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Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 13, 2026

What homeowners insurance costs in Arkansas: average premium, 2023 $1,870 a year in Arkansas vs. $1,737 countrywide · 13th highest of 51 · All states (HO-3 policies; NAIC)

Arkansas's market right now

Storm damage to roofs is the main pressure on Arkansas home insurance. On Nov. 2, 2023, AID told personal-lines insurers that "due to the rising frequency and severity of storms that result in claims for damaged roofs," it would now allow:

- a mandatory separate wind and hail deductible, and - a mandatory roof schedule endorsement for roofs 7 years or older, with proper notice to you. Check your policy or ask your agent how a roof schedule would pay on your roof.

A 2025 law (Act 246) requires owner-occupied home policies issued or renewed in Arkansas to list all deductibles "in a clear and conspicuous manner" on the declarations page or renewal notice. If a deductible is a percentage of your home's insured value (other than for earthquake), the policy must show its dollar amount. Policies with separate deductibles by peril must show them together with the all-other-peril deductible.

After major storms AID has ordered 60-day moratoriums on cancelling or nonrenewing personal policies for nonpayment, for example after the March 31, 2023 tornadoes (Cross, Lonoke and Pulaski counties) and the May 24-26, 2024 storms in northwest and north central Arkansas. These are not automatic: you had to ask your insurer and have suffered significant property damage, injuries or loss of life, and they only extend the time to pay. They do not waive the premium.

You can look up homeowners, dwelling fire and renters rate changes filed by insurers in AID's rate change search. [8][11][12][13][14][15]

Can't find insurance? The Arkansas Rural Risk Underwriting Association

Many states have a FAIR plan, a state-created pool that sells basic property insurance when regular insurers won't. The national directory of these plans (PIPSO) lists none for Arkansas. Arkansas does have a smaller, little-known pool for rural homes.

In 1985 the legislature found that "the market for [insurance on rural property] is not adequate" and created "a mandatory plan to assure an adequate market for property insurance on insurable risks in the rural areas of Arkansas." Under Ark. Code 23-88-303 and 23-88-306:

- Every insurer licensed to sell property insurance in Arkansas, including farmers' mutual aid companies, must be a member of the Arkansas Rural Risk Underwriting Association (ARRUA). - ARRUA "shall provide a plan of property insurance to insurable rural risk applicants": people insuring property in areas its governing board designates as "rural areas," with the Insurance Commissioner's approval. - The plan sets underwriting standards approved by the Commissioner. An applicant that meets them "will be an insurable risk and entitled to property insurance through the association." - The plan sets the deductibles, risk classes, rates and the limits of coverage available.

ARRUA still exists: on Sept. 29, 2026, AID announced that ARRUA's board had found an assessment of member insurers "is needed for the year 2026." That assessment is $200 per insurer, which the law ties to the cost of "mailing fire department renewal subscription notices." We could not find a consumer website for ARRUA, a list of the areas it treats as rural, or its coverage limits, and AID's page about ARRUA is written for insurers. If you live in a rural area and regular insurers have turned you down, ask your agent or AID Consumer Services at (800) 852-5494 whether ARRUA coverage is available for your home.

Surplus lines. If you are offered a surplus lines policy (from a non-admitted insurer, one not licensed by AID), AID says surplus lines transactions are charged a 4% surplus lines premium tax. See our surplus lines guide and our national FAIR plan guide. [1][2][3][8][16][17][18][19]

If your insurer cancels or won't renew

Arkansas's Trade Practices Act (Ark. Code 23-66-206(15)) sets the rules for cancelling property policies, including homeowners:

Notice of cancellation must also go to any lienholder or loss payee named in the policy, such as your mortgage company. After 60 days, the only allowed reasons for cancellation are:

1. Nonpayment of premium
2. Fraud or material misrepresentation in getting or continuing the policy or in a claim
3. A material change in the risk that substantially increases a hazard insured against
4. A fire, health, safety, building or construction code violation that substantially increases a hazard
5. Nonpayment of membership dues, where the insurer's bylaws require them
6. A material violation of a material provision of the policy

Other protections in Arkansas law:

- Storm claims. "No insurance policy or contract covering damages to property shall be cancelled nor the renewal thereof denied solely as a result of claims arising from natural causes," meaning damage "occasioned exclusively by the violence of nature" (Ark. Code 23-63-109). - Renewal offers. The renewal offer must show the new premium and describe any change in deductible or policy provisions (Ark. Code 23-88-105). - Location, age and other factors. An insurer may not unfairly refuse, cancel or limit coverage on a residential property because of the home's age or its geographic location, unless there is a real business reason that is not a pretext, or the law requires it (Ark. Code 23-66-206(13)).

If you think a cancellation or nonrenewal breaks these rules, file a complaint with AID (below). See also our nonrenewal guide. [4][5][6]

Discounts and grants for a FORTIFIED roof

FORTIFIED is a construction standard from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) that makes roofs more resistant to wind and hail. Arkansas's Strengthen Arkansas Homes Act (Act 427 of 2025, effective Jan. 1, 2026) does three things:

- Discounts. An insurer writing wind or hail coverage on a home certified to an IBHS FORTIFIED Home standard "shall provide a premium discount or rate reduction on the coverage if the discount or reduction is actuarially justified," once it receives a copy of your certificate. Insurers must offer it on policies issued or renewed on and after July 1, 2026. - Roof-upgrade option. Insurers covering a single-family home that is not FORTIFIED must offer an optional endorsement that pays the cost to upgrade the roof to FORTIFIED when a covered claim requires replacing the roof. It must also be offered on policies issued or renewed on and after July 1, 2026. - Grants. It creates a Strengthen Arkansas Homes Program in AID to give grants toward a FORTIFIED Roof or FORTIFIED Silver upgrade (with a hail supplement), paid directly to the contractor once the FORTIFIED certificate is issued.

Under the law, a grant applicant must own and live in a detached single-family home with a homestead exemption (manufactured homes, mobile homes and condos are not eligible), pay the IBHS evaluator's fee, get bids from at least three approved FORTIFIED contractors where available, have wind insurance (or get it within 30 days after certification), carry flood insurance if the home is in a FEMA special flood hazard area, and finish the work within three months of approval. You pay any cost above the grant. Applications are taken first come, first served, with priority allowed for areas more prone to wind and hail. The law itself does not set a grant amount.

Status (checked Oct. 13, 2026): we found no Strengthen Arkansas Homes application page, rule or announcement of grant amounts on AID's website. In September 2025 AID said contractors could get IBHS certification "to be eligible to eventually participate" in the program, and the Insurance Commissioner's page lists "establishing a successful home resiliency program" as a goal. Ask AID Consumer Services at (800) 852-5494 for the current status. See our FORTIFIED roof guide. [8][10][20][21]

Flood is separate

AID says: "Flood damage is not typically covered by a homeowner's insurance policy," and there is typically a 30-day waiting period before a new flood policy takes effect. Our sister site FloodHawk covers flood zones and flood insurance. [22]

Where to get help

AID's Consumer Services Division handles complaints and questions about insurance companies, agents and adjusters, and travels to damaged areas after major storms to help homeowners with claims:

- Toll free: (800) 852-5494 - Little Rock: (501) 371-2640 - Email: insurance.consumers@arkansas.gov - Complaints: AID's online complaint form, or a printed form by email, fax to (501) 371-2749, or mail

Include your name, address and phone, the insurance company, your policy and claim numbers, the agent or adjuster, the date, and why you are complaining. AID notes that complaints are subject to disclosure as public records. Before changing your homeowners policy, AID suggests checking with your mortgage company about the coverage you must keep, and says you may call Consumer Services and ask to speak with an investigator. [8][9][23]

Questions people ask