Little Rock Court Records
Little Rock court records are filed and maintained through Pulaski County, which serves as both the county seat and the state capital of Arkansas. Residents and attorneys can search civil, criminal, domestic relations, and probate case filings through the Pulaski County Circuit Clerk's office or online using the state's free CourtConnect portal. This page covers where to find those records, what each court handles, and how to get copies when you need them.
Little Rock Court Records Overview
Pulaski County Circuit Clerk - Little Rock
The Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk is the main record keeper for court filings in Little Rock. The clerk is Terri Hollingsworth, and the office sits at 401 West Markham Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72201. You can reach them by phone at (501) 340-8500. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk keeps all circuit court records open to the public, including civil cases, criminal filings, domestic relations matters, probate files, and appeals from district court.
To get a copy of a Little Rock court record in person, go to the clerk's office on West Markham Street. Bring the case number if you have it. Staff can help you search by party name if you don't. Standard copies cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies run $5.00 plus the per-page copy fee. If you need records going back before the courthouse's digital systems, staff can pull older files from storage. For large document requests, it may be worth calling ahead so the office can prepare what you need.
You can also view the Pulaski County court records page for more details on the full circuit court system, judicial divisions, and how to navigate the clerk's office.
Search Little Rock Records Online
The state of Arkansas provides free online access to case records through Search ARCourts, the official public portal that replaced the older CourtConnect system. You can search Little Rock circuit and district court records by party name, business name, case number, or case type. Results show case status, the presiding judge, filing dates, docket entries, and upcoming hearing dates. Some case documents are also linked directly in the system.
Not all records are available online. Juvenile cases are restricted. Cases sealed by court order won't appear. Records filed before January 1, 2009 may have limited electronic detail, though the cases themselves are still on file with the clerk. The state prohibits commercial use of data pulled from the portal. If you need records for official or legal purposes, you'll want certified copies from the clerk's office rather than printed screenshots from the portal.
Note: Search ARCourts technical support is available at (501) 410-1900 or toll-free (866) 823-5778 if you have trouble accessing case information online.
Little Rock District Court
The Little Rock District Court is located at 3001 West Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, AR 72204. The phone number is (501) 340-6824. This court handles misdemeanor criminal charges, traffic violations, small claims cases, civil matters under $25,000, and landlord-tenant disputes. It also holds preliminary hearings for felony charges before those cases move up to circuit court.
District court records for Little Rock are part of the Pulaski County District Court system. You can search case filings from this court through Search ARCourts, since Pulaski County participates in the statewide online case system. If you need paper copies, contact the district court clerk directly. The district court sits close to the western part of the city, away from the main courthouse complex on Markham Street.
The Little Rock City Clerk's office, reachable through the city's official website, handles municipal records separate from the court system. City council minutes, ordinances, and city contracts live there rather than at the courthouse. If you're looking for a court case, stick with the circuit or district clerk.
Federal Court Records in Little Rock
Little Rock is home to the main office of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. The courthouse is the Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Courthouse at 500 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201. The clerk's phone is (501) 604-5351. This court handles federal civil and criminal cases, including matters involving federal law, constitutional claims, and civil rights litigation. The Eastern District also has divisions in Jonesboro and Pine Bluff.
Federal court records are not part of the state court system. You access them through PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov. PACER charges $0.10 per page for most documents. Certified copies from the federal clerk's office cost more. If you need documents certified, plan for $12.00 per document plus $0.50 per page. Cases held in off-site storage at the National Archives cost extra to retrieve. For many older federal cases, you may need to contact the clerk directly for retrieval times.
Note: Federal court records are maintained separately from state court records and require a PACER account to search online, which is different from the free state CourtConnect system.
Getting Copies and FOIA Requests
Most court records in Little Rock are public under Arkansas law. The state's Freedom of Information Act, found at Arkansas Code Annotated ยง 25-19-101, gives citizens the right to request records held by public agencies. The law covers writings, recorded sounds, films, tapes, and data in any form. Agencies must respond within three working days in most cases.
Court records specifically follow their own rules under Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order 19. That order governs what is public and what must stay private. Things like juvenile records, sealed files, expunged cases, and records with sensitive personal data are not public. When you request copies at the circuit clerk's office, staff will redact protected details before giving you copies.
Standard copies are $0.25 per page. The first hour of staff time for research is free. If the search takes longer, additional time may be billed at the employee's hourly rate. For mail requests, send a written request to the Pulaski County Circuit Clerk at 401 West Markham Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72201, and include as much identifying information as you have about the case.
The screenshot below shows the Pulaski County Circuit Clerk's public-facing portal where residents can start their record search.
Visit the Pulaski County Circuit Clerk website to see current office hours, online filing options, and contact information for specific divisions.
The clerk's site includes links to the civil, criminal, domestic, and probate divisions, making it a good starting point before you head to the courthouse in person.
Little Rock District Court Portal
The screenshot below shows the online presence for the Little Rock District Court, which handles traffic, misdemeanor, and small claims matters for the city.
Check the Little Rock District Court website for filing schedules, docket information, and payment options for fines and fees.
Traffic and misdemeanor cases at the district court level don't always appear on CourtConnect, so the district court's own website is often the better source for those case types.
Legal Aid and Self-Help Resources
If you need help understanding or navigating Little Rock court records, a few resources are available at no cost. The Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation runs a network of courthouse kiosks statewide, including Pulaski County. These kiosks let you search records, print exhibits, find court forms, and apply for legal aid without needing a computer at home. You can find kiosk locations at Arkansas Access to Justice.
The Arkansas Judiciary's main website at arcourts.gov has downloadable court forms, self-help guides, and a full directory of courts across the state. The Administrative Office of the Courts, located in the Justice Building at 625 Marshall Street in Little Rock, also answers general questions at (501) 682-9400.
Legal aid services for low-income residents in the Little Rock area can be reached at (501) 376-3423. They can help with civil legal problems, explain how court processes work, and in some cases provide representation.
The City of Little Rock's official site has contact details for city departments, including the City Clerk's office where municipal ordinances and city council records are kept.
The City Clerk's office is a separate stop from the circuit clerk if you need municipal documents rather than court case filings.
Note: The Arkansas Attorney General's FOI Hotline at 1-800-482-8982 can help if you run into trouble getting records from any public office in Little Rock.
Nearby Cities
Other qualifying cities near Little Rock also have court record pages you can use to find filings handled by their local courts and county clerks.
- North Little Rock - Pulaski County, across the Arkansas River
- Benton - Saline County seat, southwest of Little Rock
- Conway - Faulkner County seat, north on I-40
- Hot Springs - Garland County seat, southwest via US-70