Search Phillips County Divorce Decree Records

Phillips County divorce decree records are filed at the Circuit Clerk's office in Helena, Arkansas, the county seat. This page covers how to access divorce decree records in Phillips County, including the clerk's contact information, free online case search through the state portal, certified copy fees, residency requirements under Arkansas law, and state-level resources available to anyone searching 1st Judicial Circuit divorce filings.

Phillips County Circuit Clerk

The Phillips County Circuit Clerk's office is the official keeper of divorce decree records for the county. The office is located at 620 Cherry St, Helena, AR 72342. Phone: (870) 338-5515. The Circuit Clerk oversees filings across domestic relations, civil, criminal, and juvenile court divisions. Divorce cases fall under the domestic relations division. The case file the clerk maintains from start to finish includes the initial petition, summons, answers, financial affidavits, any interim orders, the final divorce decree, and all post-decree motions or modifications.

When you need a certified copy of a Phillips County divorce decree, this is the office to contact. Certified copies are priced under the state fee schedule: $5.00 for the first page, $0.50 per additional page. You can request copies in person at the Cherry Street courthouse or by sending a written request by mail. Mail requests should include both parties' names (or the case number if you have it), the approximate year filed, and a check or money order for the estimated fee amount. The clerk will confirm the exact total before finalizing the request if needed.

Phillips County is part of the 1st Judicial Circuit. Helena-West Helena is the county's main city, though it does not meet the site's qualifying population threshold for a dedicated city page.

Online Access to Divorce Decree Cases

The Arkansas judiciary maintains CourtConnect, a free public case search tool. It covers all Arkansas circuit courts, including Phillips County. You can search by party name or case number. The portal shows case filing dates, docket entries, party names, and current status. It does not display document images or the full text of the decree. To get the actual divorce decree, you need to make a copy request with the Circuit Clerk.

CourtConnect is especially useful when you know one party's name but not the exact county where the divorce was filed. A statewide name search returns matches from all 75 Arkansas counties, letting you identify the right county before calling or writing to any specific clerk's office. This saves time and avoids contacting the wrong courthouse.

Under Arkansas Administrative Order No. 19, most divorce case records are open public records. Social security numbers, financial account numbers, and sealed matters are not available for public inspection. Standard divorce cases in Phillips County carry no such restrictions unless a judge has ordered otherwise.

CourtConnect is the official Arkansas case search tool. Use it to look up Phillips County divorce cases by name or case number, free of charge, directly through the state judiciary website.

Divorce Decree Records: What They Contain

A divorce decree is not the same as a divorce certificate. They are two different records, held by two different offices, and they serve different purposes. Knowing which one you need prevents wasted time and money.

The Phillips County Circuit Clerk holds the divorce decree. This is the full court order. It contains the judge's ruling and all terms agreed to or ordered: property division, debt allocation, real estate transfers, custody arrangements, parenting schedules, child support amounts, alimony terms, and any name restoration. The decree is the document required for refinancing property, dividing a pension or retirement account through a QDRO, or resolving any future dispute about what the divorce order actually said.

The divorce certificate is a brief record kept by the Arkansas Department of Health. It lists names, divorce date, and county only. It costs $10 per copy and is available for divorces since January 1923. ADH Vital Records is at 4815 W. Markham St., Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Phone: (501) 661-2336. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM. Phone orders are handled at (866) 209-9482.

Certificates are restricted to parties, family members, and those with documented legal interest. Divorce decrees at the Circuit Clerk are open public records under § 25-19-105 of the Arkansas FOIA.

Filing for Divorce in Phillips County

To file for divorce in Phillips County, one spouse must have lived in Arkansas for at least 60 days before filing. After the petition is filed, the court cannot issue the final decree until one party has been a Phillips County resident for at least 90 days. That 90-day clock begins on the date the filing party established Phillips County residency, not the filing date.

Arkansas requires fault-based grounds for divorce under § 9-12-301. Accepted grounds include general indignities, cruelty (physical or mental), adultery, habitual drunkenness for one year or more, felony conviction with a sentence of one year or more, permanent insanity (with prior institutionalization), and 18 consecutive months of separation. When both parties agree on all terms and the defendant signs a written waiver of process, the court may grant the divorce without requiring formal proof of grounds at a hearing.

New circuit court civil filings cost $165.00. Reopening a case costs $50.00. Self-represented filers who need forms can find approved state divorce forms at Arkansas Legal Help. The site is run by the Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation and provides free legal form packets with instructions for divorce, name changes, and custody matters.

Historical Records and State Archives

Phillips County has a long history along the Mississippi River. For older divorce decree records going back many decades, the Phillips County Circuit Clerk's office is the first point of contact. If records were transferred to the state level, the Arkansas State Archives offers free remote research assistance of up to two hours. Reach them by email at state.archives@arkansas.gov or by phone at (501) 682-6900. The Archives is located at One Capitol Mall, Room 2B-215, Little Rock, AR 72201.

FamilySearch indexes some Arkansas court records and is useful for older cases with incomplete data. The Archives can help identify which repository holds specific Phillips County divorce records if the courthouse no longer has them on file.

The Arkansas State Archives research page explains how to submit a remote request for older court records, including Phillips County divorce decree files that may have been transferred from the local courthouse.

FOIA and Public Record Access

Phillips County divorce decree records are public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. § 25-19-105 requires custodians to make records available for inspection and copying within three business days of a written request. Fees are set by state statute. The clerk charges $5.00 for the first page of a certified document and $0.50 per additional page. Plain, uncertified copies are typically cheaper.

If a record is not publicly available due to a court seal or privacy restriction, the clerk will tell you so in writing and explain the legal basis. You may then seek access through the court itself. Most standard divorce decrees have no seal and are fully accessible to any requester.

Note: If you are looking for records involving juvenile matters or domestic violence protective orders, different access rules apply. Those records may be partially or fully restricted.

Nearby Counties

Phillips County is part of eastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River delta. It is in the 1st Judicial Circuit. Neighboring counties each have their own Circuit Clerk and separate divorce record systems. If you need to check multiple counties, use CourtConnect's statewide name search first to avoid unnecessary calls to individual clerk offices.

• Lee County - Marianna
• Monroe County - Clarendon
• St. Francis County - Forrest City
• Crittenden County - Marion
• Cross County - Wynne

Each county maintains its own independent records. A divorce filed in Crittenden County will not be at the Phillips County courthouse, and vice versa. CourtConnect is the fastest way to confirm the right county before making a formal request.