Cleburne County Divorce Decree Records
Cleburne County divorce decree records are held at the Circuit Clerk's office in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with records going back to 1883. If you need a certified copy of a divorce decree, want to verify a filing, or are doing genealogical research on a past case, this page covers how to reach the right office, what to bring, and what the process looks like for requests in Cleburne County.
Cleburne County Divorce Records Overview
Cleburne County Circuit Clerk Office
The Cleburne County Circuit Clerk office is at the courthouse: 301 W Main Street, P.O. Box 543, Heber Springs, AR 72543. Phone is (501) 362-8149 and fax is (501) 362-4681. Another phone number listed for the courthouse generally is 501-362-4620. The office handles all civil, criminal, domestic relations, and juvenile court records for the county.
Divorce cases in Cleburne County fall under the domestic relations division of the Circuit Court. The clerk maintains all case files including the petition, summons, financial disclosures, property agreements, custody orders, and the final decree. The circuit clerk also acts as the county's ex-officio recorder, recording deeds, mortgages, and liens.
One thing to know: Cleburne County Circuit Court staff will assist you in locating materials, but they do not do research for you. If you want to search the records, you come in and do it. They can point you to the right files. Bring the names of both parties and a year range if you have it. Walk-in access is permitted during normal business hours, Monday through Friday.
The CourtReference listing for Cleburne County Circuit Court confirms the address at 301 W Main St, Heber Springs, and provides links to online record search tools.
CourtReference provides court address details, available forms, and links to self-help divorce resources for Cleburne County Circuit Court.
Online Search and CourtConnect
The Arkansas Judiciary's CourtConnect portal offers free public access to case information. Search by party name, case number, or case type. Cleburne County Circuit Court cases appear in the system for filings that have been entered digitally. For the Circuit Court at 301 West Main Street, the system shows basic case details including filing dates, docket entries, and party names.
Full document images are not available online. CourtConnect shows case-level data only. To get the actual divorce decree or certified copies of any case document, you need to contact the Cleburne County Circuit Clerk directly. If you run into problems with the portal, the Administrative Office of Courts help line is (866) 823-5778.
The Cleburne County court records page at ArkansasCourtRecords.us covers what types of records are available, access rules under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, and which office handles which record types.
This resource explains FOIA access rules for Cleburne County court records and lists exemptions including juvenile, adoption, and medical records.
Note: Divorce records in Cleburne County that predate 1950 may be located at the County Clerk's office rather than the Circuit Clerk, as older equity records were sometimes filed differently.
Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate
There's a clear split between these two record types in Arkansas, and it helps to understand which one you actually need before you make a request.
A divorce decree is the full court order signed by the judge. It includes everything: property division, debt allocation, custody arrangements, child support, alimony, and the final disposition of the case. The Cleburne County Circuit Clerk holds these documents. Records go back to 1883 with no known courthouse disasters affecting the collection. Pre-1950 divorces may be in a slightly different filing system (equity records), but the clerk's staff can help you find them.
A divorce certificate is a short administrative document. Names, date, and county only. These are issued by the Arkansas Department of Health for divorces since January 1923. Cost is $10 per copy. Phone orders at (866) 209-9482, mail to Vital Records Slot 44, 4815 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205, or walk in during business hours at that same address. The certificate is often sufficient for proving a divorce took place. If you need the actual terms of the divorce, request the decree from the Circuit Clerk.
Getting Copies of Cleburne County Divorce Records
In-person visits to the courthouse at 301 W Main Street, Heber Springs are the most direct way to get records. Bring photo ID. For certified copies, Arkansas statute sets the cost at $5.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page. If you need copies mailed, standard copy fees apply.
Mail requests can be sent to: Cleburne County Circuit Clerk, P.O. Box 543, Heber Springs, AR 72543. Include both parties' full names, approximate filing year, your return address, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and your check or money order. Processing time for mail requests varies depending on staff workload.
For historical or genealogical requests, the Arkansas State Archives offers two hours of free remote research. Use the Ask An Archivist form or email state.archives@arkansas.gov. Their main number is 501-682-6900. Allow one to three weeks for results after the initial acknowledgment. The Archives is at One Capitol Mall, Room 2B-215, Little Rock, AR 72201.
Genealogical volunteer network Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness lists resources specifically for Cleburne County, including notes on record availability from 1883 and guidance on where older equity-era divorce records are held.
The Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness page for Cleburne County notes that pre-1950 divorce records may be among equity filings and confirms record dates back to 1883.
Filing for Divorce in Cleburne County
Arkansas law requires specific grounds for divorce under § 9-12-301. Common grounds include adultery, cruelty, habitual drunkenness for at least one year, felony conviction, permanent insanity, and 18-month separation. If both parties agree on all issues and the defendant waives the requirement in writing, the court does not require proof of grounds.
Residency is required before filing. One spouse must be an Arkansas resident for at least 60 days before the petition is filed. Three months of Cleburne County residency is required before the court can enter a final decree. That means the judge cannot sign the decree until one party has lived in the county for three full months.
Filing fee for a new case in circuit court is $165.00 under Arkansas Code § 21-6-403. Reopening a prior case runs $50.00. The case file will include the petition, summons and service documents, financial affidavits, any response filed, the property settlement or separation agreement, custody and support orders if children are involved, and the final decree. These documents are what the Circuit Clerk stores and what you can request copies of. Under § 25-19-105, the FOIA generally makes these court files public, though social security numbers and financial account numbers are redacted from public copies per § 16-90-104.
Legal Help and Self-Help Tools
The Cleburne County Circuit Clerk office does not provide legal forms. For divorce and family law forms, use Arkansas Legal Help. The site has free interactive forms for divorce cases, domestic abuse matters, guardianship, and small claims. No attorney needed to use the forms, though legal advice is always a good idea for contested cases.
The Arkansas Court Kiosk program brings self-help tools directly into courthouse buildings. These kiosks let you search records, print forms, apply for legal aid, and watch explanatory videos about court procedures. Check with the Cleburne County Circuit Clerk office to see if a kiosk is available at 301 W Main Street. The statewide program is installing 112 kiosks across Arkansas counties.
Nearby Counties and Related Links
Cleburne County borders Independence, Stone, Van Buren, Faulkner, and White counties. If you believe a divorce was filed in a neighboring county rather than Cleburne, contact that county's Circuit Clerk directly. Arkansas counties maintain independent records and there is no shared search system across counties.
- Independence County - Batesville
- Stone County - Mountain View
- Van Buren County - Clinton
- Faulkner County - Conway
- White County - Searcy
For a quick statewide certificate check, call the Arkansas Department of Health at (866) 209-9482. That office can confirm whether a divorce occurred under a given name without you needing to pull the full county file.