How the Sheriff System Works in Arkansas

Arkansas has 75 counties, and every one of them elects its own sheriff. For people who live outside city limits, that elected sheriff is usually the main law enforcement officer they will ever deal with. For anyone who needs a county jail record, has been served with court papers, or wants to report a crime in a small town, the sheriff's office is also the first stop. Our Arkansas listings cover 109 offices, including headquarters, district offices, and a few substations.

Voters choose sheriffs in the November general election, and the term is four years. The sheriff's authority comes from the Arkansas Constitution and the Arkansas Code, not from the governor. There is no statewide sheriff's department. The Arkansas State Police is a separate state agency, headquartered in Little Rock, that focuses on highways and statewide investigations. Sheriffs answer to the voters in their own county.

A large share of the money comes from the county quorum court, the county's legislative body, which approves the budget for deputies, patrol cars, and the jail. That is why a sheriff's office in a fast-growing county can look very different from one in a county with only a few thousand residents.

Deputies must meet state standards set by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training. Much of the basic training takes place at the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in East Camden, in Ouachita County. Camden also appears in our data: the Ouachita County Sheriff's Office is at 109 Goodgame Street, phone 870-231-5300.

What a County Sheriff Handles Day to Day

Duties differ a little by county, but most Arkansas sheriff's offices handle the same core work:

In some counties the sheriff also collects property taxes. Ask your county whether tax payments go through the sheriff or through a separate collector.

Pulaski County and the Little Rock Metro

Pulaski County is the state's most populous county and has the most sheriff listings in our database, with eight. Little Rock has four of them and North Little Rock has three. Both cities run their own police departments, so the sheriff mainly covers unincorporated areas, the county jail, and court duties. One listing is the Pulaski County Sheriff Southeast District Office at 3924 Neely Road in Little Rock, phone 501-490-2209.

One listing needs a careful read. It is titled Arkansas County Sheriff's Office, but its address is 1 Sheriffs Ln in North Little Rock, which is in Pulaski County, and its phone number is 800-383-6336. The real Arkansas County is a separate county in the Grand Prairie region, and it has two county seats, DeWitt and Stuttgart. If you need records from either place, confirm by phone which county the office serves before you make the trip.

If you are not sure whether an address falls inside a city or in the county, ask the 911 dispatcher. A Little Rock mailing address can still sit in unincorporated Pulaski County, and dispatchers will route the call to the right agency.

Fast-Growing Counties: Benton in the Northwest, Craighead in the Northeast

The Benton County Sheriff's Office is at 1300 Southwest 14th Street in Bentonville, phone 479-271-1008. Bentonville is the home of Walmart's headquarters, and the surrounding region has added residents quickly. Fast growth usually means a larger staff, more specialized units, and busier civil and jail operations than a typical rural county has.

In the northeast, the Craighead County Sheriff's Office lists Willett Road in Jonesboro and the number 870-933-4553. Craighead has two county seats, Jonesboro and Lake City, so check which courthouse your case is assigned to before you go.

Rural Arkansas: Ozarks, River Valley, and the Delta

Most of the state's 75 counties are rural, and their sheriff's offices are small. A few deputies on a shift may cover hundreds of square miles of hills and back roads. In the Ozarks, Newton County's office is at 300 Spring Street in Jasper (870-446-5124), and Madison County's is at 201 West Main Street in Huntsville (479-738-2320). Boone County's is at 5800 Law Drive in Harrison, phone 870-741-8404.

In the eastern Delta, Clay County has three listings. Its Sheriff's Office is at 151 South 2nd Avenue in Piggott, phone 870-598-2266, and the county also holds court in Corning. Farther south, Phillips County's office is at 201 Perry Street in Helena-West Helena (870-338-5555), and Monroe County's is at 123 Madison Street in Clarendon (870-747-3811).

In the Arkansas River Valley, Yell County lists a Danville Office at 201 East 5th Street, phone 479-495-2811. The county also has a courthouse in Dardanelle, so the Danville label tells you business is split between two towns. In the Ouachita foothills and the southwest, you will find Sevier County at 137 Robinson Road in De Queen (870-642-2125), Pike County at 305 Industrial Park Drive in Murfreesboro (870-285-3301), and Scott County at 100 West 1st Street in Waldron (479-637-4155).

Getting Things Done at an Arkansas Sheriff's Office

Call before you drive. Many rural offices keep short counter hours on weekdays, while dispatch answers around the clock. Use 911 for emergencies and the office's regular number for everything else. In a small county, the person who answers may be the jailer, a dispatcher, or the sheriff.

Bring a government-issued photo ID. For a report, bring dates, addresses, and any photos or receipts. For civil papers, bring the court documents and the case number, and ask about the service fee before you file anything.

Two listings carry only a post office box: St. Francis County (PO Box 1817, Forrest) and Columbia County (PO Box 576, Magnolia). Those are mailing addresses, not places to walk in. Call 870-633-2611 or 870-234-5331 to get the street address for the office or jail.

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act gives people access to many public records, including most incident reports and jail booking information. Records tied to an active investigation can be withheld. Put your request in writing, name the date and location, and ask what copies will cost.

Sheriff offices in Arkansas are independently elected county agencies responsible for law enforcement, jail operations, and civil process service. Each county in Arkansas elects its own sheriff, who serves as the chief law enforcement officer for that county's unincorporated areas.

Sheriff locations are available in 83 cities across Arkansas. They are spread across 75 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of sheriff office listings include Little Rock, North Little Rock, Bentonville, reflecting the population centers where multiple sub-offices or specialty divisions may be located.

Arkansas residents should note that sheriff offices handle civil law enforcement functions — such as serving eviction notices and foreclosure papers — in addition to criminal law enforcement, so the sheriff office is often the correct point of contact for civil legal matters at the county level.

Sheriff by Counties

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If you are a Arkansas resident looking to obtain a concealed carry permit, request a background check clearance letter, or serve legal documents through official channels, your county sheriff office is the starting point — contact them directly to confirm required documentation and current processing times.

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

Jails, Bail, and Court Papers in Arkansas

In most Arkansas counties the sheriff runs the county jail. Smaller counties sometimes house prisoners in a neighboring county by agreement, so the person you are looking for may not be held where the arrest happened. County jails also hold people sentenced to state prison who are waiting for a bed in the state system, and that backlog has crowded jails in recent years. To locate someone, call the jail directly. Two examples are the Phillips County office in Helena-West Helena at 870-338-5555 and the Chicot County office at 108 Main Street in Lake Village, 870-265-8020.

After an arrest, a judge normally sets bond within a short time. Bail bond companies in Arkansas must be licensed by the state, so ask to see a license before you sign anything or pay a fee. A sheriff's office will usually not recommend a particular bondsman.

Civil papers follow a similar local pattern. Deputies serve summonses and subpoenas in the county where the person lives or works, so use the office for that county. Examples from our listings include Crawford County at 317 Main Street in Van Buren (479-474-2261), Clark County at 406 South 5th Street in Arkadelphia (870-246-2222), and Sharp County at 30 Court Road in Ash Flat (870-994-7356). Always call first, because court rules and office hours differ from county to county.

Sheriff Questions Arkansas Residents Ask

Arkansas sheriffs are elected by county voters in the November general election and serve four-year terms. Because they are elected locally, they answer to voters, not to the governor or the state police. The county quorum court approves the sheriff's budget, and the circuit courts depend on the sheriff to serve process and keep order. If you have a complaint about a deputy, put it in writing to the sheriff or chief deputy first. Concerns about possible criminal conduct can go to the prosecuting attorney for your judicial district or to the Arkansas State Police. Your county clerk can tell you when the next election falls.

A city police department covers crimes inside its town limits. The sheriff covers the unincorporated parts of the county, runs the county jail, and serves court papers across the whole county, including inside cities. The Arkansas State Police patrols state and federal highways, investigates certain major crimes, and assists local agencies when asked. In practice the three overlap and cooperate. In Pulaski County, for instance, Little Rock and North Little Rock police handle most city calls, while the sheriff handles unincorporated areas and the jail. Dial 911 in an emergency and let the dispatcher decide which agency responds.

No. A county sheriff does not issue concealed handgun licenses in Arkansas. That program is handled by the Arkansas State Police, which sets the application steps. Since 2023, Arkansas law has allowed many adults to carry a handgun without a license, but some people still obtain one, for example when they travel to states that honor Arkansas licenses. Restrictions on where firearms may be carried still apply. Check the Arkansas State Police website and the Arkansas Code for current requirements, and call your sheriff's office only about local matters such as courthouse or jail rules.

Call the jail through the sheriff's office for the county where the arrest happened. Have the person's full legal name and date of birth ready, because many jails cannot search without them. Some Arkansas sheriffs post an inmate roster online, but smaller offices may only answer by phone. Dispatch usually works around the clock, while the records desk may be open only on weekdays. Jail staff can often tell you the charge, bond amount, and next court date, but they may not share details of an open investigation. A person arrested by a city department or the state police may still be held in the county jail.

Several Arkansas counties have two county seats, a holdover from when travel across rivers and hills was difficult. Yell County has courthouses in Danville and Dardanelle, Clay County in Piggott and Corning, Craighead County in Jonesboro and Lake City, Arkansas County in DeWitt and Stuttgart, and Sebastian County in Fort Smith and Greenwood. Sheriff's offices may keep staff or services at more than one site. Our Yell County listing is labeled the Danville Office, which hints that another location exists. Ask which office handles your task before you drive.

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act covers most sheriff's office records, such as incident reports, arrest logs, and jail booking information. Records tied to an active investigation, and certain personal details, can be withheld. Send a written request naming the date, location, and people involved, and ask for the cost of copies in advance. For a crash on a county road, the report may have been filed by the Arkansas State Police rather than the sheriff. Rural offices often take requests by phone or email, but a signed written request leaves a clear record if there is a dispute.