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Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.)

Arkansas's autonomous-vehicle statute: Act 468 of 2019 (originating bill HB1561), codified at Arkansas Code 27-51-2001 to 27-51-2006, signed March 14, 2019 with an emergency clause, and amended by Act 619 of 2021 (effective July 28, 2021). It authorizes operation of fully autonomous (SAE Level 4/5) vehicles on Arkansas roads under an AV pilot program with an ArDOT exemption; fully autonomous vehicles may operate without a human driver and may lack traditional controls, subject to insurance, traffic-law compliance, a minimal-risk-condition fail-safe, and a remote operator able to meet accident-reporting duties.

This is the enabling law under which Gatik runs driverless Walmart middle-mile in Bentonville. Applies to autonomous vehicles including trucks.

Jurisdiction: United States/Arkansas · Effective 2019-03-14

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (10)

  1. https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-27/subtitle-4/chapter-51/subchapter-20/section-27-51-2002/
  2. https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-27/subtitle-4/chapter-51/subchapter-20/section-27-51-2001/
  3. https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-27/subtitle-4/chapter-51/subchapter-20/section-27-51-2006/
  4. https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-27-transportation/ar-code-sect-27-51-2002/
  5. https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?measureno=HB1561&ddBienniumSession=2019/2019R
  6. https://legiscan.com/AR/bill/HB1561/2019
  7. https://ardot.gov/divisions/planning/autonomous-vehicles-program/
  8. https://codeofarrules.arkansas.gov/Rules/Rule?levelType=section&titleID=27&chapterID=224&subChapterID=274&partID=1010&subPartID=4553&sectionID=28657
  9. https://www.jhatfieldlaw.com/arkansas-legislators-pave-the-way-for-arkansas-truck-platooning/
  10. https://www.ncsl.org/transportation/autonomous-vehicles-legislation-database

Status history

  • In effect · 2019-03-14 · editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 5b-1 AV-truck state laws)

    Arkansas AV law in effect since Act 468 of 2019 (signed Mar 14, 2019, emergency clause; amended Act 619 of 2021). Authorizes driverless operation (incl. trucks); basis for Gatik's Bentonville driverless deliveries.

Common questions

What does Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) cover?
Arkansas's autonomous-vehicle statute: Act 468 of 2019 (originating bill HB1561), codified at Arkansas Code 27-51-2001 to 27-51-2006, signed March 14, 2019 with an emergency clause, and amended by Act 619 of 2021 (effective July 28, 2021). It authorizes operation of fully autonomous (SAE Level 4/5) vehicles on Arkansas roads under an AV pilot program with an ArDOT exemption; fully autonomous vehicles may operate without a human driver and may lack traditional controls, subject to insurance, traffic-law compliance, a minimal-risk-condition fail-safe, and a remote operator able to meet accident-reporting duties. This is the enabling law under which Gatik runs driverless Walmart middle-mile in Bentonville. Applies to autonomous vehicles including trucks.
Where does Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) apply?
Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) is recorded as a other applying in Arkansas on the DEPLOY registry.
When did Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) take effect?
Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) is recorded as effective March 14, 2019 on the DEPLOY registry.
Is Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) still in effect?
Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) is currently in effect and applies to covered operators in the named jurisdiction.
What types of robots does Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) apply to?
Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.) is recorded as applying to autonomous vehicles, truck on the DEPLOY registry.
Which robot models on the DEPLOY registry fall under Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.)?
8 robot models on the DEPLOY registry match the form-factor scope of Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.): 789D AHS, 930E AHS, ARC (Autonomous Relay Convoy), Apollo RT6 and 4 others. Form-factor scope match does not by itself establish compliance status; review the underlying primary sources for each operator.
Methodology: Verified · 10 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-05-31

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-05-31

Architectural position

Cohort: av

Sources by quality tier

10
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Arkansas autonomous vehicle law (Act 468 of 2019; Ark. Code 27-51-2001 et seq.).

Canonical ID 7f6bd452-ad7a-4366-b276-a21fdc42a9da