Monroe County Divorce Decree Search
Monroe County divorce decree records are held by the Circuit Clerk in Clarendon, Arkansas, under the 17th Judicial Circuit. If you need to find a divorce decree filed in Monroe County, request a certified copy, or learn about the filing process, this page covers the correct office, how to access records, and what Arkansas law requires for divorce proceedings in the county.
Monroe County Divorce Records Overview
Monroe County Circuit Clerk Office
The Circuit Clerk in Clarendon holds the official divorce decree records for Monroe County. The office is at 123 Madison St., Clarendon, AR 72029. The phone number is (870) 747-3615. Standard hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Calling ahead is a good idea, particularly if the record you need may have been moved to off-site storage.
The Circuit Clerk maintains the complete file for every domestic relations action heard by the Monroe County Circuit Court. Each file includes the original petition, all orders entered during the case, any property or custody agreements, and the final divorce decree signed by the circuit judge. The office indexes records by party name and case number. An approximate year or date range is enough to start a search if you do not have the exact case information.
Monroe County is part of the 17th Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Clerk is a separate office from the County Clerk. The County Clerk handles marriage licenses, probate, and real property records. For a divorce decree, the Circuit Clerk at 123 Madison Street is the correct contact. Do not confuse the two when you call or visit the courthouse.
Searching Monroe County Divorce Records Online
The Arkansas Judiciary CourtConnect portal provides free public access to court case information statewide, including Monroe County. You can search by party name, case number, or citation to find basic case data: filing date, case type, parties, and current status. Full document text is not available online, but CourtConnect confirms whether a case was filed and gives you the case number to use when contacting the clerk for the actual decree.
The CourtConnect system is free to use and requires no login. It is a practical starting point before driving to Clarendon. Once you have the case number, call the Circuit Clerk at (870) 747-3615 to confirm availability and arrange certified copies or an in-person review.
Under Arkansas FOIA § 25-19-105, divorce records are available to the named parties, their immediate family, and authorized legal representatives. If a record is in off-site storage, the clerk has up to three working days to produce it. Call (866) 823-5778 for CourtConnect technical support.
Decree vs. Certificate: Two Different Documents
The term "divorce record" gets applied to two very different documents. A divorce decree is the complete court order. It includes the judge's rulings on property, debt, custody, child support, alimony, and grounds. The Monroe County Circuit Clerk holds all decrees for cases filed in the county.
A divorce certificate is a short summary showing only the names, the date, and the county. The Arkansas Department of Health at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205, phone (501) 661-2336, maintains statewide certificates for all divorces granted since January 1923. Each certificate costs $10 and can be ordered by phone, mail, or online. The ADH does not hold copies of the full decree.
For divorces before 1923, the county court's original records are the only source available. The Arkansas State Archives can assist with historical research and can help identify whether any Monroe County court materials from that era have been preserved in state collections.
Note: The Arkansas Department of Health does not issue the full divorce decree under any circumstances, only the short certificate summary.
Getting Certified Copies from the Circuit Clerk
Certified copies of Monroe County divorce decrees are available from the Circuit Clerk at 123 Madison Street in Clarendon. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID when visiting. Fees are $5 or more depending on document length. Call (870) 747-3615 ahead of time to confirm the current fee and the payment methods the clerk accepts.
Mail requests are also an option. Send a written request with both parties' names as they appear on the case, the approximate year of the divorce, a return address, and a check or money order payable to the Circuit Clerk. The clerk will contact you if more details are needed to locate the file. Processing time depends on current workload and whether the record requires retrieval from storage.
Eligibility for certified copies is limited. Only the named parties, their close relatives, and authorized legal representatives may request them under state law. Records become fully public 100 years after the date of the divorce. If you have questions about whether you qualify, a quick call to (870) 747-3615 will give you the answer.
Filing Divorce Cases in Monroe County
Divorce cases in Monroe County are filed at the Circuit Clerk's office at 123 Madison Street in Clarendon. At least one spouse must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days before the petition can be filed. The county residency requirement is separate: the filing spouse must have been a resident of Monroe County for 90 days before the court can issue the final decree.
Arkansas uses fault-based grounds for divorce as defined in Arkansas Code § 9-12-301. The recognized grounds include adultery, cruelty, habitual drunkenness for at least one year, felony conviction, permanent insanity, inability to have sexual relations, indignities making the marital situation intolerable, and separation for 18 continuous months without cohabitation. In uncontested cases, the defendant can waive proof of grounds in writing to speed the process. Cases involving minor children require both parents to complete a court-approved parenting education program before the judge enters the final decree.
Self-represented filers can access free forms and plain-language guides at ARLawHelp.org. The Arkansas Court Kiosk program provides public access terminals at select courthouses for hands-on help with forms and filings.
Nearby Counties
Monroe County is in east-central Arkansas. The Circuit Clerks in these neighboring counties maintain their own separate divorce decree records:
No cities in Monroe County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Clarendon is the county seat and the location of the Circuit Clerk for all Monroe County divorce filings.