Centerton Divorce Decree Lookup

Divorce decree records for Centerton residents are held by the Benton County Circuit Clerk in Bentonville, the county seat. Centerton is a fast-growing city in Benton County, but all county-level court records, including divorce decrees, are stored and filed at the Bentonville courthouse. This page explains how to access divorce decree records as a Centerton resident, where to file, what the fees are, and how to use the state's free online case search tool before making the trip to Bentonville.

Benton County Circuit Clerk for Centerton

All divorce filings and records for Centerton residents are processed through the Benton County Circuit Clerk at 102 NE A Street, Bentonville, AR 72712. The phone number is (479) 271-1015. Centerton itself does not have a circuit court. Bentonville is the county seat and is just a few miles from Centerton, making the drive short. All Benton County divorce cases, regardless of which city in the county the parties live in, are filed at this one office.

Office hours run Monday through Friday during standard courthouse hours. Calling ahead before you visit is worthwhile, especially if you need a certified copy that day. Bring a photo ID. Certified copies of divorce decrees cost $5.00 per document. If you need multiple copies, the fee applies to each one. Plain copies are less per page.

For mail requests, write to the Benton County Circuit Clerk at 102 NE A Street, Bentonville, AR 72712. Include the full names of both parties, the year the divorce was granted, and a check or money order made out to the Benton County Circuit Clerk. Add a return address so the clerk can mail back what you ordered.

Note: Centerton city offices do not handle divorce records. The city does not hold any court filings. For all divorce decree needs, contact the Benton County Circuit Clerk in Bentonville.

Search Centerton Divorce Records Online

The Arkansas Judiciary runs a free case search tool called CourtConnect. You can use it to search Benton County divorce cases before you contact the clerk or drive to Bentonville. Search by party name, case number, or filing date. The results show filing date, party names, and case status. CourtConnect does not provide full document text, but it confirms whether a case is in the system and gives you the case number you need to request certified copies.

CourtConnect is free and available at any hour. It covers all Arkansas circuit courts, including Benton County. It is most reliable for cases filed after 2009. For older divorce records, the Benton County Circuit Clerk can check older paper indexes and let you know what is on file. The Benton County Circuit Clerk website also has current office information and contact details.

Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate

It is easy to confuse these two records, but they are different documents from different agencies. A divorce decree is the full court order from the Benton County Circuit Court. It includes the entire case file: the petition, any contested issues, the judge's final ruling, property division terms, custody arrangements if children are involved, and all related court orders. This is the legal record of the divorce and what is needed for most financial and legal transactions.

A divorce certificate is a short abstract from the Arkansas Department of Health. It shows names, county, and date only. It does not include the legal detail of a decree. Certificates are available for Arkansas divorces since 1923 and cost $10 each. You can order one by mail from ADH Vital Records, 4815 West Markham Street Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205, or call (501) 661-2336. For the full decree, contact the Benton County Circuit Clerk in Bentonville.

Filing for Divorce in Centerton

To file for divorce as a Centerton resident, go to the Benton County Circuit Clerk at 102 NE A Street in Bentonville. Arkansas requires at least one spouse to have lived in the state for 60 days before filing. The final decree cannot be entered until one party has been a Benton County resident for 90 days. Both timelines must be met. The court verifies these requirements before issuing a final order.

Arkansas divorce law requires a stated ground in the petition. The most common is general indignities. Other grounds include separation for 18 continuous months, adultery, cruel treatment, and felony conviction. Filing fees are approximately $165. Cases involving minor children require a parenting education class before the court will grant a final decree. This is a state-wide requirement that applies in Benton County too.

Free help for self-represented filers is available at ARLawHelp.org. The site has interactive forms and plain-language guides for Arkansas divorce cases. Under Arkansas FOIA § 25-19-105, Benton County divorce records are generally public. Parties have full access. Third parties can view basic case data, and some personal information in the file may be redacted.

For historical or genealogical research involving older Benton County divorce records, the Arkansas State Archives offers remote research assistance. They can be reached at 501-682-6900 or state.archives@arkansas.gov.

Nearby Cities and County Page

Centerton is in the central part of Benton County, close to Bentonville. Other qualifying Benton County cities with divorce decree pages on this site include Bentonville, where records are filed, Rogers, Bella Vista, and Siloam Springs. All Benton County divorces are at the same courthouse in Bentonville, regardless of which city the filer lives in.

For the full county-level overview of Benton County divorce records and court procedures, see the Benton County divorce decree records page.