How to Search Pulaski County Court Records
The Arkansas Judiciary runs the public Pulaski County case lookup tool at caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad, known as Search ARCourts. The portal pulls Pulaski County circuit and district court case data from the statewide Contexte case management system. Pulaski County searches are free and need no login. Results show case number, parties, court, filing date, case type, status, and docket events when the Pulaski County court has enabled remote access. Printouts of Pulaski County case data carry a watermark warning that the page is not an official court record.
Before starting a Pulaski County case search, gather names as they appear on legal filings. Use the legal first, middle, and last name. Case numbers in Pulaski County follow the format 60CV-23-2968: 60 identifies Pulaski County circuit, CV is the case type, and the remaining digits give year and sequence. Searches by case number return faster, cleaner results than name searches with common surnames.
- Open caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad and accept the public disclaimer.
- Pick a search context from the dropdown. The default is Participants.
- Type the first, middle, or last name, or paste a Pulaski County case number such as 60CV-23-2968.
- Open advanced filters with the tune icon to narrow by court, case type, or filing date.
- Review the docket, then call the Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk at 501-340-8500 for certified copies if needed.
The Pulaski County Judicial System
Pulaski County sits in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which also covers Perry County. The Sixth Judicial District has seven circuit/felony courts, seven district/misdemeanor courts, and three youth crimes/juvenile courts. Pulaski County reports total filings of 19,403 for the cited Sixth Circuit administrative-plan period, the largest county caseload in Arkansas.
Arkansas Amendment 80 took effect January 1, 2002 and merged law and equity courts into general jurisdiction circuit courts. Each Pulaski County circuit court can hear criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, and juvenile cases through subject-matter divisions. Pulaski County District Court handles traffic, misdemeanors, ordinance violations, preliminary felony matters, civil cases up to $25,000, and small claims up to $5,000. Above the Pulaski County circuit level sit the Arkansas Court of Appeals and the Arkansas Supreme Court, which can hear appeals from any Pulaski County circuit case.
Case flow: District Court › Circuit Court › Arkansas Court of Appeals › Arkansas Supreme Court
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Pulaski Circuit Court | General jurisdiction; Sixth Judicial Circuit | Felony, civil, probate, domestic relations, juvenile |
| Pulaski County District Court | Limited jurisdiction; county-wide | Traffic, misdemeanors, hot checks, small claims, civil up to $25,000 |
| Pulaski Juvenile Division | Juvenile cases; 3001 W. Roosevelt | Delinquency, FINS, dependency-neglect |
| U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas | Federal trial court | Federal criminal and civil cases |
The Pulaski County elected officials list at pulaskicounty.net/elected-officials names the people behind the offices: Circuit and County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth, Sheriff Eric S. Higgins, County Judge Barry Hyde, and Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones.
Pulaski County voters choose each of these officials at the ballot, and the Pulaski County court records system depends on all four offices working together.
Pulaski County Courthouses
Pulaski County operates two main court complexes. The historic Pulaski County Courthouse at 401 West Markham Street holds the Clerk's office and the circuit court divisions. Pulaski County District Court runs from 3001 West Roosevelt Road. Juvenile circuit cases share the West Roosevelt site. The public entrance to the main courthouse is on Markham Street across from the DoubleTree Hotel. The Spring Street entrance serves employees and physically disabled visitors.
The Pulaski County government homepage at pulaskicounty.net is the entry point for the full department directory, the District Court branch, and links into each Pulaski County office.
Pulaski County users who do not know which office holds a record can start at the government homepage and drill down to the Clerk, District Court, Sheriff, or Prosecutor.
Pulaski County Courthouse
401 West Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-340-8500
Pulaski County District Court
3001 West Roosevelt Road
Little Rock, AR 72204
501-340-6824
Types of Court Records Available in Pulaski County
The Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk holds records from every circuit case filed in the county. The District Court keeps separate files for traffic, misdemeanors, hot checks, and small claims. Each case type has its own department and its own filing fee. New civil, domestic, and probate cases flow through Central Receiving in room 120. Existing case work goes to Court Clerks in room 121.
Most Pulaski County court records are public under Administrative Order 19 and the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Some cases stay closed by statute. Juvenile cases, adoption files, sealed criminal records, mental health commitments, and grand jury proceedings are not in the public portal.
- Criminal records - Felonies filed in circuit court; misdemeanors and preliminary felonies in district court.
- Civil records - Contract disputes, torts, property cases, and appeals filed in circuit court.
- Family and divorce records - Divorce, custody, support, paternity, and adoption-related dockets.
- Probate records - Wills, estates, small estates under $100,000, guardianships, and conservatorships.
- Traffic records - Citations, fines, court dates, and dispositions from Pulaski County District Court.
What Pulaski County Court Records Show
A Pulaski County case file builds out over time. Early entries list the parties, the case number, and the first event. Later entries layer in motions, hearings, orders, and the final judgment. Search ARCourts shows the public face of each record. Documents may or may not be downloadable depending on the court's Administrative Order 19 setting. Sealed material, juvenile content, and protected personal data never appear in the portal.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Pulaski format such as 60CV-23-2968. County code, case type, year, and sequence. |
| Filing Date | Date the Clerk's stamp went on the first pleading. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant in civil cases; State of Arkansas and defendant in criminal cases. |
| Charges / Cause | Statute charged, or short cause of action for civil disputes. |
| Disposition | Final outcome: guilty, dismissed, judgment for plaintiff, decree of divorce, and so on. |
| Sentence / Judgment | Jail or prison term, probation, fine, money judgment, or order text. |
Public Access Laws for Pulaski County Court Records
Pulaski County court records sit under two overlapping access rules. The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act in Ark. Code § 25-19-101 et seq. presumes that government records are open. The Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 19 governs court records specifically. Search ARCourts cites Administrative Order 19 in its disclaimer. Together the two frameworks allow most Pulaski County dockets to be seen at the courthouse or online, while letting individual courts decide what to publish remotely.
Key Statutes:
Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 19 - Sets the court-record access framework, including which documents may be posted online by each court.
Ark. Code § 25-19-105 - Arkansas FOIA examination-and-copying rule, with exemptions for medical, adoption, and other protected information.
Ark. Code § 16-90-1401 et seq. - Comprehensive Criminal Record Sealing Act of 2013, which limits public access to sealed criminal records.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Several Pulaski County case categories are closed to the public. Pulaski County juvenile records under Ark. Code § 9-27-309 are limited to parties, counsel, agencies, and authorized recipients. Adoption files under Ark. Code § 9-9-217 are closed and sealed unless a court order opens them for good cause. Mental, drug, and alcohol commitments carry no Pulaski County filing fee, but the medical content stays confidential. Sealed criminal records, grand jury material, and protective-order addresses also stay out of the Pulaski County public view.
To view a sealed Pulaski County record, a person normally must be a party, an attorney of record, an authorized Pulaski County agency, or hold a court order granting access. Petitions to unseal or correct Pulaski County records are filed with the original court of conviction. The Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk staff cannot give legal advice on which exemption applies; Arkansas Law Help and a licensed attorney can.
Specialty Courts in Pulaski County
The Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney runs three specialty diversion courts: Drug Court, Veteran's Court, and Mental Health Court. Deputy prosecutors screen incoming cases to find people who can benefit. A defendant accepted into Drug Court enters a guilty plea to the charged felonies and works through structured treatment with court reviews and accountability. Successful completion improves the criminal outcome. Failure can send the case back to standard sentencing.
Veteran's Court serves eligible veterans whose cases connect to service-related needs such as trauma, substance use, or housing instability. Mental Health Court supports defendants whose mental health needs can be met through supervised treatment and case management. The District Court at 3001 West Roosevelt also runs a First Offender Traffic Probation track and the long-running Youth Accident Prevention Program, taught in every junior and senior high school in Pulaski County since 1988.
Pulaski County Sheriff and Jail
Sheriff Eric S. Higgins runs the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office from 2900 South Woodrow Street, Little Rock. The non-emergency line is 501-340-6963. The Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility at 3201 West Roosevelt Road houses more than 1,200 detainees daily and is the largest county detention facility in Arkansas. The jail supports twelve law enforcement agencies and thirty-three state and local courts and uses a Direct Supervision model.
The Pulaski County official directory at pulaskicounty.net/directory lists the Sheriff's Office, detention facility, prosecutor, public defender, and every other Pulaski County department in one place.
The directory is the fastest way to confirm a Pulaski County phone number or address before a courthouse visit.
For the live roster, visit Pulaski County inmate records. For active warrants from PCSO, see Pulaski County warrant records. The Inmate Services unit coordinates GED, chaplain visits, indigent supplies, and community programs.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
The Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk issues marriage licenses, accepts divorce filings, and files probate cases. Marriage license applicants pay $60 cash or credit, with no checks. Divorce requires 60 days of Arkansas residency before filing. Probate is filed through Central Receiving; small estates under $100,000 use a $25 affidavit process. Full guides are on the marriage and divorce records and probate records pages.
- Testator
- A person who has made a valid will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to administer the estate.
- Conservator
- A court-appointed person who manages another's finances when that person cannot.
Pulaski County Court Records Fees
The Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk publishes the fee schedule for filings and copies. Filing fees come from the Central fee schedule. Copy fees come from the Misc fee schedule. Marriage license fees are listed on the County Court fee schedule. Court fines and fees can be paid by credit card, money order, cash, or check. Marriage licenses are the one exception: cash or credit only, no checks, no refunds.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initiating any circuit court cause | $165 |
| Plain copy per page (black and white) | $0.03 |
| Color copy per page | $0.20 |
| Certified or authenticated copy per seal | $5.00 |
| Marriage license | $60.00 |
| Small estate filing | $25.00 |
| Writs (garnishment, execution, possession) | $20.00 |
How to Interpret Pulaski County Court Records
Pulaski County case types use short letter codes. CV is civil. CR is criminal. DR is domestic relations or divorce. PR is probate. JV is juvenile. SC is small claims. TR is traffic. The case number leads with 60 because that is the Pulaski County circuit code. The middle digits show the filing year. The last digits are sequence numbers.
A charge is not a conviction. Pulaski County criminal dockets often show several charges that change as the case moves through arraignment, plea, and trial. The disposition field carries the final word. Common disposition terms include nolle prossed, dismissed with prejudice, dismissed without prejudice, guilty plea, not guilty verdict, and deferred sentencing. Bond, restitution, and probation conditions sit in separate fields.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
Search ARCourts is informational. The portal disclaimer says the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts and the courts do not warrant accuracy, reliability, or completeness, and that the data is not for official use. New filings, hearing changes, and dispositions can take time to post. Sealed records, juvenile matters, and remote-access-restricted files do not appear at all.
The U.S. Census QuickFacts page for Pulaski County at census.gov sets the local context with population, area, and demographic data.
The Pulaski County 2025 population estimate of 404,611 helps put the court record volume and detention numbers into per-capita perspective.
Note: Always confirm Pulaski County case details with the Clerk at 501-340-8500 before relying on an online entry for a deadline or court appearance.
History of Pulaski County Courts
Pulaski County is one of Arkansas's five original counties. Little Rock has served as the Pulaski County seat and the state capital for nearly two centuries. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas describes the Pulaski County Courthouse at 405 Markham as two buildings: a Romanesque Revival courthouse from 1889 and a Beaux Arts annex from 1914. Architect Max Orlopp Jr. designed the older Pulaski County section. George Mann designed the annex during the growth boom that followed the 1910 Pulaski County census. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1979. The Pulaski County kiosks installed through the Arkansas Judiciary Access to Justice program now sit inside the same Clerk's office for self-help record access.
The full Pulaski County history entry on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas at encyclopediaofarkansas.net covers the county's place in Arkansas politics, business, art, and culture from territorial days forward.
Pulaski County sits where three Arkansas natural divisions converge: the Ouachita Mountains, the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and the Coastal Plain.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Pulaski County court records online?
Use the Arkansas Judiciary Search ARCourts portal at caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad. The default search is by participant name with first, middle, and last name fields. Search ARCourts is informational, not certified. For an official certified copy of a Pulaski County case file, contact the Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk at 501-340-8500.
Where is the Pulaski County courthouse?
The Pulaski County Courthouse is at 401 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. The public entrance is on Markham Street across from the DoubleTree Hotel. Employees and physically disabled visitors use the Spring Street entrance. The District Court branch is at 3001 West Roosevelt Road.
Who is the Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk?
Terri Hollingsworth is the Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk. She was elected on November 6, 2018. The Clerk's office is in suite 100 at 401 West Markham. The main line is 501-340-8500 and the office email is info@pulaskiclerk.com.
More on the Pulaski County Court Records FAQ page.
