Arkansas Public Records

Arkansas does limit access to certain types of records, but also has multiple resources available for retrieving the records. Although Arkansas birth records, death, marriage and divorce records are restricted, they can still be requested by authorized individuals from the Arkansas Department of Health.  In addition, the actual marriage and divorce records are held by individual County Clerks, which might not restrict access. The Administrative Office of the Courts oversees all the state courts and offers online public access to Arkansas court records. This includes access to civil and criminal court records from most District and Circuit Courts. Otherwise, court records should be requested from the local court that handled the case. Individuals may request Arkansas criminal records through the State Police, although access is restricted for third party requests. To explore historic Arkansas public records, like obituaries and military, vital and cemetery records, visit the Arkansas History Commission.

About Arkansas Public Records

Arkansas has volumes to offer in terms of researching various types of records, but there are restrictions. Vital records and criminal records are restricted due to privacy laws. However, Arkansas birth records become public record after 100 years, and death records are released after 50 years. According to the Department of Health, requests for marriage and divorce records are always restricted. However, the County Clerk that holds these Arkansas public records might not restrict access too severely and may be a more effective place to start your search. Authorized individuals may request Arkansas vital records, such as the person of record, a family member or legal representative.

Arkansas criminal records can be released to a third party, but the subject must give consent on the release form, and this must be notarized. Third party criminal records released include only conviction history. It is possible to get around this hurdle by performing an Arkansas public record search through the court system for criminal records. This will return any criminal court records, even if the case isn’t closed.

Obtaining Arkansas Free Online Public Records

The Administrative Office of the Courts is the central place to learn about the various types of courts and what types of cases they handle. Also available is the public access search tool that provides free online public records in Arkansas. Both civil and criminal court records can be searched here for most courts that report to this online system. You can search by name or case number, and the results provide an overview of the case and what court heard the case. You can also narrow your search by county. Included in court records are Arkansas divorce records, which aren’t restricted through the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Once you find the court records you seek in your Arkansas free online public records search, you can request copies of the case file or visit the courthouse that handled the case to view the file. You will find the identifying information necessary to make a request by mail, phone or in person, although there will be a fee to make copies.

Historic Arkansas Gov Public Records

The Arkansas History Commission offers a wealth of historic records, including Arkansas military records from the Civil War, Revolutionary War, Spanish-American War and the War of 1812, to name a few. Also included in the collection are Arkansas cemetery records from around the state, obituaries and several vital records indexes. You can perform an online search for these Arkansas gov public records through the History Commission’s website, but only some records have been digitized. An in-person visit will yield important records for anyone performing genealogy research, and there is no entrance fee.