Arkansas Intestacy Laws

28-9-204. Per capita distribution.
Heirs will take per capita in the following circumstances:
(1)(A) If all members of the class who inherit real or personal property from an intestate are related to the intestate in equal degree, they will inherit the intestate's estate in equal shares and will be said to take per capita.
(B) For illustration:
(i) If the intestate leaves no heirs except children, the children will take per capita and in equal shares;
(ii) If the intestate leaves no heirs except grandchildren, all the grandchildren will take per capita and in equal shares; and
(iii) If the inheriting class consists solely of great-grandchildren, or any more remote descendants of the intestate who are all related to the intestate in the same degree, they will take per capita.
(C) The same rule applies to the inheritance by collateral heirs of the intestate as when, for illustration, the inheriting class consists entirely of brothers and sisters, or consists solely of nieces and nephews who are descendants of deceased brothers and sisters, or consists of any other collateral relatives of the intestate who are related to the intestate in equal degree.
(D) Likewise, when the inheriting class consists of uncles, aunts, and grandparents or great-uncles, great-aunts, and great-grandparents who, under § 28-9-214, may constitute an inheriting class even though they represent different generations, all members of such a class who survive the intestate will take per capita and share equally; and
(2) If the members of the inheriting class are related to the intestate in unequal degree, those in the nearer degree will take per capita or in their own right, and those in the more remote degree will take per stirpes or through representation as provided in § 28-9-205.

28-9-205. Per stirpes distribution.
(a)(1) Heirs will take "per stirpes" if the intestate is predeceased by one (1) or more persons who would have been entitled to inherit from the intestate had such a person survived the intestate.
(2) The intestate's estate shall be divided into as many equal shares as there are:
(A) Surviving heirs in the nearest degree of kinship to the intestate; and
(B) Persons, hereinafter called "predeceased persons", in the same degree of kinship as the heirs mentioned in subdivision (a)(2)(A) of this section, who predeceased the intestate leaving descendants who survived the intestate.
(3) Each surviving heir in the nearest degree taking per capita shall receive one (1) share and the descendants of each predeceased person taking per stirpes shall collectively receive one (1) share.
(b)(1) If the descendants of a predeceased person are all related to the predeceased person in the same degree, they will take in equal parts the share accruing to them collectively.
(2) However, if such descendants are related to the predeceased person in unequal degree, the share accruing to them collectively shall pass per capita to those in the nearer degree and per stirpes to those in the more remote degree according to the formula set out in subdivision (a)(3) of this section.
(3) If the descendants of a predeceased person are found in multiple generations, the above formula for division shall be applied in respect to the descendants in each generation.
(c)(1) The provisions of this section shall be applied to both real and personal property and to both lineal and collateral heirs.
(2) However, if under § 28-9-214, the inheriting class consists of grandparents and uncles and aunts, or of great-grandparents and great-uncles and great-aunts, the per stirpes rule shall apply when an uncle or aunt, or great-uncle or great-aunt, as the case may be, shall predecease the intestate, leaving descendants. However, it shall not be applied in respect to a grandparent or great-grandparent of the intestate who predeceased the intestate. In this event the grandparent or great-grandparent shall not be counted in determining the number of shares passing to the members of the inheriting class or those taking through them by representation.

28-9-213. Kinsmen of the half blood.
An intestate's kinsmen of the half blood will inherit the intestate's real or personal property to the same extent as if they were the intestate's kinsmen of the whole blood.

28-9-214. Tables of descents.
The heritable estate of an intestate as defined in § 28-9-206 shall pass as follows upon the intestate's death:
(1) First, to the children of the intestate and the descendants of each child of the intestate who may have predeceased the intestate. The children and descendants will take per capita or per stirpes according to §§ 28-9-204 and 28-9-205;
(2) Second, if the intestate is survived by no descendant, to the intestate's surviving spouse unless the intestate and the surviving spouse had been continuously married less than three (3) years next preceding the death of the intestate, in which event the surviving spouse will take merely fifty percent (50%) of the intestate's heritable estate;
(3) Third, if the intestate is survived by no descendant or spouse, to the intestate's surviving parents, sharing equally, or to the sole surviving parent if only one (1) of them shall be living;
(4) Fourth, if the intestate is survived by no descendant but is survived by a spouse to whom the intestate has been continuously married less than three (3) years next preceding the death of the intestate, the entire portion of his or her heritable estate which does not pass to the surviving spouse under subdivision (2) of this section shall pass to the intestate's surviving parents, sharing equally, or to the sole surviving parent if only one (1) of them shall be living;
(5) Fifth, if the intestate is survived by no descendant or parent, then all of his or her heritable estate which under subdivisions (3) and (4) of this section would have vested in the intestate's surviving parent or parents will pass to the intestate's brothers and sisters and the descendants of any brothers and sisters of the intestate who may have predeceased the intestate, such brothers, sisters, and descendants taking per capita or per stirpes according to §§ 28-9-204 and 28-9-205;
(6) Sixth, if the intestate is survived by no descendant, then in respect to such portion of his or her heritable estate as does not pass under subdivisions (2)-(5) of this section, the inheriting class will be the surviving grandparents, uncles, and aunts of the intestate. In this situation, each surviving grandparent shall take the same share as each surviving uncle and aunt, and no distinction shall be made between the paternal and maternal sides. In other words, a maternal grandparent, uncle, or aunt shall take the same share as a paternal grandparent, uncle, or aunt and vice versa. If any uncle or aunt of the intestate shall predecease the intestate, the descendants of the deceased uncle or aunt will take, per capita or per stirpes according to §§ 28-9-204 and 28-9-205, the share the decedent would have taken if he or she had survived the intestate;
(7) Seventh, if the intestate is survived by no descendant, then in respect to the portion of his or her estate as does not pass under subdivisions (2)-(6) of this section, the inheriting class will be the surviving great-grandparents and great-uncles and great-aunts of the intestate.
In this situation, each surviving great-grandparent shall take the same share as each surviving great-uncle and great-aunt, and no distinction shall be made between the paternal and maternal sides. In other words, a maternal great-grandparent, great-uncle, or great-aunt shall take the same share as a paternal great-grandparent, great-uncle, or great-aunt and vice versa. If any great-uncle or great-aunt shall predecease the intestate, the descendants of the decedent will take, per capita or per stirpes according to §§ 28-9-204 and 28-9-205, the share the decedent would have taken if he or she had survived the intestate; and
(8) Eighth, if heirs capable of inheriting the entire heritable estate cannot be found within the inheriting classes prescribed in subdivisions (1)-(7) of this section, the real and personal property of the intestate, or the portion not passing under those subdivisions, shall pass according to § 28-9-215, devolution when all or some portion of a heritable estate does not pass under this section.

28-9-215. Devolution where no heir under § 28-9-214.
If an heir to the heritable estate, or some portion thereof, cannot be found under § 28-9-214, then the portion of the heritable estate as does not pass under § 28-9-214 will pass as follows:
(1) First, to the surviving spouse of the intestate even though they had been married less than three (3) years;
(2)(A) Second, if there is no such surviving spouse, to the heirs, determined as of the date of the intestate's death in accordance with § 28-9-214, of the intestate's deceased spouse, meaning the spouse to whom the intestate was last married if there had been more than one (1) marriage. (B) However, in case a marriage was terminated by divorce rather than by death, the heirs of the divorced spouse shall not inherit; and
(3) Third, if there is no person capable of inheriting under subdivision (1) or (2) of this section, the estate shall escheat to the county wherein the decedent resided at death.

28-11-301. Land generally.
(a) If a person dies leaving a surviving spouse and a child or children, the surviving spouse shall be endowed of the third part of all the lands for life whereof his or her spouse was seized, of an estate of inheritance, at any time during the marriage, unless the endowment shall have been relinquished in legal form.
(b) A person shall have a dower or curtesy right in lands sold in the lifetime of his or her spouse without consent of the spouse in legal form against all creditors of the estate.

28-11-304. Sale of timber, oil, gas, or mineral leases.
(a) If a person dies leaving a surviving spouse and a child or children, the surviving spouse shall be entitled, absolutely and in his or her own right, to one-third (1/3) of all money received from the sale of timber, oil and gas or other mineral leases, oil and gas or other mineral royalty or mineral sales, and to one-third (1/3) of the money derived from any and all royalty run to the credit of the royalty owners from any oil or gas well or to royalty accruing from the production of other mines or minerals in lands in which he or she has a dower, curtesy, or homestead interest, unless the surviving spouse shall have relinquished same in legal form.
(b)(1) All persons, firms, partnerships, or corporations now engaged in the production of oil and gas or other minerals shall immediately withhold payments to the royalty interests until the rights of the surviving spouse are determined, as defined by this section, and shall thereafter pay the surviving spouse separately his or her one-third (1/3) part of all royalty accruing to the royalty interest unless he or she shall have relinquished the royalty interest in legal form.
(2) In the sale of timber, the purchaser shall pay one-third (1/3) of the purchase price directly to the surviving spouse or his or her agent or attorney at the time of the execution or delivery of the deed.

28-11-305. Personalty.
If a person dies leaving a surviving spouse and a child or children, the surviving spouse shall be entitled, as part of dower or curtesy in his or her own right, to one-third (1/3) part of the personal estate whereof the deceased spouse died seized or possessed.

28-11-307. Dower or curtesy when no children.
(a)(1) If a person dies leaving a surviving spouse and no children, the surviving spouse shall be endowed in fee simple of one-half (1/2) of the real estate of which the deceased person died seized when the estate is a new acquisition and not an ancestral estate and of one-half (1/2) of the personal estate, absolutely, and in his or her own right, as against collateral heirs.
(2) However, as against creditors, the surviving spouse shall be invested with one-third (1/3) of the real estate in fee simple if a new acquisition, and not ancestral, and of one-third (1/3) of the personal property absolutely.
(b) If the real estate of the deceased person is an ancestral estate, the surviving spouse shall be endowed in a life estate of one-half (1/2) of the estate as against collateral heirs and one-third (1/3) as against creditors