Montgomery County Divorce Decree Records
Montgomery County divorce decree records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk in Mount Ida, Arkansas, under the 18th Judicial Circuit. If you need to find a divorce decree, get a certified copy, or understand what is involved in filing a domestic relations case in Montgomery County, this page explains the right office, access rules, and the legal requirements that apply to divorces in the county.
Montgomery County Divorce Records Overview
Montgomery County Circuit Clerk Office
The Circuit Clerk in Mount Ida is the official custodian of all divorce decree records for Montgomery County. The office is at 105 Hwy. 270 East, #10, Mount Ida, AR 71957. The phone number is (870) 867-3521. Standard hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you are driving to Mount Ida specifically to request a record, call ahead first to confirm the file is accessible.
The Circuit Clerk holds the complete case file for each domestic relations action heard by the Montgomery County Circuit Court. Each file includes the original divorce petition, any temporary court orders, agreements between the parties, and the final decree signed by the circuit judge. The clerk's index allows searches by party name or case number. An approximate year or date range is enough to start a productive search if you do not have the exact case information.
Montgomery County is part of the 18th Judicial Circuit in west-central Arkansas. The Circuit Clerk and County Clerk are separate offices. The County Clerk handles marriage licenses, property records, and probate. For divorce decrees specifically, the Circuit Clerk at 105 Hwy. 270 East is the correct office to contact.
Searching Montgomery County Divorce Decrees Online
The Arkansas Judiciary CourtConnect portal provides free public access to court case information for all Arkansas counties, including Montgomery County. You can search by party name, case number, or citation. Results show the filing date, case type, current status, and party names. The system does not display full document text, but it confirms a filing exists and provides the case number you need when contacting the clerk.
The CourtConnect system is free and does not require registration. Using it before driving to Mount Ida can confirm a case exists and give you the information needed to make your request to the Circuit Clerk more efficient. For technical support, call (866) 823-5778.
Under Arkansas FOIA § 25-19-105, divorce records are primarily accessible to the parties named in the case, their immediate family, and authorized legal representatives. If the record must be pulled from off-site storage, the clerk has up to three working days to make it available.
Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate
People often mix up these two documents. A divorce decree is the complete court order. It lays out every ruling the judge made: property division, debt allocation, custody, child support, alimony, and the legal grounds used. The Montgomery County Circuit Clerk is the only office that holds copies of the full decree for cases filed in the county.
A divorce certificate is much shorter. It lists the parties' names, the divorce 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. Certificates cost $10 each and can be ordered by phone, mail, or online. The ADH does not hold or issue the full divorce decree.
For divorces before 1923, the county court's original records are the only option. The Arkansas State Archives can help with research on older Montgomery County court records. Staff respond to email requests at state.archives@arkansas.gov and provide up to two hours of free research per inquiry.
Note: A certified copy of the full decree is typically needed for remarriage, legal name changes, estate matters, and other formal proceedings.
Getting Certified Copies in Montgomery County
Certified copies of Montgomery County divorce decrees are available from the Circuit Clerk at 105 Hwy. 270 East, #10 in Mount Ida. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID when you visit. Fees are typically $5 or more depending on the length of the document. Call (870) 867-3521 before visiting to confirm the current fee and accepted payment methods.
Mail requests are accepted. Your written request should include both parties' names as they appear on the case, the approximate year of the divorce, a return address and daytime phone number, and a check or money order payable to the Circuit Clerk. Do not send cash. The clerk will contact you if more information is needed before the request can be processed.
Eligibility for certified copies is limited to the named parties, their close relatives, and their authorized legal representatives under Arkansas law. Records become fully public 100 years after the date of the divorce. A quick phone call to the clerk at (870) 867-3521 will clarify what you need to provide if you have questions about access.
Divorce Filing Requirements in Montgomery County
Divorce cases in Montgomery County are filed at the Circuit Clerk's office at 105 Hwy. 270 East in Mount Ida. One spouse must have lived in Arkansas for at least 60 days before filing. The county residency requirement applies separately: the filing spouse must have been a resident of Montgomery County for 90 days before the court can issue the final decree.
Arkansas uses fault-based grounds for divorce as set out in Arkansas Code § 9-12-301. Recognized grounds include adultery, cruelty, habitual drunkenness lasting 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 an uncontested case, the defendant can waive proof of grounds in writing, which often moves the case along faster. Cases involving minor children require both parents to complete a state-approved parenting education class before the decree is entered.
Free forms and guides for self-represented filers are available at ARLawHelp.org. The site includes interactive forms, plain-language explanations of Arkansas domestic relations law, and instructions for how to serve the other party. Public access kiosks through the Arkansas Court Kiosk program are available at select courthouses and can help with forms.
Research Resources and the State Archives
The Arkansas State Archives accepts remote research requests for historical court records, including older Montgomery County divorce filings. Contact the archives at 501-682-6900 or by email at state.archives@arkansas.gov. Staff provide up to two hours of free research per request and typically respond within three to four business days. Delivery of results takes one to three weeks.
For genealogical research involving older Montgomery County records, platforms like FamilySearch may have indexed transcriptions that narrow your search before you contact the clerk or the archives. Even a rough date range helps the clerk identify the correct case file in the index.
Nearby Counties
Montgomery County is in west-central Arkansas. These neighboring counties each maintain their own Circuit Clerk offices and divorce decree records:
No cities in Montgomery County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Mount Ida is the county seat and the location of the Circuit Clerk for all Montgomery County divorce filings.