HB1772

House Bill 1772 seeks to protect the right of Arkansans to maintain vegetable gardens on residential properties. The bill defines a vegetable garden as a plot of ground or elevated bed where edible plants, flowers, or pollinator plants are cultivated. It establishes a state interest in encouraging sustainable cultivation for personal consumption or noncommercial sharing. Under the bill, counties, municipalities, and other political subdivisions are prohibited from enacting ordinances that outright ban vegetable gardens on residential property. However, the bill explicitly permits local governments to regulate specific aspects of garden maintenance. These permissible regulations include water usage during droughts, fertilizer application, weed and invasive species control, and reasonable requirements regarding the size and location of gardens, such as restricting them to side or backyards.