Texarkana Arkansas Divorce Decree Records

Divorce decree records for residents on the Arkansas side of Texarkana are held by the Miller County Circuit Clerk at 400 Laurel Street in Texarkana, AR. This page covers the Arkansas side only. Texarkana straddles the state line, and each side operates under a different state's court system. Arkansas divorces are filed with Miller County. This page explains how to search, request, and file divorce decree records in Texarkana, Arkansas, including fees, online search options, and what the Arkansas residency rules require.

Arkansas Side Only: Miller County Circuit Clerk

Texarkana is a city that sits on the Arkansas-Texas border. The two halves operate under separate state laws and separate court systems. This page covers the Arkansas side of Texarkana only. For Texas-side divorces, you file with Bowie County, Texas courts. Those records are not held in Arkansas and are not discussed here.

On the Arkansas side, divorces are filed with the Miller County Circuit Clerk at 400 Laurel Street, Suite 109, Texarkana, AR 71854. The phone is (870) 774-4501. Miller County is the county that covers the Arkansas portion of Texarkana, and all divorce decree records for Arkansas-side residents are at this office. The courthouse is inside the city, so you do not need to drive to another community to file or access records.

Office hours are Monday through Friday during standard courthouse hours. Calling ahead before you visit is a good idea, especially if you need a certified copy the same day. Bring a photo ID and, if you have it, the case number from a prior search. Certified copies of divorce decrees cost $5.00 each. For mail requests, include the full names of both parties, the approximate year, and a check or money order payable to the Miller County Circuit Clerk.

Arkansas Residency Requirements for Texarkana Filers

Because Texarkana spans two states, residency is especially important to understand. To file for divorce in Arkansas, at least one spouse must have lived in the state of Arkansas for a minimum of 60 days before filing. This is a hard requirement under Arkansas law. Living on the Texas side of Texarkana does not count toward the Arkansas residency requirement.

After filing, the final decree cannot be entered until one party has been a resident of the county (Miller County) for 90 days. The judge checks these timelines before issuing a final order. If you are unsure whether you meet the Arkansas residency requirements, or if your situation involves both states, consulting an attorney familiar with cross-state matters is strongly recommended.

If you lived on the Texas side of Texarkana before moving to the Arkansas side, the clock on the 60-day requirement starts when you established Arkansas residency. You cannot count time living in Texas toward Arkansas's requirement.

Note: If you lived on the Texas side during the marriage and your spouse still does, you may need to file in Texas rather than Arkansas. The rules depend on where each party actually lives at the time of filing.

Search Texarkana AR Divorce Decrees Online

Miller County divorce cases are searchable for free through CourtConnect, the Arkansas Judiciary's online case portal. Search by party name, case number, or date range. The tool shows filing date, party names, and case status. It does not display full document text, but it confirms a case exists and gives you the case number needed to order copies from the clerk.

CourtConnect covers Arkansas circuit courts statewide and is available at any hour. It is most reliable for cases filed after 2009. For older records, contact the Miller County Circuit Clerk directly. Staff can search older paper indexes and advise on availability.

Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate

A divorce decree is the full court record from the Miller County Circuit Court. It contains the petition, the judge's final ruling, and all orders on property, support, and children. This is what you use for most legal and official purposes on the Arkansas side. A divorce certificate is a short vital record from the Arkansas Department of Health. It lists names, county, and date only. Certificates are available for Arkansas divorces since 1923 and cost $10 each from ADH Vital Records, 4815 West Markham Street Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205, (501) 661-2336.

Do not confuse Arkansas records with Texas records. If a divorce was filed in Bowie County, Texas, it is a Texas court record and cannot be obtained from any Arkansas office. If it was filed in Miller County, Arkansas, the decree is at the Miller County Circuit Clerk.

Filing for Divorce on the Arkansas Side

To file for divorce as an Arkansas-side Texarkana resident, go to the Miller County Circuit Clerk at 400 Laurel Street, Suite 109. Arkansas law requires fault-based grounds. The most common is general indignities. Other grounds include separation for 18 continuous months, adultery, cruel treatment, and felony conviction. You must state a ground in the petition.

Filing fees are approximately $165 for most cases. Cases involving minor children require a parenting education class before the court will issue a final decree. Self-represented filers can get free help from ARLawHelp.org, which has Arkansas-specific forms and guides written for people who want to file without a lawyer.

Under Arkansas FOIA § 25-19-105, divorce case records filed in Miller County are generally public. Social Security numbers and detailed financial data may be redacted, but the basic case file is accessible. CourtConnect provides free public access to case summaries online.

The statute establishes what is public and what can be withheld. For routine access to your own case file, no formal FOIA request is needed. The clerk can provide copies directly.

County Page and Legal Help

Texarkana, Arkansas is in Miller County in the far southwest corner of the state. There are no other qualifying cities in Miller County with their own divorce decree pages on this site. For the full county-level breakdown of Miller County divorce records and court procedures, see the Miller County divorce decree records page.

For free legal resources on Arkansas divorce, visit ARLawHelp.org. For historical record research, the Arkansas State Archives can assist with older Miller County records by remote request.