Arkansas Civil Court Records

Arkansas civil court records are public documents filed with the courts when a civil case is opened in the state. These records cover lawsuits between private parties, contract disputes, property matters, debt collection cases, and more. Each of the 75 Arkansas counties maintains its own civil case files through the Circuit Clerk's office. Many counties now provide online access through the state's Search ARCourts portal, but full case documents typically require a direct request to the clerk's office in the county where the case was filed.

Where Arkansas Civil Court Records Are Kept

Civil court records in Arkansas are held at the county level. Each of the 75 counties has a Circuit Clerk who serves as the official custodian of court records. Circuit Clerks are elected officials. They keep the full case files for civil, criminal, domestic relations, and juvenile matters. If you need a civil court record, you go to the Circuit Clerk in the county where the case was filed. They can pull records by party name or case number and make copies for you during normal business hours.

The Arkansas Circuit Clerks Association represents all 75 county circuit clerks and maintains a public directory of their offices. The Association's current leadership includes President Canda Reese of Baxter County (870-425-3475), 1st Vice-President Myka Bono Sample of Saline County (501-303-5615), and 2nd Vice-President Kyle Sylvester of Washington County (479-444-1538). Circuit Clerks act as the public's primary contact for court matters, handling questions about fines, payments, court dates, and civil case records. The Association also provides educational seminars and certification programs for clerks and their staff across the state.

The Arkansas Judiciary's official website gives access to court directories, forms, and online services for all state courts. The Administrative Office of the Courts manages the non-judicial operations of state and county courts. The AOC is located at 625 Marshall Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. Director Marty Sullivan can be reached at 501-682-9400. The AOC handles court automation programs, judicial branch education, interpreter services, security planning, and data and research for the entire state court system.

Search Arkansas Civil Court Records Online

Arkansas provides free public access to civil court records through its Search ARCourts portal at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. This is the official state portal for courts using the Contexte Case Management System. The portal is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except during scheduled maintenance windows. You can search by participant name, business name, or case number. You can also look up judgments against a person or business, view cases filed by a specific date, or search docket filings by date.

The portal shows basic case information: parties, case status, hearing dates, charges, and docket entries. Some courts provide more detail than others. Records created before January 1, 2009 may require a courthouse visit because many older cases have not been fully digitized. Sealed and confidential records are not available through the online portal. If you have trouble opening documents, the portal has a troubleshooting guide for browser settings. For help, call the Administrative Office of the Courts at (501) 410-1900, option 1, or toll-free at (866) 823-5778. You can also email acap.help@arcourts.gov.

Not every county has full online access yet. Courts with complete case information available online include Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Cross, Dallas, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, and many more. Counties with partial information include Ashley, Bradley, Clay, Crittenden, Desha, Drew, Greene, Independence, Jackson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Perry, Randolph, Sebastian, and Stone Counties. For counties not yet fully on the system, call or visit the Circuit Clerk's office directly.

Arkansas Circuit Courts and Civil Court Records

Arkansas circuit courts are the general jurisdiction trial courts of the state. Under Arkansas Constitutional Amendment 80, effective July 1, 2001, the state eliminated separate courts of law and equity. Starting January 1, 2002, circuit courts handle five subject matter divisions: criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, and juvenile. All civil cases outside district court jurisdiction are filed in circuit court. This includes major contract disputes, property litigation, personal injury cases, quiet title actions, foreclosures, and more. Circuit court civil records are the main body of civil court records in Arkansas.

There are 28 judicial circuits covering all 75 Arkansas counties. Circuit judges run in nonpartisan elections and serve six-year terms. To serve as a circuit judge, a candidate must have been a licensed attorney in the state for at least six years before taking office. Contact numbers for all circuit courts are available in the Judicial Directory on the Arkansas Judiciary website.

District Court Civil Records in Arkansas

Arkansas district courts handle civil claims up to $25,000 and small claims cases up to $5,000. These courts also have jurisdiction over misdemeanors, traffic violations, and preliminary felony matters. District court judges are full-time and serve four-year terms. There are 39 state district court divisions across Arkansas. Nine counties also have local district courts limited to civil matters up to $5,000, with part-time judges who also serve four-year terms. District courts may also hear emergency matters referred from circuit court, such as protective orders and unlawful detainer cases.

District courts are often the first stop for smaller civil disputes. Records from district courts are also searchable through Search ARCourts for participating courts. If you are looking for a small claims case or a civil matter under $25,000, contact the district court in the relevant jurisdiction.

Arkansas Judiciary Online Services

Beyond the public case search, Arkansas Judiciary Online Services offers several tools. CourtConnect gives the public access to civil case information for courts using the Contexte system. eTraffic lets people pay traffic tickets online in participating areas. eFiling enables attorneys and courts to submit documents electronically. An attorney search allows you to look up Arkansas lawyers by name, city, or zip code. The Arkansas Supreme Court is requiring electronic filing implementation in all 75 counties, with ongoing expansion each year.

Three Ways to Get Arkansas Civil Court Records

You have three main ways to access civil court records in Arkansas: online search, in-person visits, and mail requests. Each works for different situations depending on what you need and how fast you need it.

Online is the fastest option for basic case information. Use Search ARCourts to look up party names, case numbers, judgment records, and docket filings. The portal is free and available at any time. It does not provide full document images in most cases, but it shows who filed, what type of civil case it is, and what has happened so far. For the actual documents from the case file, you need to visit the courthouse or send a mail request.

In person is the best choice when you need certified copies or want to review the full file. Go to the Circuit Clerk's office in the county where the civil case was filed. Bring as much information as you can: the case number, the names of the parties involved, the approximate filing date, and the type of case. Staff can pull up the file and make copies while you wait. Fees vary by county and document type. Standard copies are usually $0.25 per page and certified copies cost $5.00.

By mail, you send a written request to the clerk's office. Include the case details, your contact information, and payment for the expected copy fees. Under Arkansas law, if your total request exceeds $25, full payment is required before the request is processed. Call the clerk's office first to confirm the current fees and procedures before sending payment. Mail requests may take one to two weeks to process depending on the court's workload.

Public Access to Civil Court Records in Arkansas

Civil court records in Arkansas are presumed open to the public. Under Administrative Order No. 19, which governs access to and confidentiality of court records, "court records that have not been sealed by the court are presumed to be open to the public for inspection." This order was issued pursuant to Ark. Const. Amend. 80 and Ark. Code Ann. §§ 16-10-101 and 25-19-105(b)(8). The order requires courts to make the following remotely accessible: litigant and party indexes, listings of case filings, court dockets, judgments, orders, and decrees.

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, codified at Arkansas Code Annotated § 25-19-101 et seq., was established in 1967. It defines public records broadly to include any "writings, recorded sounds, films, tapes, electronic or computer-based information, or data compilations in any medium required by law to be kept." The FOIA states that all public records must be open to inspection and copying by any Arkansas citizen during the regular business hours of the records custodian. You do not need to state a reason for your request. Violation of the Arkansas Open Meetings Law is a class C misdemeanor.

Some records carry restricted access. Juvenile case records are confidential. Adoption records are sealed. Financial documents such as tax returns may be sealed in civil cases. Social security numbers and bank account numbers are redacted from public filings. A party can ask the court to seal other records if they can show good cause, but judges grant sealing only when privacy concerns clearly outweigh the public interest. Arkansas Code Annotated § 16-13-901 et seq. governs public access to court records specifically, sets retention schedules for different record types, and outlines the procedures for sealing or expunging records.

Federal Civil Court Records in Arkansas

Arkansas has two federal court districts. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas handles federal civil and criminal cases in eastern and central Arkansas. The main courthouse is the Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Courthouse at 500 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: 501-604-5351. Clerk of Court: Tammy H. Downs. The Eastern District has divisions in Little Rock, Jonesboro, and Pine Bluff. Most docket reports and documents are available through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). Copy fees are $0.10 per page from public terminals. Email records requests to clerksoffice@ared.uscourts.gov.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas covers western Arkansas with divisions in Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Hot Springs, and Texarkana. The Fort Smith courthouse is at 100 Reserve Street. The Fayetteville office is at 35 East Mountain Street, Room 510, in the John Paul Hammerschmidt Federal Building. Phone: 1-833-853-0345. Clerk of Court: Ronald E. Dowling. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Federal civil records are available through PACER. Electronic filing is done through the CM/ECF system.

Historical Arkansas Civil Court Records

For older civil court records, the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock maintains historical court documents dating back to the territorial period of the state. Many older county records have been transferred to the State Archives for preservation. The Archives includes historical documents that are not available at local courthouses. Researchers can access court records, land records, military records, and other historical documents. The website has online research tools and finding aids to help you locate specific records, and staff can assist with research requests.

Some county clerks also keep older records in secure vaults at their own offices. Benton County, for example, operates a joint archive for records stored in film format with materials dating back to county formation. Washington County Archives holds Circuit Court civil case files from 1865 through 1991 and Chancery Court records from 1839 through 1991. Arkansas County holds some of the oldest records in the state, with documents dating to 1796 written in Spanish. Contact individual county clerks to ask about the availability of pre-digital civil records.

Legal Help for Civil Cases in Arkansas

Several organizations help Arkansas residents navigate civil court matters. Arkansas Legal Services provides free assistance to low-income residents and maintains resources for people seeking civil court records or self-representing in civil cases. The Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds legal aid programs and supports the Arkansas Courthouse Kiosk Program. These kiosks, located in courthouses across the state, help people access court records, print exhibits, find court forms, apply for legal aid, and pay fines and fees. Find kiosk locations at arcourtkiosk.org. The Garland County District Court was the third district court in the state to receive a free courthouse kiosk through this program.

The State Bar of Arkansas maintains a lawyer referral service if you need an attorney for a civil matter. Many courthouses have a self-help desk or law library where staff can point you to the right forms, though they cannot give legal advice.

Arkansas Circuit Clerks and Civil Records Access

The Arkansas Circuit Clerks Association brings together all 75 county circuit clerks and maintains a public directory so you can find the right office. Circuit Clerks are elected officials who keep all court records. They answer questions about fines, payments, court dates, and record requests. They maintain records of all proceedings in civil, domestic relations, criminal, and juvenile courts. They also prepare dockets, summons, warrants, orders, judgments, and injunctions. As ex-officio recorders, they handle deeds, mortgages, liens, and surety bonds too. Most offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The 2026 ARSF Grant Application period opened January 1, 2026, providing funding for clerk offices statewide. The Association also offers educational seminars and certification programs to help clerks provide better service to the public.

Browse Civil Court Records by Arkansas County

Each of Arkansas's 75 counties has its own Circuit Clerk that handles civil case filings. Select a county below to find local contact information and resources for civil court records in that area.

View All 75 Arkansas Counties

Civil Court Records in Major Arkansas Cities

Residents of major Arkansas cities file civil cases at the Circuit Court in their county. Pick a city below to find out where to go for civil court records in that area.

View Major Arkansas Cities