and design systems.

What most people call a perc test is a soil test here. The Health Department uses soil pits, which show the depth to rock and how high the groundwater gets in wet months, because a perc test only gives a rough estimate.

A single home on 10 or more acres can be exempt from the permit when every part of the system is more than 200 feet from every property line, roads included. The system still has to meet state requirements, and the health unit can give you a letter confirming the exemption. (Source: Arkansas Department of Health, checked October 2026.)

A survey shows where the property really starts and stops. Decide on purpose whether to get one before you close, not after.

FEMA publishes flood maps you can look up by address. Flood zone status can affect where you can build and what insurance costs. If you finance a home in a high-risk flood area through a government-backed lender, FEMA says flood insurance is required. (Source: FEMA, checked October 2026.)

Not always. Minerals are sometimes owned separately from the surface, so ask the title company what comes with the property. The Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission publishes lease and well data and well maps, so you can see whether there has been drilling near the land. (Source: Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, checked October 2026.)

Ask about timber rights and any hunting, grazing or farm leases too. If timber is part of the price, have a forester estimate it before you offer.

Check before you fall in love with a plan. Many subdivisions and some rural tracts have recorded covenants that limit what you can build or keep there: home size, building materials, manufactured homes, campers, livestock, or a second home on the lot. In Caddo Springs on the west side of Clarksville, for example, the recorded covenants require a site-built home with a mostly masonry exterior.

Ask the title company for a copy of every recorded restriction and any property owners' association rules, and read them before you're committed. If the land is in or near a town, ask the city what its rules allow. Outside town, ask the county what permits your plan needs. If an easement or restriction is unclear, that is a question for a real estate attorney.

Ask whether the land has a rural water meter, city water at the road, or a well. If you will need a well, Arkansas requires the person drilling it to hold a state water well contractor's license and certificate of registration. If there is an old well you won't use, state law requires the owner to fill it or put a sturdy cover over it. (Source: Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Water Well Construction, checked October 2026.)

Assessor records for Johnson, Pope, Logan and Yell counties are searchable on ARCountyData. Franklin County is on ActDataScout. Johnson County's seat is Clarksville and Pope County's is Russellville. Franklin, Logan and Yell counties each have two county seats (Ozark and Charleston, Paris and Booneville, Dardanelle and Danville), so ask which courthouse holds the records for the tract you're looking at. Septic permits go through each county's health unit. (Sources checked October 2026.)

Land has fewer comparable sales than houses, and two tracts on the same road can be worth very different amounts depending on access, utilities, terrain, and timber. Ask for recent sales of similar acreage nearby, and be cautious when there are only a few to go on.

Sometimes. Land loans often work differently from home loans, so talk to a lender before you make an offer. If you plan to build or buy a home on the property, USDA's eligibility map shows which rural addresses qualify for its home loans. (Source: USDA, checked October 2026.) I'm a Realtor, not a lender, so your lender confirms what you qualify for.

Yes. I'm a Realtor with Moore and Company, Realtors in Clarksville, so Johnson County is home base, and I work across the Arkansas River Valley from Fort Smith to Conway, including Franklin, Logan, Pope, and Yell counties. One of my closings in Franklin County was a land deal. Call or text me at 903-824-2018 and tell me what you're picturing.