Search Ashley County Divorce Decrees
Ashley County divorce decree records are held at the Circuit Clerk's office in Hamburg, Arkansas. Circuit Clerk Vickie Riley Stell maintains all domestic relations filings for the county, which is part of the 10th Judicial District. If you need a final divorce decree for a case filed in Ashley County, this page covers where to look, what it costs to get a certified copy, how to search online, and what rules apply under Arkansas law.
Ashley County Divorce Records Overview
Ashley County Circuit Clerk Office Details
The Circuit Clerk for Ashley County is Vickie Riley Stell. Her office is located at 205 E. Jefferson St., Hamburg, AR 71646. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and remains open during lunch. You can reach the office by phone at (870) 853-2030 or by fax at (870) 853-2034. The email address is ashley.county@arkansas.gov.
The Circuit Clerk's official page lists all services provided by the office. The Circuit Clerk serves as the clerk for civil, domestic relations, criminal, and juvenile courts. The office is also the ex-officio county recorder, meaning it records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property instruments alongside court records. For divorce decrees specifically, the domestic relations division is where cases are filed and maintained.
Staff includes Chief Deputy Kim Lauhon along with additional deputy clerks. All juvenile records are kept confidential and are not available to the public. Divorce decrees filed in Ashley County's domestic relations division are accessible to authorized parties through the clerk's office.
Note: The clerk does not provide legal forms for divorce cases. Residents needing forms should visit arlawhelp.org or consult a private attorney.
Ashley County Divorce Record Fees and Copies
New domestic relations filings, which include divorce cases, cost $165 at the Ashley County Circuit Clerk's office. This figure is consistent with fees charged across the 10th Judicial District and most other Arkansas counties. If a party needs to reopen a closed case, an additional $50 fee applies. Summons and subpoena service runs $2.50 per person.
Certified copies of divorce decrees cost $5 per document for the first 10 pages. Each additional page after that adds $0.50. Plain, uncertified copies are $0.50 per page. To get a certified copy, you can visit the courthouse in Hamburg during business hours or submit a written request by mail. Include the names of the parties, the approximate year, a check or money order for the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope.
If all you need is proof that a divorce took place rather than the full decree, the Arkansas Department of Health sells divorce certificates for $10 each. Their mailing address is 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Orders can also be placed by phone at (866) 209-9482. Standard mail processing takes 10 to 14 business days.
Searching Ashley County Divorce Cases Online
Arkansas provides a statewide public case search portal called CourtConnect. The portal is run by the Administrative Office of the Courts. You can search by participant name, case type, case ID, or citation number. Ashley County has partial information available through this system, meaning some case data appears online but full records require a request to the clerk's office directly.
The Ashley County Circuit Clerk and Recorder website provides a court login for accessing case information. The office serves as keeper of records for the 10th Judicial District and maintains records of all circuit court proceedings. Through the website, users can access court records and land records. The site also lists the docket schedule for domestic relations and juvenile courts.
Ashley County is listed as having partial information in CourtConnect, so not all cases will appear in a name search. For older cases or cases where you know the case number, contacting the clerk directly is the most reliable approach.
Divorce Decree vs. Certificate in Ashley County
It matters which document you need. The divorce decree is the full court order. It includes property division, support arrangements, custody terms if children are involved, and all final rulings by the judge. Only the Circuit Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted keeps the original decree. For Ashley County divorces, that is the Hamburg courthouse.
The divorce certificate is a short record. It shows names, the date, and where the divorce occurred. The DivorceArkansas.org site notes the certificate costs $10 from the state and the decree typically runs $5 through the county. Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305, divorce certificates are not public records. Access is limited to the parties, their immediate family, and legal representatives with valid interest. That restriction applies until 100 years after the divorce date.
Under Arkansas Code § 25-19-105, the general rule is that court records are public, but personal data like Social Security numbers and financial account numbers is redacted. The divorce decree itself is generally accessible under the FOIA framework, though the clerk may ask for ID before releasing a certified copy.
Ashley County Circuit Clerk - Online Resources
The Ashley County Circuit Clerk page is the main official web presence for the court records office. It lists contact information, hours, fee schedules, and available services for the Hamburg location.
From this page, you can confirm contact details and fees before making a trip to the Hamburg courthouse or sending a records request by mail.
The Ashley County Clerk's page for County Clerk Christie Martin covers marriage licenses and related records. While the County Clerk handles marriage licenses, the Circuit Clerk holds the divorce decrees.
Marriage records in Ashley County go back to 1848, while divorce records through the Circuit Clerk trace to the formation of the court system. For older records, the Arkansas State Archives may hold microfilm copies.
The Ashley Circuit Clerk recorder website provides a login portal for court record access and land record searches in one location, reflecting the dual role of the Circuit Clerk as both court recorder and county recorder of deeds.
The site has pursued technological improvements over time, and users can now access docket information and case indexes without a courthouse visit in many instances.
Arkansas Divorce Law Requirements
To file for divorce in Arkansas, at least one spouse must have lived in the state for 60 days before the petition is filed. The same spouse must have lived in Ashley County for three months before the court can grant a final decree. These rules come from Arkansas Code § 9-12-301, which governs grounds for divorce statewide.
Arkansas still requires a stated ground for divorce in most cases. The recognized grounds include adultery, cruelty, habitual drunkenness for at least one year, conviction of a felony, permanent insanity, and indignities that make living together unreasonable. Spouses who have lived apart for 18 months without sexual activity can file on separation grounds. An uncontested divorce does not require proof of grounds if both parties agree in writing.
Under the Arkansas Supreme Court's Administrative Order No. 7, final divorce decrees must be kept permanently by the clerk's office. Case files are retained for a minimum of 10 years. Cases involving minor children are kept until the youngest child reaches age 23 to 25, depending on the circumstances. This means Ashley County divorce decrees going back decades should still be available through the courthouse.
Note: The FamilySearch divorce index for Arkansas covers 1923 to 1939 and is useful for genealogical research involving older Ashley County cases.
Legal Help for Ashley County Residents
Free legal resources are available for Ashley County residents who need help with divorce paperwork. Arkansas Legal Services Partnership offers free interactive forms for divorce cases, along with legal information guides covering family law topics. The site does not provide legal advice but gives clear, plain-language explanations of the process.
The Arkansas Court Kiosk program is rolling out kiosks across the state to help residents access records, find forms, and watch video explanations of court processes. The program is placing at least one kiosk in each county courthouse. Check with the Ashley County Circuit Clerk's office in Hamburg to confirm whether a kiosk is available for self-service use.
Nearby Counties
Ashley County borders several south Arkansas counties. If you need to check records in adjacent jurisdictions, each of these counties maintains divorce decrees through their own Circuit Clerk offices.
No cities in Ashley County exceed the population threshold for a dedicated city page. Hamburg is the county seat and the location of the courthouse, but it does not qualify for a separate city-level page on this site.