Arkansas drivers have 3 years to file a diminished value claim.

Check your Arkansas filing deadline

Enter the date of your accident below. We'll show your exact 3-year statute-of-limitations deadline and how many days remain.

Arkansas diminished value claim facts

Statute citation: A.C.A. § 16-56-105 (3-year SOL for property damage)

Why this matters in Arkansas

Arkansas recognizes diminished value as a recoverable element of property damage in third-party tort claims against the at-fault driver's liability carrier. On first-party recovery, Arkansas case law has generally been more carrier-friendly than the Mabry line from Georgia. Where a standard Arkansas collision policy obligates the carrier to repair and limits "loss" to repair cost, first-party DV is generally not separately recoverable. But where the policy defines loss more broadly, DV may be recoverable. The lesson for Arkansas drivers: read your collision-coverage section carefully, and treat the at-fault driver's liability carrier (or UM/UIM if the at-fault driver was uninsured) as the primary DV path. The Arkansas statute of limitations for property damage from negligence is three years under A.C.A. § 16-56-105. This is a comfortable window compared to states like Texas (2 years) and Alabama (2 years). The clock runs from the date of loss; written demand to the carrier may toll the SOL in some circumstances, but do not rely on tolling without legal advice. Get the demand letter out within 12-18 months and escalate to litigation by month 30 if no settlement is in sight. For total-loss determinations, Arkansas applies a 70% statutory threshold under A.C.A. § 27-14-2301: a vehicle is defined as a salvage vehicle when the damage is 70% or more of the average retail value. This is one of the lowest statutory thresholds in the country (along with Iowa's 50% and Oklahoma's 60%), which means more Arkansas vehicles get pulled into the total-loss category. The ACV negotiation matters disproportionately — an independent valuation can pull a borderline vehicle out of the total-loss column and into the recoverable-DV column. The Arkansas Insurance Department (insurance.arkansas.gov) accepts consumer complaints. The Arkansas Small Claims Court hears cases up to $5,000 — a workable venue for smaller DV claims. For amounts above $5,000, file in District Court (up to $25,000) or Circuit Court (above $25,000). Document the date of loss, the at-fault carrier's claim number, the repair invoice with parts and labor itemization, and the comparable-sales evidence in your VVA DV Report. The Arkansas Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection (arkansasag.gov) handles broader deceptive-practice complaints if the carrier's denial appears to violate the Arkansas Unfair Practices Act.

States with similar filing deadlines