Grant County Divorce Records Search
Grant County divorce records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk in Sheridan, Arkansas, with records on file dating back to 1869 when the county was formed. This page explains how to search those records online, request certified copies, understand applicable fees, and find legal help if you are navigating a divorce in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.
Grant County Overview
Grant County Circuit Clerk Office in Sheridan
The Grant County Circuit Clerk is located at 101 W Pine Street, Sheridan, AR 72150. The phone number is (870) 942-2121, and the fax is (870) 942-5320. Standard courthouse hours apply, typically Monday through Friday during business hours. It is worth calling ahead to confirm current hours before making a trip, particularly if you need to pull older paper records or have a complex request.
The Circuit Clerk maintains all domestic relations case files in Grant County, including divorce decrees, custody orders, property settlements, and modifications filed after final judgment. These records go back to 1869, when Grant County was carved out of Jefferson, Saline, and Hot Spring Counties. The oldest files are in paper form and may need to be pulled from storage, so allow extra time if you are researching pre-1990s cases.
When you contact the office, have the full legal names of both parties and an approximate year for the divorce. A case number makes things much faster if you have it. Staff can search by name, but providing a year and case number narrows the search significantly, especially in a busy filing period.
The Grant County page on the Arkansas Association of Counties website lists current contact details for all county offices including the Circuit Clerk. Check that page if you need to verify the address or phone number before visiting.
The image below is from that county resource page, showing office information for the Grant County Circuit Clerk and courthouse in Sheridan.
If the fax is not working or you need an email address, the county resource page is the best place to find updated contact options.
Search Grant County Divorce Cases Online
Arkansas offers free public access to circuit court case data through the CourtConnect portal. To find Grant County divorce cases, select Grant County from the dropdown and use case type 14 for Domestic Relations. You can search by the name of either party or by case number if you have one.
CourtConnect covers cases filed after the system went live in the late 1990s. The portal shows basic case information: party names, filing date, case status, and court events. You will not see the full text of filed documents, but you can confirm whether a case exists, get the case number, and identify what was filed. That is usually enough to then contact the Circuit Clerk for certified copies.
If a case does not appear in CourtConnect, it may predate the online system or may have been filed under a different spelling of a party's name. Try alternate spellings if the first search comes up empty. For cases before the late 1990s, you will need to contact the Sheridan courthouse directly.
The screenshot below shows the CourtConnect public access interface that the state uses for all circuit court case lookups across Arkansas, including Grant County.
The Arkansas Administrative Office of Courts (501-682-9400) manages CourtConnect and can assist if you have trouble finding a case or accessing the portal.
Decree vs. Certificate: Grant County Divorce Documents
Two different documents cover a Grant County divorce, and they come from two different agencies. Most people need to know which one applies to their situation before they start the request process.
The divorce decree is the full court order signed by a circuit judge. It contains the names of both parties, the grounds for divorce, the date, property division terms, and custody arrangements if children were part of the case. This document is a public record held by the Grant County Circuit Clerk. You can request a certified copy directly from the clerk's office in Sheridan. You do not need to be a party to the divorce to request a copy, but you will pay the applicable fee.
The divorce certificate is a shorter document issued by the Arkansas Department of Health. It summarizes the divorce event but does not contain the full court order. Under ACA § 20-18-305, access to ADH certificates is restricted to the parties, immediate family members, legal representatives, and others with a documented need. The ADH Vital Records office phone number is 866-209-9482. Online orders go through VitalChek.
Note: If someone asks you for proof of a divorce for legal, name-change, or financial purposes, confirm whether they need the court decree or the ADH certificate. The two documents are not interchangeable for all purposes.
How to Request Grant County Divorce Records
There are three ways to request certified copies of a divorce decree from the Grant County Circuit Clerk: in person, by mail, or by phone to confirm availability before visiting.
In person is the most direct option. Go to 101 W Pine Street in Sheridan during business hours. Bring a photo ID and the names of both parties plus an approximate year or case number. Staff will pull the file and prepare certified copies. You pay the fee at the counter. The exact per-page and certification fees can vary, so call (870) 942-2121 to confirm the current rates before your visit.
By mail, write to the Circuit Clerk at 101 W Pine Street, Sheridan, AR 72150. Include your name, a phone number, the names of both parties, the approximate date of the divorce, and a check or money order for the estimated fee. Processing time varies by office volume. Allow two to four weeks in most cases. Do not send cash through the mail.
For the ADH divorce certificate, you can order through the ADH Vital Records page or by calling 866-209-9482. Same-day in-person service is available at the ADH office in Little Rock if you arrive by 4:00 PM. Mail orders take about one to two weeks.
Arkansas Divorce Law and Grant County Court Filings
Grant County sits in the 22nd Judicial Circuit. Divorce cases here follow Arkansas state law. The state permits both fault and no-fault divorce. Fault grounds are listed in ACA § 9-12-301 and include adultery, cruel treatment, felony conviction, habitual drunkenness, and other defined causes. No-fault divorce requires an 18-month separation period under ACA § 9-12-306.
One spouse must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days before filing. After the complaint is filed, courts enforce a 30-day waiting period before issuing a final decree. These rules apply statewide, and Grant County judges follow the same requirements. Cases involving shared property, debt, children, or disputes over custody or support often take longer than the minimum timeline.
Grant County was formed in 1869 from Jefferson, Saline, and Hot Spring Counties, and the Circuit Clerk holds court records from that year. Cases filed before the advent of electronic records are available only in paper form. Plan for a longer wait if you are researching older filings. The county is small, and the courthouse in Sheridan handles a manageable caseload, so staff are generally responsive to records requests.
Legal Help for Grant County Divorce Cases
If you need help filing for divorce in Grant County or want to understand the process before going to court, several free resources are available.
The Arkansas Legal Services Partnership offers free self-help guides and downloadable forms for divorce cases. Key forms include the Complaint for Divorce, Financial Affidavit, and, if children are involved, the Parenting Plan and Child Support Worksheet. These forms are free to download and come with plain-language instructions.
Legal Aid of Arkansas provides free legal representation to qualifying low-income residents. If you meet the income threshold, an attorney can guide you through your Grant County divorce case at no cost. The Arkansas Bar Association (501-375-4606) offers a lawyer referral service if you do not qualify for free help and want to find a private family law attorney who practices in Grant County.
The image below shows the Arkansas Legal Services Partnership website, which is a useful first stop for forms and guides before you file.
It is worth checking whether you qualify for Legal Aid before hiring a private attorney. Income limits are set by federal guidelines and are updated each year.
Grant County in the 22nd Judicial Circuit
The 22nd Judicial Circuit serves Grant County. The Circuit Clerk in Sheridan maintains all domestic relations records for the county, including divorce decrees, custody orders, and any post-judgment modifications. These records are public and available to anyone who submits a proper request and pays the applicable fee.
The Arkansas Administrative Office of Courts oversees all circuit courts in the state, including the 22nd Circuit. Their office publishes general information about court procedures and can answer questions about how cases are processed across Arkansas. If you have a question about a pending case in Grant County and cannot get an answer from the Circuit Clerk, the Administrative Office of Courts is a good secondary contact.
Grant County is centrally located in Arkansas, with Garland, Jefferson, Saline, Hot Spring, Cleveland, Dallas, and Arkansas County all within a reasonable distance. If a divorce case involved parties from more than one county, the filing would be in the county where the parties resided at the time of filing.