Loch Lomond

The Lake at a Glance

Loch Lomond is a 477-acre privately owned lake completed in 1981 as part of Bella Vista's Highlands section development, located in Benton County in northwest Arkansas. This is the most fundamental difference between Loch Lomond and every other Arkansas lake covered on this site: Bull Shoals, Norfork, Beaver, and Lake Hamilton all involve federal oversight -- the Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or both -- for any structure that touches or extends over their waters. Loch Lomond has none of that.

The water and its shoreline are owned by the Bella Vista Property Owners Association. When a buyer owns a lakefront lot on Loch Lomond, the property extends to the edge of the lot -- not to the water. The lake itself is POA common property, and lakefront owners have access to it as POA members in good standing. They can apply to build structures that extend over the water, but the POA retains authority over the lake surface and shoreline, not a federal agency.

Loch Lomond sits inside Bella Vista's broader master-planned POA system -- seven lakes, seven golf courses, pools, fitness centers, and over 100 miles of trails. That infrastructure is exceptional, and every property owner in Bella Vista pays into it whether they use a given amenity or not, through mandatory POA dues layered on top of Benton County property tax.

What Buyers Need to Know First

The listing price on a Loch Lomond home tells a buyer what they pay at closing -- not what they pay every year after that. Arkansas assesses residential property at 20% of appraised market value under state law, and Bentonville School District millage, the primary driver for properties in Bella Vista, runs approximately 46.8 mills after the county-wide reappraisal rollback approved in fall 2024. County, city, and library levies add further mills on top of that, and every owner also pays a mandatory POA assessment regardless of whether they use the golf courses or other amenities.

Second, buyers planning to offset costs with short-term rental income need to check availability first. The City of Bella Vista caps short-term rental permits at 600 non-owner-occupied units citywide under Ordinance 2023-37, and as of June 2025 that cap sat at roughly 93% utilization, with lakefront homes making up a disproportionate share of active permits. There is no waiting list once the cap is reached -- it simply closes until an existing permit lapses. A second layer sits on top of city rules: some Bella Vista subdivisions carry deed restrictions that explicitly prohibit rentals shorter than 30 days regardless of what the city allows, so a valid city permit does not override a recorded covenant that says no. Buyers should verify both layers directly before making STR income a cornerstone of their purchase decision.

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