Arkansas State Vital Records Office Information Arkansas Dept of Health
Division of Vital Records, Slot 44
4815 West Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72205
(501) 661-2174
Fax: (501) 663-2832 | |  |
Check or money order should be made payable to Arkansas Department of Health. Personal checks are accepted. To request a certificate from Vital Records through the expedite service you may call (501) 661-2726. There is a $5.00 handling fee for credit cards. - Search Arkansas Databases online for birth, marriage, census, death, immigration, naturalization, military records and more at Ancestry
- Search the Social Security Death Index online for FREE
- Find birth and death records online quickly and easily
| Record | Cost | Dates | Ordering | | Birth | $12.00 | since Feb 1914
Some original Little Rock and Fort Smith records from 1881. | Order Online | Mail Order | | | Arkansas Statute 20-18-305 does not allow public release of birth records, which are less than 100 years old. The law does permit release to specific persons who are related to the registrant and to his/her designated representatives, to academic research groups, and to persons who can demonstrate a right to the record. |
| | Death | $10.00 | since Feb 1914
Some original Little Rock and Fort Smith records from 1881. | Order Online | Mail Order | | | Arkansas Statute 20-18-305 does not allow public release of death records, which are less than 50 years old. The law does permit release to specific persons who are related to the registrant and to his/her designated representatives, to academic research groups, and to persons who can demonstrate a right to the record.
- Click here to search the Social Security Death Index
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| | Marriage | $10.00 | since 1917 | Order Online | Mail Order | | | A fully certified copy may be obtained from the County Clerk in the county where the license was issued. Fees vary. |
| | Divorce | $10.00 | since 1923 | Order Online | Mail Order | | | A fully certified copy may be obtained from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary. |
| | Naturalization | Filed with District Courts in Little Rock, Helena, Batesville, Fort Smith, and Texarkana. |
| | Census | | 1790 through 1940 | Search U.S. Federal Census Records Online |
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*** The mail order form can be downloaded and viewed by using Adobe Acrobat Software
Index to Arkansas County Vital Records Offices
Information Contained in Arkansas Vital Records Vital records provide important information to individuals and their families. Often, the records are requested for legal purposes, such as verifying a birth or death, but they are also frequently requested during genealogy research as they contain crucial information about a person’s ancestors. Vital records can often fill in missing pieces in a person’s genealogical puzzle, and sometimes they can even open up whole new avenues of exploration for the family researcher. Like other states, Arkansas vital records are kept on file with the Department of Health at the Office of Vital Records. If you need vital records for yourself or a family member, keep reading to learn more about them and how to obtain copies of these pertinent documents. - Arkansas vital records are kept on file at the Arkansas Vital Records Office in Little Rock.
- The following records are maintained at the office: birth and death certificates and marriage and divorce coupons.
- The Vital Records Office has birth and death records on file from February 1, 1914 to the present day. There are some records on file prior to that date (from 1881 on), but they are limited and only include births and deaths that occurred in Little Rock and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
- Marriage records from January 1917 to the present day are maintained in the Vital Records Office, as are divorce records dating from January 1923.
- The actual marriage and divorce decrees are not kept at the Vital Records Office; these records are maintained at the County Clerk’s office in the county in which the event occurred. The Vital Records Office only keeps on file the marriage and divorce coupons. These coupons, which are detached from the original certificate, contain limited information about the event. For the actual certificate, you must contact the County Clerk’s office.
- Records may be requested in person or through an online service.
- Records may be requested by the individual listed on the record, specific family members who are related to the individual, designated representatives, academic research groups, or to individuals who can provide a valid reason for requesting the record. Birth and death records that have passed a certain time limit (100 years for birth records and 50 years for death records) may be released to the general public.
- The following general information is required of people requesting records: photo ID, full name of individual(s) listed on certificate, date of event, place of event, the relationship of the requester to the person named on the certificate, the reason for the certificate request, and payment for the certificate (cash, check, or money order).
As mentioned, Arkansas vital records provide valuable information about people and the events that occurred during their lives. Whether that information is used for legal reasons or for other purposes, such as genealogy research, it is good to know that copies of these important documents are available and are maintained in a secure location where they will remain for years to come.
Searchable Databases and other Helpful Links- Arkansas USGenWeb Project
genealogical gateway to the state and counties - Search Arkansas Databases Online
Search for birth, marriage, census, death, immigration, naturalization, military records and more at Ancestry - Now Available! Family Tree Maker 2012!
the bestselling, easy-to-use family tree software will help you create, grow, and share the story of your own - Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - Arkansas
your genealogy starting point online for more than a decade! - Arkansas Census Records at CensusFinder
features a directory of census records available online for Arkansas - Genealogy Today
unique collection of databases and innovative search tools, original articles from experienced genealogists - Arkansas Marriages to 1850
- Arkansas Marriages 1779-1992
- Arkansas Marriages 1820-1949
- Arkansas Marriages 1851-1900
- AR Marriage Index, 1933-1939
- Arkansas Death Index, 1914-1950
search this database of approximately 594,000 deaths that occurred in the State of Arkansas, between 1914 and 1950 at Ancestry - Arkansas Divorce Index, 1923-1939
- Arkansas Land Records
Arkansas Pre-1908 Homestead and Cash Entry Patent and Cadastral Survey Plat Index at Ancestry
Other States . Birth Certificates . Death Records . Marriage licenses . Related Links . Guidelines
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