Divorce records in Arkansas are split into two categories with opposite access rules. Divorce decrees held by the circuit clerk are public court records anyone can search. Divorce certificates held by Arkansas Vital Records are restricted for 100 years under Ark. Code § 20-18-305, released only to the parties, immediate family, or legal representatives.
Key Facts: Arkansas Divorce Records at a Glance
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Filing Fee | $165 paper / $185 electronic (per Ark. Code § 21-6-403) |
| Waiting Period | 30 days minimum from filing to decree (Ark. Code § 9-12-307) |
| Residency Requirement | 60 days before filing; 3 months before decree (Ark. Code § 9-12-307) |
| Grounds | No-fault (18-month separation) and fault-based (Ark. Code § 9-12-301) |
| Property Division Type | Equitable distribution (Ark. Code § 9-12-315) |
| Court Decree Access | Public at circuit clerk; certified copy $5 |
| Vital Certificate Access | Restricted 100 years under Ark. Code § 20-18-305 |
As of March 2026. Verify all fees with your local circuit clerk before filing.
Are Divorce Records Public in Arkansas?
Divorce court records are public in Arkansas, but divorce vital certificates are not. The actual court file — the divorce decree, petitions, and orders held by the circuit clerk in the county that granted the divorce — is a public record anyone may inspect. The separate divorce certificate held by Arkansas Vital Records is restricted for 100 years under Ark. Code § 20-18-305.
This two-track system confuses many people searching for public divorce filings. Arkansas maintains divorce information in two entirely different government offices, each with its own legal authority and access policy. The circuit court clerk in each of the 75 counties keeps the litigation file — every motion, financial affidavit, settlement, and the signed decree. Under Administrative Order No. 19 governing court records and the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, those court documents default to open. The Arkansas Department of Health Division of Vital Records keeps a separate statistical "coupon" recording that a divorce occurred, and Ark. Code § 20-18-305 locks that vital record for a full century. Understanding which office holds what you need determines whether your search succeeds.
What Is the Difference Between a Divorce Decree and a Divorce Certificate?
A divorce decree is the signed court judgment ending the marriage, held by the circuit clerk and available to the public. A divorce certificate is a one-page vital-statistics summary held by Arkansas Vital Records, restricted for 100 years to the parties, immediate family, and legal representatives under Ark. Code § 20-18-305.
The distinction matters because each document serves different purposes and lives in a different place. The divorce decree is the complete legal order — it names the parties, states the grounds, divides property under Ark. Code § 9-12-315, sets child support, and carries the judge's signature. Attorneys, title companies, and researchers rely on the decree because it contains the enforceable terms. Arkansas Vital Records does not even hold the decree; a certified copy of the decree comes only from the circuit or county clerk in the county that granted the divorce. The divorce certificate, by contrast, records only that a divorce happened between two named people on a specific date. Government agencies accept the certificate to prove marital status for remarriage, passport, or benefits applications. Arkansas has maintained divorce certificates since 1923, and each certified vital copy costs $10.
Where Can You Search Arkansas Divorce Records Online?
Arkansas offers limited online divorce records search through the state judiciary's CourtConnect portal at arcourts.gov, which indexes public case information by party name or case number. Only a portion of divorce cases appear online because Arkansas puts limited divorce records on the internet. For the full file, you must visit the circuit clerk in person, where certified copies cost $5 each.
The CourtConnect system, built on the Contexte Case Management System, lets you locate a case if you know a party's name or the case number. It shows docket entries and case status but rarely posts the complete document images for domestic-relations matters, because divorce files contain sensitive material — minors' names, Social Security numbers, and financial disclosures — that Arkansas courts shield from bulk online publication. A divorce records search that ends in "case found, documents not available online" is normal. To obtain the actual pages, contact the circuit clerk's office directly. Pulaski County, for example, charges $5.00 per certified copy, available for in-person pickup or by U.S. mail, but never by email. Third-party public divorce filings websites also aggregate index data, but they pull from the same public court records and cannot access sealed or vital-restricted material.
Who Can Access a Restricted Arkansas Divorce Certificate?
Only five categories of requesters can obtain a restricted Arkansas divorce certificate: the individuals named on the record, an immediate family member, a legal guardian, a legal representative, or an authorized academic researcher. Everyone else is barred until the record turns 100 years old, per Ark. Code § 20-18-305. Each certified copy costs $10.
This eligibility rule applies specifically to the vital-records "coupon" held at the state Division of Vital Records, not to the court decree. When you request a divorce certificate, Arkansas Vital Records verifies your relationship to the parties before releasing the document. Immediate family typically means a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of a named party. A legal representative — usually an attorney — must demonstrate authorization to act for one of the parties. Academic and genealogical research groups can petition for access under a separate statutory carve-out. If a requester falls outside these categories and the record is younger than 100 years, Vital Records will deny the request. This is the core reason people wrongly conclude Arkansas divorce records are entirely private: they contacted the restricted vital-records office instead of the open court clerk. The 100-year clock exists to protect divorce records privacy for living parties and their descendants.
How Do You Request an Arkansas Divorce Decree From the Circuit Clerk?
To request a public divorce decree in Arkansas, contact the circuit clerk in the county that granted the divorce, provide the parties' names and approximate divorce date, and pay roughly $5 per certified copy. Clerks may require a signed release from a named party if you are not immediate family. Requests are fulfilled in person or by mail, never by email.
The process is straightforward because divorce decrees are public court records. Start by identifying the correct county — divorce cases are filed where the plaintiff resides under Ark. Code § 9-12-303, so the granting county is usually where one spouse lived at filing. Contact that circuit clerk's office by phone or in writing. Provide the full names of both spouses and, ideally, the case number or the year the divorce was finalized. The clerk searches the index, locates the file, and produces a certified copy. Fees run about $5.00 per certified copy in most counties, though you should confirm the exact amount with your local clerk. Some clerks add a small per-page charge for lengthy files. If you are not a party or immediate family member, the clerk may ask for a signed release from one of the named spouses before releasing sensitive portions. Certified copies are collected in person or mailed by U.S. Postal Service.
Arkansas Divorce Records Access: Court vs. Vital Records
| Feature | Divorce Decree (Circuit Clerk) | Divorce Certificate (Vital Records) |
|---|---|---|
| Public access | Yes — open court record | No — restricted 100 years |
| Governing law | Admin. Order 19 / Arkansas FOIA | Ark. Code § 20-18-305 |
| Certified copy fee | ~$5 per copy | $10 per copy |
| Records held since | Varies by county | 1923 statewide |
| Contains full terms | Yes — property, support, grounds | No — summary of parties and date |
| Where to request | County circuit/county clerk | Arkansas Dept. of Health Vital Records |
| Delivery method | In person or mail | In person or mail |
As of March 2026. Confirm current fees with the specific office before ordering.
Can You Seal Divorce Records in Arkansas?
Yes, you can petition to seal divorce records in Arkansas by filing a request with the circuit court that granted the divorce, but sealing is not automatic. The court weighs your privacy interest against the public's right to open records, cannot grant the petition for at least 90 days, and bars a repeat petition within one year of a prior filing on the same record.
Sealing divorce records requires a formal petition demonstrating good cause — typically genuine privacy concerns, risk of harm, or exposure of highly sensitive financial or child-related information. Because divorce records are public court records by default, the judge must find that the specific privacy interest outweighs the public's presumptive right of access before restricting the file. The procedure follows strict timelines. You file the petition in the county that granted the divorce and serve notice on the other named party and any parties the court designates. Opposing parties generally have 30 days after receiving notice to object; if someone objects, the court may set a hearing. The court may deny the petition at any time but may not grant it until 90 days have passed since filing. You cannot refile a sealing petition on the same record if a prior petition was filed less than one year earlier. When granted, sealing moves all petitions, orders, docket sheets, and related documents into a confidential area of the clerk's office — it restricts access but does not erase the record.
How Long Does the Arkansas Divorce Process Take?
An Arkansas divorce takes a minimum of 30 days from filing to decree under Ark. Code § 9-12-307, but uncontested cases realistically finalize in 45 to 90 days and contested divorces often run 6 to 18 months. The 30-day statutory waiting period cannot be waived, even when both spouses agree on every term.
The timeline interacts with the residency rules in a way that catches new arrivals. Arkansas imposes a two-part residency requirement under Ark. Code § 9-12-307: a spouse must reside in the state 60 days before filing and three full months before the court enters the decree. A filer who has lived in Arkansas exactly 60 days cannot finalize until the 90-day residency mark, which happens to align with the 30-day cooling-off period. Residency must be proven — Arkansas requires actual physical presence, corroborated by a Resident Witness Affidavit from a third party, not mere intent to live in the state. Once the waiting period passes, uncontested cases with a signed settlement move quickly, while contested disputes over property division under Ark. Code § 9-12-315, custody, or support extend the timeline substantially. Every completed case produces a public divorce decree and a restricted vital certificate.
What Does It Cost to File and Access Divorce Records in Arkansas?
Filing a divorce in Arkansas costs $165 for paper filing or $185 for electronic filing statewide under Ark. Code § 21-6-403. Accessing records afterward costs about $5 per certified decree copy from the circuit clerk or $10 per certified certificate from Vital Records. Fee waivers exist for low-income filers who receive SSI, SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid.
The $165 filing fee is uniform across all 75 Arkansas counties and covers only the initial complaint. Additional costs stack up: service of process runs $25 to $75, a sheriff or private process server charges $40 to $75, notary fees add $5 to $10 per document, and mandatory parenting classes cost $25 to $100 per parent when minor children are involved under Ark. Code § 9-12-322. A responding spouse's counter-petition adds another $100 to $150. For those who cannot afford the fee, the Petition for Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis waives the $165 charge; individuals at or below 125% of the federal poverty level — roughly $18,825 for a single person in 2026 — may qualify, and recipients of SSI, SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid qualify automatically. On the records side, obtaining certified copies later is inexpensive: budget $5 for a court decree and $10 for a vital certificate. As of March 2026, verify with your local clerk.