Sebastian County Divorce Decree Records
Sebastian County divorce decree records are held by the Circuit Clerk, with offices in both Fort Smith and Greenwood, Arkansas. Sebastian County is one of a small number of Arkansas counties with two county seats, and each office maintains records for its respective district. This page covers both locations, how to search for divorce decrees, how to request copies, and what you need to know about filing in Sebastian County.
Sebastian County Divorce Records Overview
Two Circuit Clerk Offices in Sebastian County
Sebastian County is unique in Arkansas because it has two county seats: Fort Smith and Greenwood. Each seat has its own Circuit Clerk office, and divorce records are held at the office where the case was filed. If you are searching for a decree, you may need to check both offices if you are not sure which district the case was filed in.
The Fort Smith Circuit Clerk office is located at 901 South B St., Room 205, Fort Smith, AR 72902. The phone number is (479) 782-1046. This is the larger of the two offices and serves the Fort Smith district of Sebastian County, which includes the city of Fort Smith. The Greenwood Circuit Clerk office is at 301 East Center Street, Greenwood, AR 72936, and can be reached at (479) 996-4175. Greenwood serves the southern district of the county.
Both offices are part of the 12th Judicial Circuit and maintain records under the same state rules. Sebastian County also has a Law Library located at 35 South 6th Street, 3rd Floor, Fort Smith, AR 72901, which can be a useful resource for those navigating a self-represented divorce case.
Divorce Decree Search and Fees
Sebastian County charges $5.00 per name for a record search request, which is a local fee applied when you ask the clerk's office to search its files for a case. This is separate from copy fees. Certified copies of divorce decrees cost $10.00 per document in Sebastian County, which is higher than the state baseline. Regular (non-certified) copies are $0.50 per page. A basic divorce packet, which includes the forms needed to initiate a filing, costs $10.00.
The Sebastian County divorce records page provides additional information on local record access procedures and what to expect when requesting documents from either the Fort Smith or Greenwood office.
For an online case search, Arkansas provides a statewide tool through the judiciary. Use the Arkansas CourtConnect public access portal to search Sebastian County divorce cases by party name or case number. The portal shows case-level information but not the full text of any decree. After finding a case number, contact the correct Circuit Clerk office to request a copy.
Searching Online and CourtConnect
The Arkansas Judiciary's CourtConnect portal is the main online tool for searching Sebastian County court records at no cost.
CourtConnect covers both the Fort Smith and Greenwood districts of Sebastian County. Search by party name to pull case filings from both offices at once. Use the case number from the results to make a targeted request to the right clerk's office.
If a case does not appear in CourtConnect, it may predate the electronic filing system. Older records require a direct request by phone or mail to either the Fort Smith office at (479) 782-1046 or the Greenwood office at (479) 996-4175. CourtConnect technical support is available at (866) 823-5778.
Divorce Decree vs. Divorce Certificate
The divorce decree is the complete court order. It contains every term the judge imposed: property division, debt allocation, custody, child support, alimony, grounds, and any special conditions. In Sebastian County, the Circuit Clerk in Fort Smith or Greenwood holds this document depending on where the case was filed.
A divorce certificate is a summary record issued by the state. It lists party names, the divorce date, and the county. The Arkansas Department of Health at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205 maintains certificates for all Arkansas divorces from January 1923 forward. Certificates cost $10 per copy. Call (501) 661-2336 or order online or by mail. If you need the actual terms of a Sebastian County divorce, you must go to the Circuit Clerk. The state health department holds only the short certificate and cannot supply a decree.
Note: The Sebastian County Law Library at 35 South 6th Street, 3rd Floor, Fort Smith can help self-represented individuals understand forms and procedures without providing legal advice.
Filing for Divorce in Sebastian County
Divorce petitions in Sebastian County are filed at the Circuit Court in either Fort Smith or Greenwood, depending on where the filing party resides. Arkansas requires that at least one spouse has been an Arkansas resident for 60 days before filing. The final decree cannot be issued until the filing spouse has lived in the county for at least 90 days. These are state minimums that apply to every county, including Sebastian.
Arkansas law recognizes both fault and no-fault grounds under Arkansas Code § 9-12-301. Grounds include adultery, cruelty, felony conviction, habitual drunkenness for one year or more, permanent insanity, inability to have sexual relations, indignities making the other spouse's situation intolerable, and voluntary separation for 18 consecutive months. For uncontested cases, the defendant can waive proof of grounds in writing. Cases involving minor children require both parents to complete a court-approved parenting education class before the decree is issued.
Self-represented filers can use ARLawHelp.org for free forms and step-by-step guides. The basic divorce packet in Sebastian County costs $10, and total filing fees are around $165 or more depending on the specifics of the case.
Historical Records and Legal Resources
For older Sebastian County divorce records, the Arkansas State Archives provides remote research assistance at no cost for up to two hours per request. Contact them at state.archives@arkansas.gov or by phone at 501-682-6900. Most responses come within a few days, with document delivery taking one to three weeks depending on demand.
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act § 25-19-105 governs public access to court records. Under this statute, the clerk must make non-restricted records available within three working days. Divorce decree access is limited to the parties named, their close family members, and authorized legal representatives. Records become fully public after 100 years from the date of divorce.
For legal aid, ARLawHelp.org serves Sebastian County residents with free legal forms and guides. The Arkansas Court Kiosk program at arcourtkiosk.org also provides self-service terminals at courthouse locations with forms and fact sheets for self-represented litigants.
Cities and Nearby Counties
Fort Smith is a qualifying city in Sebastian County with a dedicated page on this site:
Sebastian County shares borders with the following Arkansas counties. Divorce records for those areas are held by each county's Circuit Clerk: