Perry County Divorce Decree Records

Perry County divorce decree records are filed and maintained at the Circuit Clerk's office in Perryville, Arkansas. This page explains how to find, request, and understand divorce decree records in Perry County, including clerk contact details, online case search tools, certified copy fees, residency requirements, and supporting state resources available to residents of the 20th Judicial Circuit.

Perry County Circuit Clerk Office

The Perry County Circuit Clerk's office is the keeper of all divorce decree records for the county. The mailing address is PO Box 358, Perryville, AR 72126. You can reach the office by phone at (501) 889-5126. Like most Arkansas circuit clerks, this office handles the full range of court filings for domestic relations, civil, criminal, and juvenile matters. For divorce specifically, the domestic relations division is where final decrees, property settlement agreements, custody orders, and support terms are filed and stored.

The Circuit Clerk opens the case file when a divorce petition is first filed and keeps the file current through every stage: summons, answer, financial disclosures, hearing notices, temporary orders, and the final decree signed by the judge. When you need a certified copy of a divorce decree in Perry County, this office is where you get it. Certified copies cost $5.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page under Arkansas fee schedules. You can make requests in person during business hours or by mail with payment enclosed.

Perry County is a small county. Staff are generally familiar with the filing process and can answer basic procedural questions, though they cannot give legal advice.

Online Divorce Decree Case Search

Arkansas provides free public case search through CourtConnect, the state judiciary's online portal. You can search Perry County divorce cases by party name or case number without creating an account. The results show basic case data: filing date, docket entries, party names, and case status. Document images are not available through CourtConnect. If you need the actual decree text, you must contact the Circuit Clerk directly for a certified or plain copy.

CourtConnect covers all Arkansas circuit courts, which means you can search statewide by name if you are not certain which county a divorce was filed in. This is useful when the parties lived in multiple counties before or during the marriage. Just enter the last name and first name, and the system will return matches from any Arkansas county.

Under Arkansas Administrative Order No. 19, divorce case records are generally open to the public. Exceptions exist for certain sensitive data: social security numbers, financial account numbers, sealed cases, and home addresses of petitioners in domestic protection matters. Standard divorce case files do not fall under these exceptions.

The Arkansas judiciary's CourtConnect portal lets you search Perry County divorce cases by name or case number at no cost. Results include docket history and case status for all filings in the 20th Judicial Circuit.

Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate

There are two distinct records tied to every Arkansas divorce. Many people confuse them, so it helps to know which one you need before you make a request.

The divorce decree is the full court order. It is created and held by the Perry County Circuit Clerk. The decree contains the judge's findings and all terms of the divorce: property division, debt allocation, custody arrangements, child support, alimony, and any name change. It is a multi-page legal document. You need the decree when refinancing property, dividing a retirement account (QDRO), updating beneficiary designations, or when legal terms of the divorce are in dispute. Certified copies from the Circuit Clerk cost $5.00 for the first page.

The divorce certificate is a short summary record held by the Arkansas Department of Health. It lists names, date, and county only. It does not contain the terms of the divorce. Certificates are available for divorces since January 1923 at $10 per copy. The ADH Vital Records office is at 4815 W. Markham St., Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Phone: (501) 661-2336. Walk-in service runs Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM.

Access to certificates is restricted under Arkansas Code to parties, family members, legal representatives, and those who can show a documented legal interest. Standard divorce decrees filed with the Circuit Clerk are open public records under § 25-19-105.

Filing a Divorce in Perry County

To file for divorce in Perry County, you must meet the state's residency rules. Arkansas law requires at least 60 days of in-state residency before the petition is filed. Beyond that, the court cannot enter a final decree unless one party has been a Perry County resident for at least 90 days. So even if you file early, the final decree cannot be issued until that 90-day county residency clock runs out.

Arkansas uses fault-based divorce grounds under § 9-12-301. You must state a legal reason for the divorce in your petition. Common grounds include general indignities, cruelty, adultery, habitual drunkenness for one year or more, felony conviction, or 18-month separation. If both parties agree on all terms and the defendant files a written waiver of service, the petitioner does not need to prove grounds at a hearing.

Filing fees for a new circuit court civil case are $165.00. Reopening a prior case costs $50.00. Self-represented filers can get free approved forms from Arkansas Legal Help. The site is maintained by the Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation and covers divorce, custody, and support forms with step-by-step instructions.

Note: Perry County has no large cities. There are no qualifying cities with pages on this site. The courthouse in Perryville is the sole point of contact for all Perry County divorce filings.

State Archives and Historical Divorce Records

For older Perry County divorce decrees, especially those going back several decades, the Arkansas State Archives may be able to assist. The Archives offers up to two hours of free remote research per request. Contact them at state.archives@arkansas.gov or call (501) 682-6900. The physical location is One Capitol Mall, Room 2B-215, Little Rock, AR 72201.

The Arkansas State Archives holds older circuit court records that were transferred from county courthouses. If the Perry County Circuit Clerk cannot locate a very old record, the Archives is the next logical step. FamilySearch also indexes some historical Arkansas court records and can be a useful starting point before making a formal records request.

The Arkansas State Archives research services page explains how to submit a remote research request for older Perry County divorce decree records, including available collections and turnaround times.

Arkansas FOIA and Public Access Rules

Arkansas divorce decree records held by circuit courts are public records under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, codified at § 25-19-105. Anyone can request to inspect or copy these records. The clerk must respond to a written request within three business days. Copies are charged at the established fee schedule: $5.00 for the first page of a certified document, $0.50 per additional page.

Not all content in a divorce file is fully public. Social security numbers and financial account numbers are redacted before release. If a case was sealed by court order, access is restricted to parties and their attorneys. Domestic violence protective order records may also carry address restrictions. For most standard Perry County divorce decrees, none of these restrictions apply and the full case file is accessible.

Mail requests to the Circuit Clerk at PO Box 358, Perryville, AR 72126. Include the case number or both party names, approximate filing year, your contact information, and payment for the copy fees. The clerk will confirm the total before processing if the exact fee is unclear.

Nearby Counties

Perry County is part of the 20th Judicial Circuit. It borders several central Arkansas counties, each with its own Circuit Clerk and independent divorce records. If you are uncertain which county a divorce was filed in, run a name search on CourtConnect first to narrow it down before contacting a specific clerk's office.

• Yell County - Danville / Dardanelle
• Conway County - Morrilton
• Faulkner County - Conway
• Pulaski County - Little Rock

Records in each of these counties are held independently. A divorce filed in Faulkner County will not appear at the Perry County courthouse. CourtConnect can search all counties at once, which makes it the most efficient first step when you are not sure where the case was filed.