Arkansas County Divorce Decree Records
Arkansas County is one of the few counties in the state with two county seats, and each district maintains its own divorce decree records through the Circuit Clerk's office. Whether you need to find a case filed in DeWitt or Stuttgart, the Circuit Clerk under Sarah Merchant handles domestic relations filings for the county. This page covers how to search for an Arkansas County divorce decree, what you can access online, where to go in person, and how to get a certified copy of a final dissolution record.
Arkansas County Divorce Records Overview
Arkansas County Circuit Clerk Office
The Circuit Clerk is the official keeper of divorce records in Arkansas County. Circuit Clerk Sarah Merchant oversees the office, which maintains all domestic relations cases for both the Northern District (Stuttgart) and Southern District (DeWitt). The office keeps filings for civil, domestic relations, criminal, and juvenile courts. Divorce decrees are part of the domestic relations records held here.
You can visit the Arkansas County Circuit Clerk's website to access public records housed in the office. The site allows residents and out-of-state researchers to search case records with confidence. The clerk also functions as ex-officio county recorder, so land and property records share the same office. For a full divorce decree, you must contact this office directly since only the county where the divorce was granted holds the decree.
The county's dual-seat structure means you need to know which district handled your case before you visit or write. Check with the clerk's office to confirm which courthouse location holds the specific record you need.
Online Search for Arkansas County Divorce Cases
The state of Arkansas provides a public case search tool called CourtConnect through the Administrative Office of the Courts. You can search by participant name, case type, case ID, or citation number. Arkansas County is listed as having partial information available through this portal. That means some case-level data shows up online, but full documents and decree text require a request to the clerk's office.
The Arkansas County Court public records portal also provides a starting point for record requests. Open records requests for items not found online can be submitted through that portal. The Records Department of the Circuit and County Clerk's office handles requests that cannot be located through online tools. If you can see a case number through CourtConnect but need the actual decree, call or write the clerk directly.
Note: CourtConnect does not give access to the text of divorce decrees. It shows case-level information only. For a full certified copy, contact the clerk's office in person or by mail.
Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate in Arkansas County
Many people confuse these two records. A divorce decree is the full court order signed by the judge. It covers property division, child custody, spousal support, debt assignment, and all terms of the dissolution. The decree stays with the Circuit Clerk's office in the county where the divorce was filed. Arkansas County's Circuit Clerk is the only place to get the actual decree for cases filed there.
A divorce certificate is a shorter summary document. It shows the names of the parties, the date, and the county where the divorce occurred. The Arkansas Department of Health maintains certificates for all divorces in the state since January 1923. The address is 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Phone orders go through (866) 209-9482. The fee is $10 per copy.
Under Arkansas Code § 25-19-105, court case files are generally accessible to the public, though sensitive details like Social Security numbers are redacted. The certificate, by contrast, falls under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305, which restricts who can access it. That law limits access to the parties themselves, close family, and legal representatives until 100 years after the divorce date.
If all you need is proof that a divorce happened, the certificate from the Department of Health is faster and cheaper. If you need the full terms of the final order, go to the Circuit Clerk.
Getting Copies of Arkansas County Divorce Decrees
Certified copies of Arkansas County divorce decrees are available through the Circuit Clerk's office. The standard fee for certification is $5 per document up to 10 pages, then $0.50 per page after that. Plain copies run $0.50 per page. You can request copies in person at either courthouse location or by sending a written request by mail.
When requesting by mail, include the names of the parties, the approximate year of the divorce, and a check or money order for the expected fee. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of the copies. The clerk may need extra time to locate older records, especially those filed before digital tracking began. The Arkansas County government website notes that the Records Department handles requests that cannot be resolved online.
Note: The clerk may ask for proof of your identity or your legal interest in the record before releasing a certified copy of a divorce decree.
Arkansas Divorce Filing Requirements
Arkansas law requires at least one spouse to live in the state for 60 days before filing and to maintain residency in the county for three months before the court can issue a final decree. These rules come from Arkansas Code § 9-12-301, which also sets out grounds for divorce. Arkansas still uses fault-based grounds in most cases. Those grounds include adultery, cruelty, alcoholism lasting at least one year, a felony conviction, permanent insanity, and the inability to maintain a marriage. Spouses who have lived apart for 18 months without sexual contact can also file.
Filing a new domestic relations case in Arkansas County costs $165, which covers the initial divorce filing. This is consistent with the fee structure used by neighboring counties. Service fees for summons and subpoenas add to that cost. If you need to reopen a closed case, a $50 fee applies.
The Circuit Clerk does not provide legal forms for divorce. Residents can find free self-help forms through Arkansas Legal Services (arlawhelp.org). That site has interactive forms for divorce cases and general information for people who represent themselves. The clerk's office will accept properly completed forms but cannot give legal advice on how to fill them out.
Divorce records in Arkansas become fully public 100 years after the divorce date under the state's vital statistics law. Until then, access is limited to parties, family, and those with a demonstrated legal interest.
Historical and Genealogical Divorce Records
For older divorce records in Arkansas County, the Arkansas State Archives offers free research assistance of up to two hours for people who cannot visit in person. Staff can help locate records from earlier periods. Contact them at One Capitol Mall, Room 2B-215, Little Rock, AR 72201, or by phone at 501-682-6900. The Archives also maintains records on microfilm that can be ordered for a fee.
FamilySearch holds a divorce index for Arkansas covering 1923 to 1939, provided by the Arkansas Genealogical Society. This is useful for confirming whether a divorce occurred during that period. The index does not provide full records, but it gives enough information to narrow down a request to the county clerk. For 1923 to 1969, Ancestry.com also has an index with images for subscribers.
The Family Tree Magazine Arkansas resource guide notes that some Arkansas counties lost records to floods or fires. Arkansas County has no major known record losses, which means older cases should still be available through the courthouse.
Legal Help for Arkansas County Residents
If you need help understanding or filing divorce paperwork, free resources are available. Arkansas Legal Services Partnership provides forms, guides, and legal information for residents who cannot afford an attorney. The site covers divorce, custody, and related family matters. Note that these resources provide legal information, not legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, you need a licensed attorney.
The Arkansas Court Kiosk program has placed kiosks in courthouses across the state. These kiosks let you access court records, find forms, watch video explainers, and apply for legal aid. The program's goal is to have at least one kiosk in every county. Check with the Arkansas County courthouse to see if a kiosk is available at your location.
The DivorceArkansas.org website offers a plain-language overview of how divorce records work in Arkansas, including information on the difference between certificates and decrees and how to search without an exact date.
Arkansas County Circuit Clerk - Official Records Portal
The Circuit Clerk's official records portal is the primary online access point for Arkansas County court case information. The site serves both residents and out-of-state researchers who need to find or request divorce decree records.
Through the portal, users can search domestic relations cases and request records held at the circuit court. For full decree documents, follow up directly with the clerk's office after locating a case number.
The public records request portal on the county government site allows open records submissions for documents that are not available through the online case search system.
Requests submitted through this portal are handled by the Records Department, which can locate cases going back to the earliest filings maintained by the court.
The Arkansas County government website provides a directory of county offices and their roles in maintaining records, including the distinction between the Circuit Clerk and the County Clerk.
Both offices are located at the county courthouses, with the Circuit Clerk responsible for divorce decrees and the County Clerk handling marriage licenses and related documents.
The statewide Arkansas CourtConnect portal provides case-level data for divorce cases filed across all Arkansas counties, including partial records for Arkansas County.
CourtConnect is the fastest way to confirm a case exists and find a case number before making a formal records request to the courthouse.
Nearby Counties
Arkansas County borders several counties that also maintain divorce records through their respective Circuit Clerk offices. If you are unsure which county handled a case, check records in neighboring jurisdictions as well.
No qualifying cities in Arkansas County meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page. For county-level information, this page covers the primary access points for divorce decrees in the county.