Arkansas has hundreds of burial grounds, and our directory lists 232 of them with a street address or road name, a county and, in most cases, a phone number. They range from city departments such as the Jonesboro City Cemetery Department on Dan Avenue to volunteer-run groups like the Habberton Cemetery Association in Fayetteville. This page explains how those offices are organised, who answers to whom, and what to ask before you visit, buy a plot or plan a burial.

How Cemetery Responsibility Is Divided in Arkansas

No single Arkansas office handles every cemetery question. Ownership is spread across cities, counties, churches, nonprofit associations and private companies. Each owner sets its own rules for lot sales, burial hours, monument sizes and upkeep. The state steps in at specific points: the death certificate, funeral director licensing and prearranged funeral contracts.

That split matters when you pick up the phone. Calling the wrong agency costs you a day. Start with the cemetery office, then move to the funeral home, the county or the state only if the answer is not there. Here is how the pieces usually fit together:

Arkansas has 75 counties, and our listings touch 58 of them. In the other 17, small church and family burial grounds may exist without a staffed office. A local funeral home or the county clerk is the better first call there.

City Departments, Associations and Memorial Parks in Arkansas Towns

The names in our database hint at how each cemetery is run, though you should always confirm ownership by phone. The Jonesboro City Cemetery Department (3009 Dan Avenue, 870-933-4604) and Fort Smith Oak Cemetery (1401 South Greenwood Avenue, 479-784-2375) read as municipal operations. Harrison Maplewood Cemetery in Boone County and El Dorado Harris Cemetery in Union County follow the same town-name pattern. Municipal offices usually keep burial ledgers, sell lots and publish rules on flat versus upright markers.

Associations are a second model. The Habberton Cemetery Association in Fayetteville (401 Habberton Road, 479-442-6904) and the Friendship Cemetery Association in Springdale (1980 East Friendship Road, 479-750-4992) are run by members, trustees or volunteers. Expect a smaller staff, shorter office hours and records that may sit with a secretary or treasurer rather than in a front office. The board sets lot prices and rules, so ask for them in writing.

Memorial parks make up the third group. Elmlawn Cemetery in Little Rock, North Little Rock Edgewood Memorial Park Cemetery, Chapel Hill Memorial Park & Mausoleum Cemetery in Jacksonville and Blytheville Memorial Park Cemetery all carry names that usually signal a sales office. Those offices may offer options such as lawn crypts, mausoleum space or cremation niches. Ask what is actually available today, because inventory differs from section to section.

Little Rock, the Ozarks and the Delta: How Regions Differ

The central metro offers the most choice. Pulaski County holds the largest share of our listings, spread across Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville and Alexander. Within a short drive you can compare Elmlawn Cemetery (5810 West 12th Street, 501-952-3154), Edgewood Memorial Park (4200 Division Street, 501-753-3930), Chapel Hill Memorial Park & Mausoleum (1504 North J P Wright Loop Road, 501-982-8975) and the smaller Alexander Butler Cemetery (12901 Germania, 501-847-0358). Metro offices are more likely to keep set weekday hours and staff who can walk you through a lot.

Northwest Arkansas is growing quickly. Washington County lists the Habberton and Friendship associations, while Benton County includes Bland Cemetery on Southwest 16th Street in Bentonville (479-273-1376). Older Ozark graveyards often sit on hillsides with thin, rocky soil. Ask how the grave is dug and whether equipment can reach the section you want.

Farther southwest, Sebastian County centers on Fort Smith Oak Cemetery. Woodland Memorial Cemetery in Clarksville (County Road 3350, 479-754-8240) shows how Arkansas River Valley burial grounds often sit on county roads rather than city streets.

In the northeast, Craighead County and Greene County anchor the Delta edge. Paragould Pine Knot Cemetery sits on Greene Road 724 (870-476-5028), and Blytheville Memorial Park Cemetery on South Division Street (870-763-4431) serves the far northeast corner. Delta ground is flat and can stay wet after heavy rain, so give the office extra notice when the forecast is bad.

The south and west add more variety. Listings include Hot Springs Hollywood Cemetery, Malvern Selected Cemetery Company in Hot Spring County, and Camp White Sulphur Springs Confederate Cemetery on Luckwood Road in Pine Bluff. Our records show the Hollywood and Malvern listings sharing one phone number, 501-623-7078, so confirm which office is answering before you give details.

Rural listings often give only a road name. Examples include Kyler Road in Batesville, Summit Road in Benton and Brushy Road in Amity. A volunteer may answer the phone, so call during the day and leave a clear message with your name and number.

Veterans, Historic and Pet Cemeteries in Arkansas

Veterans have a separate path. The federal National Cemetery Administration runs Little Rock National Cemetery, Fort Smith National Cemetery and Fayetteville National Cemetery. Eligibility is decided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, not by the local cemetery office, and the discharge paperwork (usually a DD-214) is the key document. The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs can also point families toward benefits and help with applications.

History is part of the landscape too. Camp White Sulphur Springs Confederate Cemetery in Jefferson County is a good example of a site where visiting and research matter more than new sales. Check with the county or local heritage groups before you go, since access and upkeep arrangements differ from site to site.

Pets are handled apart from people. Resthaven Pet Cemetery at 3800 West Walnut Street in Rogers (479-636-3738) is the pet burial listing in our database, and human cemeteries generally do not accept animal remains. If you want your pet buried near family, ask the cemetery directly instead of assuming it is allowed.

What to Do Before You Call an Arkansas Cemetery Office

A few minutes of preparation saves repeat calls, especially with small offices that keep limited hours. Gather the following before you dial:

Ask for prices, opening and closing fees, marker rules and any required outer burial container in writing. The federal Funeral Rule is aimed at funeral providers, and a cemetery that sells only plots may fall outside it. A written price sheet protects you either way. Before paying, confirm that the deed or certificate names the right owner and lists the exact lot or section.

Government cemeteries in Arkansas include facilities administered by the VA's National Cemetery Administration, state veterans cemeteries funded through state and federal partnerships, and local municipal and county cemeteries operated by city and county governments throughout the state.

Cemetery locations are available in 121 cities across Arkansas. They are spread across 58 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Little Rock, Jonesboro, Fort Smith, where established municipal cemeteries have served their communities for generations and maintain extensive historical burial records.

Veterans in Arkansas may be eligible for burial in a state veterans cemetery at little or no cost. Contact the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Services to confirm eligibility requirements and available state-operated facilities.

Cemetery by Counties

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Families and genealogists in Arkansas can often request burial records from municipal cemetery offices or search online databases maintained by state archives and historical societies. Many Arkansas counties have digitized older cemetery records that are available through county clerk or public library genealogy collections.

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

Tracing Family Graves and Old Burial Grounds in Arkansas

Genealogy drives many calls to Arkansas cemetery offices. Municipal departments such as Jonesboro's or the Fort Smith Oak Cemetery office are usually the best source for burial dates and lot owners, because they keep the ledgers. For rural graveyards, the records may live with a church secretary, a trustee or a local historical society. Bring a name, a rough date and a town, and be patient if the person who holds the book is a volunteer.

Many Arkansas families also buried loved ones on farmland, and those small plots can be hard to find today. County offices, older neighbors and local libraries often know where they are. Contact the landowner before you visit, take photographs without disturbing markers, and report damage to the county or a local heritage group. Gentle cleaning and careful notes do far less harm than rubbings or chemicals on soft old stone.

Start with the phone number in the listing, such as the Jonesboro City Cemetery Department at 870-933-4604 or Fort Smith Oak Cemetery at 479-784-2375. Some listings, including Mountain Home Oak Grove Cemetery in Baxter County and Russellville Reed Cemetery in Pope County, have no phone shown. In that case call the city clerk's office or a local funeral home, since they handle burials there regularly. For small rural graveyards, the county courthouse and local historical society often know the trustees. Ask who holds the lot records and who sets the rules.

In most cases you need a completed death certificate and a burial permit, both normally handled through the funeral director, plus the cemetery's own lot deed or written authorization from the owner or next of kin. The Arkansas Department of Health's vital records office issues certified copies of the death certificate afterward. The cemetery will also want the exact grave location and burial date before it opens the ground. If you are not using a funeral home, call both the cemetery office and the Health Department first, because the steps depend on the situation.

Eligible veterans, and often their spouses and dependent children, may be buried in a national cemetery. Arkansas has Little Rock National Cemetery, Fort Smith National Cemetery and Fayetteville National Cemetery, all run by the federal National Cemetery Administration. Eligibility is decided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and you will usually need the veteran's discharge papers, often a DD-214. The funeral home can submit the request, or family members can contact the VA directly. If a national cemetery is not a fit, ask local cemeteries whether they have a veterans section.

Garland County has nine listings in our database, which is notable for a county of its size. Hot Springs has a long history as a resort and retirement destination, so it has a large number of older and newer burial grounds. Hot Springs Hollywood Cemetery at 303 Hollywood Avenue is one of them. If you are tracing a relative who died while visiting or living there, check the city's cemeteries first, then the surrounding Garland County graveyards. Local funeral homes can often tell you where a person was buried.

Many Arkansas family plots sit on farms or timberland. In general, descendants are expected to be able to reach graves on private property, but you should always contact the landowner first and agree on a time and route. Keep gates closed, stay on the agreed path and do not disturb markers. If the cemetery is overgrown or abandoned, ask the county government whether it helps with upkeep. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program may also be able to point you to survey records for historic burial grounds.

Many Arkansas cemeteries require an outer burial container, but the rule usually comes from the individual cemetery rather than from one statewide standard. Municipal offices, associations and memorial parks each set their own policy, as well as marker size and placement. Ask before you buy a container, since it can be a significant cost. Also ask about opening and closing fees, weekend charges and any limits on flowers or decorations. Request the answers in writing so the funeral home and the cemetery are working from the same rules.