Arkansas keeps its public memory in many places. The state has a central archive in Little Rock, a regional branch in the southwest, county repositories, city police records rooms, and specialized offices for births, deaths and business filings. Our directory lists 11 archive-related offices across the state, from Little Rock to Siloam Springs. This page explains how those offices fit together, so you can pick the right counter before you spend a morning driving to the wrong one.

How Archives Are Organized in Arkansas

Arkansas has no single office that holds every public record. Responsibility is split among the state, the 75 counties and the cities. Knowing which level created a record usually tells you where it is kept.

At the state level, the main body is the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock, part of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. It was known for most of the twentieth century as the Arkansas History Commission, and it dates to 1905. It preserves state agency records, governors' papers, military records, maps, photographs and family history collections. It also holds copies of many county records. Genealogists, students and title researchers all use it.

The state archive also operates a regional branch in the southwest. Our database lists the Arkansas Southwest Regional Archive at 201 Arkansas 195 in Washington, in Hempstead County. Washington served as the Confederate capital of Arkansas from 1863 to 1865, and the town is now a state historic park. A branch there lets researchers in the southwest reach archival material without driving to the capital.

Below the state level, counties and cities keep the records they create. Two county offices matter most for historical research:

Some counties have set up a separate "archive" for older material. Our listings include the Washington County Archive in Fayetteville, the Pike County Archive in Murfreesboro and the Benton County Archive in Rogers. Each is a local repository that serves its own county.

Metro Little Rock Compared With the Ozarks, Delta and Southwest

Where you live in Arkansas affects how easily you can reach an archive. The state's geography splits it into regions with different habits and different density of offices.

Central Arkansas: the capital's concentration

Little Rock has three of our 11 listings, all in Pulaski County. The Little Rock Police Records Archive is at 700 Arkansas River Trail. The Little Rock Vital Records Archive is at 4815 West Markham Street, the address of the Arkansas Department of Health, which keeps statewide birth and death certificates. The Little Rock Corporate Records Archive is at 1401 West Capitol Avenue, the address of the Secretary of State's business filings office. A capital-city visit can often cover several errands, but each office has its own rules and hours.

Northwest Arkansas: a fast-growing corridor

Fayetteville, Rogers and Siloam Springs sit along the growth corridor that includes Washington County and Benton County. Fayetteville's Washington County Archive is at 4 South College Avenue. Benton County has two listings: the Benton County Archive on West Walnut Street in Rogers and the Benton County Daily Records Archive on North Mount Olive Street in Siloam Springs. Rapid population growth here means large and active record collections. It also means a lot of requests for deeds, plats and land records. The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville has special collections that add to what local offices hold.

The Delta and the northeast

East of the Ozarks, records tell a story of cotton, river towns and railroads. Our listings reach Newport in Jackson County, Paragould in Greene County and West Memphis in Crittenden County. West Memphis sits across the Mississippi River from Memphis, so its police records archive serves a busy interstate crossing. Paragould's Cemetery Records Archive at 301 West Court Street reflects a need many Delta towns share: tracing burials in older community cemeteries.

The southwest and the Ouachita foothills

Murfreesboro, the Pike County seat, has the Pike County Archive at 112 North Washington Avenue. This is a small-town county office in a rural area, and visits there are usually more personal and less formal than in a city. Travel distances in the southwest are longer, so a phone call before you leave matters more.

What "Archives" Covers: Six Kinds of Offices in Our Arkansas Listings

The word "archive" covers very different offices in Arkansas. The listings fall into a few types:

Matching your goal to the type saves time. A family historian looking for a great-grandfather's 1920s land purchase should start with the circuit clerk or a county archive. Someone who needs a certified birth certificate for a passport should go to the health department. A business owner checking whether a company name is registered should contact the Secretary of State.

Arkansas Public Records Law and What It Means at the Counter

Public access in Arkansas rests on the state Freedom of Information Act, found at Arkansas Code Title 25, Chapter 19. It presumes that records of public bodies are open unless a specific exemption applies. Three points are useful to know before you ask.

First, the Act gives its rights to Arkansas citizens. Out-of-state researchers often get help anyway, particularly from archives, but they should not assume it is a legal entitlement.

Second, timing. If a record is in active use or in storage, the custodian has three working days to produce it. Older material in an archive is often stored offsite, so ask how long retrieval takes.

Third, exemptions. Open police records are not the same as open investigative files. Ongoing investigations, certain personnel records and information protected by other laws may be withheld or redacted. Vital records are more restricted than most. Birth certificates, for example, are generally issued only to the person named, close family members or others with a legal interest.

You may be charged a reasonable fee for copies. Fees for certified vital records are set by the Department of Health and change over time, so check current amounts rather than relying on an old figure.

Planning Your Visit to an Arkansas Archive

A little preparation makes most visits shorter and more productive. Use this order:

  1. Work out which level of government created the record: state, county or city.
  2. Call the office using the number in our listing. For example, Pike County Archive is 870-285-9157 and Washington County Archive is 479-444-1543. Ask about hours, appointments and retrieval times.
  3. Gather names, approximate dates, a county, and any parcel, case or certificate numbers you have.
  4. Bring a government photo ID. Vital records offices will require one.
  5. Bring a notebook or a phone for photos, and ask about the camera policy first. Many archives allow photography but not flash.

If you are working at a distance, remember that many counties will answer a mailed or emailed request. Include your return address and a short, specific description of what you need. The more precise your request, the faster an archivist can find it.

Government archives in Arkansas are administered by the state archives and records management division, which is typically housed within the Secretary of State's office or a dedicated cultural affairs agency. The state archives preserves official government records while also maintaining collections of historical significance to Arkansas residents.

Archives locations are available in 9 cities across Arkansas. They are spread across 8 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Little Rock, Newport, Washington, which tend to have more archives facilities due to their roles as county seats, state capitals, or historic centers of government activity.

Residents of Arkansas conducting genealogical or historical research should check whether their county or city maintains a separate archives in addition to the state repository, as many local records are held at the municipal or county level.

Archives by Counties

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Researchers in Arkansas can often access digitized state archives records through the state library's online portal without visiting in person. For records not yet digitized, contact the archives office in advance to schedule a research appointment and confirm that the specific collection is available for public review.

Browse Archives by county across Arkansas to find the nearest location.

Finding the Right Arkansas Archive Quickly

Most failed trips to an Arkansas archive come from three mistakes: choosing the wrong level of government, arriving without a clear name or date, and skipping the phone call. Start with the city or county on the page above, then narrow by record type. In Pulaski County, the three Little Rock listings cover police, health and business records, which have nothing to do with one another. In Greene County, Paragould's archive is about cemetery records. In Benton County, two offices in different cities divide the work.

Genealogy is a good example. Many family historians begin at the state level in Little Rock, then move to the county where an ancestor lived. County seats often hold deeds, wills and court files that never reached a central repository. If your family lived in a place like Murfreesboro, Newport or Washington, plan to call the local office as well. Small-town staff frequently know which older volumes exist and how they are indexed.

The Arkansas State Archives is the central repository for state records. It sits within the Department of Arkansas Heritage and is based in Little Rock. It preserves state agency records, governors' papers, military files, photographs, maps and family history collections. The state archive also runs a southwest branch in Washington, which matches the Arkansas Southwest Regional Archive in our listings. City police departments, county clerks and circuit clerks keep their own records separately, so the state archive is not the place to ask about everything. Contact it first when your research concerns state-level history or when you are unsure where a record ended up.

Certified copies come from the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records, which our directory lists at 4815 West Markham Street in Little Rock (501-661-2134). Many local health units can also issue certificates, but confirm that by phone before you go. Bring a valid photo ID and the person's full name, date and place of the event, and parents' names. Birth certificates are restricted to the person named, immediate family and others with a legal interest. Fees are set by the department and may change, so check the current amount when you call.

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, Arkansas Code Title 25, Chapter 19, gives its legal rights to citizens of Arkansas. Out-of-state researchers are not barred from asking, and archives often help them as a courtesy, but the law does not require it. If a record is in active use or in storage, the custodian has three working days to provide it. Exemptions apply to items such as ongoing investigative files and some personnel records. A short written request naming the record you want and the date range is the best way to avoid delay or confusion.

In Arkansas the circuit clerk serves as the county recorder, so deeds, mortgages and plats are normally recorded there. Start with the county where the land lay, and bring the owner's name, an approximate date and a legal description or parcel number if you have one. Counties such as Greene County may also direct you to an older archive collection for early volumes. Index books are organized by grantor and grantee names, so try spelling variations. Ask whether older volumes are on microfilm, because some are kept off the main counter.

Corporation, LLC and other business filings are handled by the Arkansas Secretary of State. Our directory lists the Little Rock Corporate Records Archive at 1401 West Capitol Avenue, with the phone number 501-682-5151. That office can tell you a company's filing status, registered agent and formation details. Have the exact or approximate business name ready, since similar names are common. For a lawsuit or contract matter, ask which certificate you need, such as a certificate of good standing, because requirements differ by purpose.

Both cities have a police records archive in our listings. The Little Rock Police Records Archive is at 700 Arkansas River Trail (501-371-4653). The West Memphis City Police Records Archive is at 626 East Broadway Street (870-732-7535). Call first and ask what they need. A report number, the date and location of the incident, and the names of those involved speed up the search. Active investigations may be withheld, and personal details such as Social Security numbers are typically redacted. Expect a reasonable copying fee, and bring photo ID if you are the person named in the report.