Crittenden County Divorce Decree Records
Divorce decree records in Crittenden County are kept by the Circuit Clerk in Marion, Arkansas, and the office handles all filings for civil, domestic relations, and family court cases. Whether you need a certified copy for a legal matter or want to confirm case details, this page walks you through where to look, what to request, and how the process works in Crittenden County.
Crittenden County Divorce Records Overview
Crittenden County Circuit Clerk
The Circuit Clerk's office in Marion is the place to go for divorce decree records in Crittenden County. The clerk files and processes all court documents for civil, domestic relations, criminal, and juvenile cases. Terry Hawkins currently serves as Circuit Clerk.
You can reach the office at 100 Court Square, Marion, AR 72364. The phone number is (870) 739-3248, and the fax is (870) 739-3287. You can also send email to thawkins@crittco.com. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
The Circuit Clerk maintains records and all appeals, dockets cases, issues summonses and subpoenas, and attends court to swear in witnesses. All records of Circuit Court proceedings are evidence of official acts and must be kept accurately.
The official Crittenden County Circuit Clerk site provides contact details and outlines what kinds of records the office maintains, including divorce decrees and domestic relations case files.
Search Crittenden County Divorce Records Online
The Arkansas Judiciary offers a public search tool called CourtConnect where you can look up case-level information by party name, case ID, or citation number. It does not give you the full divorce decree document, but it lets you find a case number and confirm a divorce was filed in Crittenden County.
For full document access, you will need to contact the Circuit Clerk directly. The CourtConnect system covers cases from all Arkansas counties and is free to use. If you run into trouble with document pop-ups, the site has troubleshooting guides for common browser settings. The help line for the Administrative Office of Courts is (866) 823-5778.
The Arkansas Court Records page for Crittenden County lists the Circuit Clerk address, District Court locations across the county, and explains how online search through the Arkansas Judiciary portal works for finding divorce filings.
Crittenden County has one Circuit Court and six District Courts spread across Earle, Gilmore, Jericho, Marion, Turrell, and West Memphis. Divorce cases are handled at the Circuit Court level, not District Court level. Criminal and civil court records maintained by the Circuit Clerk are available to the public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act § 25-19-105.
Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate
These two documents are not the same thing, and knowing which one you need saves time. A divorce decree is the full court order signed by the judge. It includes the names of both parties, the date of divorce, property division terms, child custody arrangements, support orders, and any other conditions the court imposed. The Circuit Clerk in Crittenden County holds these records.
A divorce certificate is a shorter document. It shows only the names of the parties, the date, and the county where the divorce was granted. The Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records maintains certificates for all divorces in the state since January 1923. Certificates cost $10 per copy. If you need the full decree with all the legal details, the Circuit Clerk is the right office.
Note: The Arkansas Department of Health does not have divorce decrees. You must go to the Circuit Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted to get one.
Getting Copies and Fees
To request a certified copy of a divorce decree from the Crittenden County Circuit Clerk, you can visit in person during business hours or submit a written request by mail. Bring or include a valid photo ID. Fees for certified copies are typically $5 or more per document depending on page count. Copy fees under Arkansas law cannot exceed actual reproduction costs per § 25-19-105.
Access to divorce decrees in Arkansas is restricted. Under state law, only the parties to the divorce, their immediate family members (parents, children, grandchildren), and legal representatives with valid authorization can obtain certified copies. If you are requesting on behalf of someone else, you will need documentation showing your authority to do so.
Records more than 100 years old become fully public. For recent records, plan to show ID and explain your relationship to the case. If the record is in active use or temporary storage, the clerk must certify that in writing and make it available within three working days.
Divorce Decree Filing in Crittenden County
Divorces in Crittenden County are filed at the Circuit Court in Marion. Arkansas law under § 9-12-301 requires fault-based grounds for divorce. The recognized grounds include adultery, cruelty, habitual drunkenness lasting one year or more, felony conviction, permanent insanity, and indignities that make the spouse's condition intolerable. Living separately for 18 months without sexual contact is also a recognized ground.
Before you can file, at least one spouse must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days. The final decree cannot be entered until that spouse has been a resident of the county for at least 3 months. Uncontested divorces move faster. If both parties agree and the defendant waives proof requirements in writing, no additional evidence is required.
Filing fees in the county run approximately $165 or more. Cases involving minor children require completion of a parenting education class under Arkansas law. Uncontested divorces typically wrap up in two to three months. Contested cases take longer, especially if mediation is required or the case goes to trial.
The Arkansas Court Kiosk program provides public access terminals at courthouses across the state. These kiosks let people access court records, find forms, and apply for legal aid. The program aims to place at least one kiosk in every county.
Legal Help and Resources
If you need help filing for divorce or understanding your rights, Arkansas Legal Services Partnership offers free interactive forms and legal information for people who represent themselves in court. They do not provide legal advice, but their self-help resources cover the divorce process in detail.
For older or historical divorce records that may not be in the clerk's system, the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock can help. They offer up to two hours of free research for people who cannot visit in person. You can submit a request through their "Ask An Archivist" form or by emailing state.archives@arkansas.gov. The archives phone number is 501-682-6900.
The DivorceArkansas.org site also has a plain-language guide to accessing divorce records in the state, including what information you need to provide and what to expect from the process. For genealogical research, FamilySearch has a Crittenden County genealogy page with record-start dates and links to indexed collections. Divorce records in the county date back to 1826.
Nearby Counties and Cities
Crittenden County shares borders with several other Arkansas counties. You can find divorce records for neighboring areas at these county offices:
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County and falls within the county's Circuit Court jurisdiction. No cities in Crittenden County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.
Note: The eastern border of Crittenden County runs along the Mississippi River and forms the state boundary with Tennessee and Mississippi.