Is Jaywalking Illegal in Arkansas? Crossing Rules and Fines (2026)

What people call jaywalking is governed in Arkansas mainly by Ark. Code 27-51-1204. A pedestrian crossing anywhere other than a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles, and between adjacent intersections with operating traffic signals may cross only in a marked crosswalk. A 2023 law, Act 779, added a separate ban on pedestrians within the boundaries of controlled-access highways, with a fine of up to $100 (Ark. Code 27-51-1206). For how other states handle the same question, see our guide to jaywalking laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-10. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Arkansas state law: the pedestrian sections of Title 27, Chapter 51, Subchapter 12 (Ark. Code 27-51-1201 to 27-51-1206), the signal legend in 27-52-107, the definitions and local-authority sections in 27-49-114 and 27-49-106, the general traffic penalty in 27-50-304 and court costs in 16-10-305. Apart from 27-51-1206, which is quoted from Act 779 of 2023, the statute text quoted here is the Arkansas Code as published in November 2020; check the current wording in the official Arkansas Code before relying on it. It does not cover city or county ordinances, injury claims after a crash, or the law of other states.

Is jaywalking illegal in Arkansas?

Arkansas sets a few distinct pedestrian rules. Crossing outside a crosswalk is allowed if you yield to traffic. Crossing mid-block between two signalized intersections, outside a marked crosswalk, is a flat prohibition. And since 2023, walking on a controlled-access highway is its own offense.

Crossing outside a crosswalk

Ark. Code 27-51-1204 contains both the yield rule and the mid-block ban:

"(a) Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. (b) Any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. (c) Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation, pedestrians shall not cross at any place except in a marked crosswalk."

Subsections (a) and (b) are duties to yield. Subsection (c) is a prohibition: on a block with working signals at both adjacent intersections, a mid-block crossing is not allowed unless a marked crosswalk is there. Elsewhere, crossing outside a crosswalk is lawful as long as the pedestrian yields.

Note the phrase "unmarked crosswalk at an intersection," which appears in both 27-51-1202 and 27-51-1204. Ark. Code 27-49-114 defines a crosswalk as the part of a roadway "ordinarily included within the prolongation or connection of the lateral lines of sidewalks at intersections," plus any part of a roadway "distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by lines or other markings on the surface." So where sidewalks meet at an intersection there is a crosswalk even without paint, and a pedestrian crossing within it is outside the yield rule in subsection (a).

Two more one-sentence rules sit in the same subchapter. Ark. Code 27-51-1203: "Pedestrians shall move, whenever practicable, upon the right half of crosswalks." Ark. Code 27-51-1205: "No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any private vehicle." Both are in the official Arkansas Code.

Traffic signals and pedestrians

Ark. Code 27-51-1201 ties pedestrians to the signals: "Pedestrians shall be subject to traffic control signals at intersections as declared in this act, but at all other places pedestrians shall be accorded the privileges and shall be subject to restrictions stated in this subchapter."

The signal legend in 27-52-107 then sets what each light means for people on foot. On a green signal, "Pedestrians facing the signal may proceed across the roadway within any marked or unmarked crosswalk." On a steady yellow, "Pedestrians facing the signal are advised that there is insufficient time to cross the roadway, and any pedestrian then starting to cross shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles."

On a steady red, and on a red with a green arrow, "No pedestrian facing the signal shall enter the roadway unless he or she can do so safely and without interfering with any vehicular traffic" (27-52-107(a)(3)(B), (a)(4)(B)).

Where pedestrian signals are in place, 27-52-107(d) provides that "WALK" means pedestrians facing the signal "may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and shall be given the right-of-way by the drivers of all vehicles," and that "WAIT" or "DON'T WALK" means "no pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but any pedestrian who has partially completed his or her crossing on the walk signal shall proceed to a sidewalk or safety island while the wait signal is showing."

Walking on the interstate: the 2023 controlled-access highway ban

Act 779 of 2023 (Senate Bill 504), approved April 12, 2023, created Ark. Code 27-51-1206. It provides:

"(b) A pedestrian shall not be within the property boundaries of a controlled-access highway unless he or she is: (1) Directed by a police officer; or (2) Construction personnel in a highway work zone. (c) A person who violates this section, upon conviction shall pay a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100). (d) It is a defense to prosecution of this section that the pedestrian was first within a motor vehicle upon the controlled-access highway and exited the motor vehicle due to a mechanical breakdown, a motor vehicle accident, or other emergency."

The defense in subsection (d) matters for anyone whose car breaks down on an interstate: a person who left a vehicle because of a breakdown, a crash or another emergency has a defense to the charge. The text reaches the highway's property boundaries, not only its travel lanes.

What drivers owe pedestrians in Arkansas

A pedestrian's duty to yield outside a crosswalk does not erase the driver's duties, which Arkansas sets in separate provisions:

• Crosswalks without working signals. Under Ark. Code 27-51-1202(a), "Where traffic control signals are not in place or in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way, slowing down or stopping if need be to yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this subchapter."
• At traffic signals. On green, vehicular traffic, "including vehicles turning right or left, shall yield the right-of-way to other vehicles and to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk at the time the signal is exhibited" (27-52-107(a)(1)(A)). A driver moving on a green arrow must yield to pedestrians lawfully within a crosswalk (27-52-107(a)(4)(A)), and a pedestrian facing WALK "shall be given the right-of-way by the drivers of all vehicles" (27-52-107(d)(1)).
• No passing at a crosswalk stop. "Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle" (27-51-1202(b)).
• Due care everywhere. Subsection (d) of the same section that makes pedestrians yield outside crosswalks provides: "Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary and shall exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any confused or incapacitated person upon a roadway" (27-51-1204(d)).

Jaywalking fine and penalty in Arkansas

The crossing rules quoted above from 27-51-1204(a) to (c) state no fine of their own. The one pedestrian section with its own amount is the controlled-access highway ban, which carries a fine of up to $100 on conviction (27-51-1206(c)).

Arkansas also has a general penalty clause for traffic violations. Ark. Code 27-50-304 provides:

"(a) It is a misdemeanor for any person to violate any of the provisions of this act unless the violation is by this act or other law of this state declared to be a felony. (b) Every person convicted of a misdemeanor for a violation of any of the provisions of this act for which another penalty is not provided shall: (1) For a first conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100) or by imprisonment for not more than ten (10) days; (2) For a second conviction within one (1) year thereafter, the person shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars ($200) or by imprisonment for not more than twenty (20) days, or by both fine and imprisonment; and (3) Upon a third or subsequent conviction within one (1) year after the first conviction, the person shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or by both fine and imprisonment."

Section 27-50-304 comes from Act 300 of 1937 (section 151), the same act that is the source of the crossing rule in 27-51-1204 (section 77). Under 27-50-304(a), violating these pedestrian rules is a misdemeanor. The figures in 27-50-304 are maximums, not a set ticket price. The statutes quoted here do not fix an amount for a pedestrian citation, so the citation or the court handling it is the place to learn what is owed.

Court costs come on top of any fine. Ark. Code 16-10-305(a) levies costs "upon each conviction, each plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or each forfeiture of bond." Its schedule includes $100 in district court for a misdemeanor or violation of state law and $75 in circuit or district court for a traffic offense that is a misdemeanor or violation under state law or local ordinance.

City and county rules

Cities and counties may add their own rules. Under Ark. Code 27-49-106(a), a local authority may not enact a rule in conflict with the state traffic subtitle unless expressly authorized, but "may, however, adopt additional traffic regulations which are not in conflict with the provisions of this subtitle." Check the local code where you were cited.

If a pedestrian is hit by a car in Arkansas

Whether a pedestrian was crossing lawfully can come up after a collision, alongside the driver's duties in 27-51-1202 and 27-51-1204(d). For how fault, insurance and filing deadlines work in a crash claim, see Arkansas car accident laws. Electric scooter riders follow a different set of rules, covered in Arkansas e-scooter laws.

Related pages

• Jaywalking laws by state
• Arkansas car accident laws
• Arkansas e-scooter laws

This article provides general legal information about Arkansas law, not legal advice. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Arkansas.

Last updated: 2026-10-10.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is jaywalking illegal in Arkansas?

Crossing outside a crosswalk is allowed only if you yield the right-of-way to all vehicles (Ark. Code 27-51-1204(a)). Between adjacent intersections with operating traffic signals, you may cross only in a marked crosswalk (27-51-1204(c)).

What is the fine for jaywalking in Arkansas?

The crossing rules in 27-51-1204(a) to (c) do not set their own fine. The general traffic penalty in Ark. Code 27-50-304 provides up to $100 or 10 days for a first conviction of a violation of the act where no other penalty is provided, and walking on a controlled-access highway carries a fine of up to $100 (27-51-1206). Court costs under Ark. Code 16-10-305(a) are added on a conviction, a guilty or no contest plea, or a bond forfeiture. The citation or the court states the amount owed.

Can you walk on the interstate in Arkansas?

Under Ark. Code 27-51-1206, added by Act 779 of 2023, a pedestrian may not be within the property boundaries of a controlled-access highway unless directed by a police officer or working as construction personnel in a highway work zone. It is a defense that the person first exited a vehicle on the highway because of a mechanical breakdown, an accident or another emergency.

Can I cross in the middle of the block in Arkansas?

Only by yielding the right-of-way to all vehicles (27-51-1204(a)), and not between two adjacent intersections where traffic signals are operating unless you use a marked crosswalk (27-51-1204(c)).

Do drivers have to stop for pedestrians in Arkansas?

Where traffic control signals are not in place or in operation, a driver must yield, slowing down or stopping if need be, to a pedestrian crossing within a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection (Ark. Code 27-51-1202(a)). At signals, drivers on green, including those turning right or left, must yield to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk (27-52-107(a)(1)(A)). Every driver must also exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway (27-51-1204(d)).