Search Greene County Divorce Records
Greene County divorce records are held by the Circuit Clerk in Paragould and cover filings from 1833 to the present, making this one of the older court record collections in northeast Arkansas. This guide explains how to search records online through CourtConnect, request certified copies from the clerk's office, and get free legal help if you are going through a divorce in the 2nd Judicial Circuit.
Greene County Overview
Greene County Circuit Clerk Office in Paragould
The Greene County Circuit Clerk is at 320 Court Street, Paragould, AR 72450. The phone number is (870) 239-6330 and the fax is (870) 239-6370. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Paragould is the largest city in Greene County and serves as the county seat. The courthouse on Court Street is where all circuit court filings, including divorce cases, are processed and stored.
To request a divorce record, you can visit in person or send a written request by mail. Have the full names of both parties ready and the approximate year of the divorce. If you have the case number from a previous search, bring that too. Staff can search by name, but a case number makes the process much faster. For records that predate the electronic filing system, staff may need to pull paper files, which can add time to the request.
The Greene County page on the Arkansas Association of Counties website has current contact details for county offices. If you are unsure whether contact information has changed, that page is a reliable starting point.
The image below is from that county resource page, showing office details and links for the Greene County Circuit Clerk and other county offices in Paragould.
Call ahead before visiting if you need to search records from before 1990, as older files may require extra time to locate.
Search Greene County Divorce Cases Online
The free statewide CourtConnect public access portal covers circuit court filings in Greene County. To search for a divorce case, go to CourtConnect, select Greene County, and use case type 14 for Domestic Relations. You can search by party name or by case number.
CourtConnect shows case status, party names, filing dates, and court events. It does not display the full text of documents, but it confirms whether a case exists and provides the case number you need to order certified copies. The system covers most cases filed since the late 1990s. Older records are not in the online database and require a direct contact with the Paragould courthouse.
You can also browse case summaries at the Greene County court records page, which aggregates publicly available information from multiple sources. Use the Circuit Clerk directly for any document you need to be certified or notarized for legal use.
The screenshot below shows the CourtConnect search interface. The system is free and does not require registration to search basic case information.
The Arkansas Administrative Office of Courts (501-682-9400) runs CourtConnect. Contact them if you have trouble accessing the portal or cannot locate a case that should be in the system.
Greene County Divorce Decrees and Vital Records
Two separate documents are commonly requested when searching Greene County divorce records. The divorce decree is the full court order. The divorce certificate is a shorter summary from the state health department. They come from different agencies and serve different purposes, so knowing which one you need before you request it will save time.
The divorce decree is held by the Greene County Circuit Clerk. It contains the names of both parties, the grounds for divorce, property division details, custody terms if children were involved, and the judge's signature. This is a public record. Anyone can request a copy from the clerk's office in Paragould, though you will need to pay the copy fee and provide identification.
The divorce certificate is issued by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). Certificates cost $10 per copy. Access is restricted under ACA § 20-18-305 to direct parties, immediate family, legal representatives, and others with a documented need. You can order by phone at 866-209-9482 or online through VitalChek. VitalChek adds processing and ID verification fees on top of the base cost.
Note: The divorce decree (Circuit Clerk) and the divorce certificate (ADH) are different documents issued by different agencies. Most legal, financial, and name-change purposes require the full decree. Confirm which document is needed before you submit a request.
If you are not sure which document is required for your purpose, the agency or institution asking for it can clarify which one they accept.
Getting Certified Copies of Greene County Divorce Records
The most direct way to get certified copies of a Greene County divorce decree is to visit the Circuit Clerk's office in Paragould in person. Bring a government-issued photo ID. Give the clerk the full names of both parties and an approximate year or case number. Staff will pull the file and prepare certified copies. Pay the copy fee at the counter. Call (870) 239-6330 first to confirm current fees before your visit.
By mail, address your request to the Circuit Clerk at 320 Court Street, Paragould, AR 72450. Include your full 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. Do not send cash. Processing takes two to four weeks depending on request volume. Call to confirm the fee before mailing payment.
For the ADH divorce certificate, order through the ADH Vital Records page or by calling 866-209-9482. In-person service at the ADH office in Little Rock is same-day if you arrive before 4:00 PM. Online orders through VitalChek typically arrive within five to ten business days.
The image below shows the Greene County court records resource page, which can help you identify what types of records are available and how they are organized for Greene County filings.
For official certified copies, always go through the Circuit Clerk or ADH rather than relying on aggregator sites.
Arkansas Divorce Law in Greene County
Greene County is part of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. All divorce cases here follow Arkansas state law. The state permits fault-based divorce and no-fault divorce. Fault grounds are set out in ACA § 9-12-301 and include adultery, cruel treatment, habitual drunkenness, felony conviction, and several other defined causes. The no-fault route requires an 18-month separation under ACA § 9-12-306.
At least one party must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days before filing. After filing, there is a mandatory 30-day waiting period before the court can grant a final decree. Courts cannot skip this waiting period. Cases with children, significant assets, or contested issues tend to take longer than the minimum timeline. Uncontested divorces without children or major property disputes can often move through more quickly after the waiting period ends.
Greene County has kept court records since 1833, when it was formed from Lawrence and Randolph Counties. Pre-electronic records are in paper form at the Paragould courthouse. These older files take more time to locate than recent digital filings, so plan ahead if you are researching a case from before the mid-1990s.
Legal Resources for Greene County Divorce Cases
If you are navigating a divorce in Greene County and need help with forms, the process, or legal representation, several free and low-cost resources are available to Arkansas residents.
The Arkansas Legal Services Partnership provides free self-help guides and downloadable forms for divorce, separation, and annulment cases. Their forms include the Complaint for Divorce, Financial Affidavit, Parenting Plan, and Child Support Worksheet. The guides are written in plain language and explain what each form requires and when to file it.
Legal Aid of Arkansas offers free legal assistance to qualifying low-income residents. If you meet the income guidelines, an attorney can help with your Greene County divorce case at no charge. For those who need private counsel, the Arkansas Bar Association (501-375-4606) operates a lawyer referral service that can match you with a family law attorney in the 2nd Circuit area.
The image below shows the Arkansas Legal Services site, which is a solid starting point for anyone who wants to understand the divorce process before visiting the courthouse in Paragould.
Legal Aid screens applicants by income and case type. Contact them early in the process if you think you may qualify for free help.
Greene County and the 2nd Judicial Circuit
The 2nd Judicial Circuit covers Greene County and parts of northeast Arkansas. The Circuit Clerk in Paragould maintains all domestic relations records, including divorce decrees, separation orders, custody modifications, and related filings. All of these documents are part of the public court record.
The Arkansas Administrative Office of Courts oversees all circuit courts statewide, including those in the 2nd Circuit. Their office publishes forms, procedural guides, and general information about how the circuit court system works in Arkansas. If you have questions about a pending Greene County case or need to understand how the process works before you file, the Administrative Office of Courts is a useful secondary resource in addition to the local Circuit Clerk.
Greene County borders several northeast Arkansas counties, and parties in divorce cases sometimes move between counties during a proceeding. If a case was filed in a neighboring county rather than Greene, you would need to contact that county's Circuit Clerk to search for records there.