Find Pulaski County Court Records Through the Right Arkansas Court
Pulaski County court records do not all begin at a county search box. Arkansas now routes public case searches through Search ARCourts, while the Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk handles local circuit-court files, existing-case assistance, certified copies and older clerk-held documents.
The important first step is deciding whether you need a Circuit Court case, a District Court matter, an appellate case, a federal case or a county administrative record. This guide shows how to search by name or case number, narrow the results to Pulaski County, recover a missing record and request the actual document when the online docket is not enough.
Start With the Information You Already Have
Use participant search, begin with the legal first and last name, and narrow to Pulaski County only after confirming that the broad name search returns plausible cases.
Name-search method →A case number is usually the most precise way to locate one court file. Copy the complete number exactly from the notice, pleading, citation or prior docket.
Case-number method →The Pulaski clerk directs questions about current or existing court cases to its Court Clerks Department rather than Central Receiving.
Circuit Clerk route →A case-summary screen is not automatically a certified order, decree or judgment. County Records supplies public court-document copies and certified copies.
Copy-request route →Which Pulaski County Court Holds the Record?
Arkansas Circuit Courts and District Courts are different court levels. Circuit Courts are the state’s general-jurisdiction trial courts. District Courts handle matters such as traffic violations, misdemeanor offenses, local-ordinance cases, preliminary felony matters, smaller civil disputes and small claims.
Circuit Court is divided administratively into criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations and juvenile subject areas. Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk offices maintain the related local court files.
Pulaski County contains several district-court locations and departments. Use the court named on the ticket or notice rather than assuming every district matter belongs to one countywide clerk.
If a trial-court decision has been appealed, the appellate case is a separate record. Search the Arkansas Supreme Court or Court of Appeals route instead of relying only on the Pulaski trial-court file.
Federal cases are not Pulaski County state-court records. Use PACER and, when applicable, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
| Case clue | Likely court level | Best starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Felony criminal case | Circuit Court | Search ARCourts, then Pulaski Court Clerks for case-specific assistance. |
| Divorce, custody or domestic-relations case | Circuit Court | Search ARCourts and use the Pulaski Circuit Clerk for the file or decree. |
| Probate or guardianship | Circuit Court — Probate | Search the Arkansas case system, then contact the Circuit Clerk if the needed document is not online. |
| Traffic ticket, misdemeanor or city ordinance | District Court | Use the district court named on the citation and check whether it participates in Search ARCourts. |
| Small claim | District Court small-claims division | Identify the exact district court before requesting records or paying a judgment. |
| Federal case | U.S. District / Bankruptcy Court | Use PACER, not Search ARCourts. |
Search ARCourts Is the Main Online Case-Lookup Route
Arkansas Judiciary is replacing the older Public CourtConnect experience with Search ARCourts. The portal can search public case information by participant name or case number and provides advanced filters for narrowing results.
Depending on the court and case, public information can include parties, the judge, filings, charges and dispositions, future events and judgments. Some cases also provide links to public document images.
For a broader state-level explanation, see Arkansas Court Records Search by Name.
How to Search Pulaski County Court Records in 7 Steps
- Confirm Pulaski County, Arkansas is the correct jurisdiction. Check the court notice, citation, complaint, order or other paperwork for the state, county and court name.
- Decide whether the case is Circuit, District, appellate or federal. This prevents a correct name or case number from being entered into the wrong court system.
- Open Search ARCourts for an Arkansas trial-court case. Use the current Arkansas Judiciary portal rather than an old CourtConnect bookmark or a commercial people-search site.
- Use the full case number when available. Copy every letter and number exactly. If you have only a name, begin with the reliable first and last name.
- Narrow to Pulaski County or the exact court only when needed. Add court, case type or date filters after the broad search produces too many matches.
- Verify the result before relying on it. Compare court, party role, filing date, case type, charges or claims, later docket events and final disposition.
- Contact the correct clerk when the online record is incomplete. Use Court Clerks for an existing Pulaski Circuit Court case, County Records for copies or certification, or the relevant District Court clerk for a district matter.
Search Pulaski County Court Records by Name Without Hiding the Match
A name search is useful when you do not know the case number, but too many filters can remove the correct case from the result list. Begin broadly and narrow only after you see how the name is indexed.
Use the court, not the current address, as the location clue
A person who lives in Pulaski County may have a case in another Arkansas county, and someone who now lives elsewhere may still have an older Pulaski County case. Search where the case was filed rather than automatically using the person’s present residence.
Search by Case Number When You Already Have One
A full case number is normally the fastest route to a specific file. Arkansas case numbers can include a court or location code, case-category letters, filing year and sequence number.
You may find the number on a complaint, criminal information, summons, citation, hearing notice, divorce decree, judgment, order, attorney correspondence or previous case-summary printout.
Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk: Which Department Do You Need?
Pulaski County combines the Circuit Clerk and County Clerk functions under one elected clerk’s office, but different departments handle different tasks. Calling the correct unit is especially useful when you already know whether the case is new, existing, juvenile or a copy request.
| Need | Department | Current contact route |
|---|---|---|
| Help with an existing Circuit Court case | Court Clerks | 501-340-8431 • Room 121 |
| File a new civil, domestic or probate case | Central Receiving | 501-340-8412 • Room 120 |
| Juvenile Circuit Court case | Juvenile | 501-340-6767 • 3001 West Roosevelt Rd. |
| Copy or certified court document | County Records | 501-340-8766 • Room 103 |
| General clerk information | Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk | 501-340-8500 |
District Court Records Can Require a More Local Search
Arkansas District Courts have jurisdiction over traffic violations, misdemeanor offenses, violations of state law and local ordinances, preliminary felony matters and certain civil disputes. Their small-claims divisions handle qualifying smaller civil claims.
Pulaski County has several district-court departments and locations, including courts serving Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood and Pulaski County. Do not assume that a ticket issued in one city will be held by the Pulaski Circuit Clerk.
Pulaski County District Court
The Arkansas Judiciary currently lists the Pulaski County District Court at 3001 West Roosevelt, Little Rock, AR 72204, with a court contact number of 501-340-6832.
How to Get Pulaski County Court Document Copies
The Pulaski County Records Department describes itself as the repository for Pulaski County court documents and provides court-document copies to the public and the courts.
Ordinary copy
Ask for the exact filing, order, decree, judgment or other document. Give the clerk the complete case number whenever possible so the request can be matched to the correct file.
Do not assume the first online docket page contains the entire record. Some case files contain documents that are not available as public online images.
Certified copy
The current County Records page states that certified court documents bearing the clerk’s seal cost $5. Certified copies can be picked up in person or mailed through the U.S. Postal Service; the office states that they cannot be emailed.
Check the current official page before payment because fees and payment procedures can change.
Prepare these details before making the request
If you are unsure whether you need a docket, order, judgment or certified copy, see Court Record Types Explained and the Court Records Glossary.
Why a Public Pulaski County Case May Not Have Every Document Online
Search ARCourts can show basic case information and, for some public records, links to document images. Arkansas Judiciary also makes clear that some court information is excluded from public Internet access under Administrative Order 19.
The Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk separately publishes an Online Image Availability Summary, which is another reminder that docket availability and document-image availability are not identical.
| What you find | What it means | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Case summary but no image | The case is indexed, but that filing may not be remotely viewable. | Record the docket entry and request the filing from the clerk. |
| Some filings visible, others missing | Document-image availability varies by record and access rule. | Ask the clerk whether the missing document is public and available another way. |
| Restricted case or filing | The record may be confidential, sealed or otherwise excluded from public access. | Follow the court’s lawful access procedure; do not attempt to bypass restrictions. |
| Older record | The file may predate the current electronic case system or document-imaging coverage. | Contact the Pulaski clerk with the party name, approximate year and case number if known. |
No Pulaski County Court Record Appears? Use This Recovery Sequence
A blank search is not proof that no court record exists. Work through jurisdiction, spelling, case level and record age before reaching that conclusion.
- Remove optional filters. Search the reliable first and last name again.
- Try name variations. Use a middle initial, no middle name, former surname, alias or business-name variation.
- Search the complete case number. Use the exact number if any document provides it.
- Check Circuit versus District Court. Traffic and misdemeanor matters may belong to a local district court.
- Confirm Pulaski County. The case may have been filed in another Arkansas county.
- Check an older-file possibility. Ask whether the record predates current electronic coverage.
- Check public-access limits. Some records or documents are not publicly available online.
- Contact the filing court. Arkansas Judiciary recommends contacting the court where the specific case is filed for case questions.
A Federal Case in Little Rock Does Not Belong in Search ARCourts
Federal district, bankruptcy and appellate cases use the federal PACER system. A case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas is not a Pulaski County Circuit Court case simply because the federal courthouse is in Little Rock.
Use PACER when the court name begins with “United States”
PACER is the federal Judiciary’s electronic court-record system. Search the individual federal court if you know it, or use PACER Case Locator when you do not know which federal court has the case.
Open PACEREastern District of Arkansas — Little Rock
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas lists its main courthouse at the Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Courthouse, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock.
Use the federal clerk or PACER when you need a federal docket, filing or certified federal court document.
For the complete federal workflow, see Federal Court Records Search: PACER & Cases.
Pulaski County Court Record Contact Points
401 West Markham Street
Room 121
Little Rock, AR 72201
401 West Markham Street
Room 103
Little Rock, AR 72201
401 West Markham Street
Room 120
Little Rock, AR 72201
3001 West Roosevelt Road
Little Rock, AR
Court Cases Are Different From Other Pulaski County Public Records
| Record | Why it is different | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| County court order | County administrative orders are not the same as Circuit Court civil or criminal cases. | Pulaski County Records / County Court Orders. |
| Deed, mortgage or lien | These are recorded real-estate documents rather than ordinary case dockets. | Pulaski Clerk Real Estate Department. |
| Marriage license | Marriage licenses are county records, not court lawsuits. | Pulaski County Records / Marriage License. |
| Current jail custody | Detention status is maintained separately from the underlying court case. | Pulaski County Sheriff’s detention resources, then use Search ARCourts for the court case. |
| Police report | A law-enforcement report is not the same as a filed court record. | The responsible law-enforcement agency. |
Read the Case Outcome Before Drawing a Conclusion
A public court search helps locate a file. It does not by itself prove that a person committed a crime, owes money, lost a lawsuit or received a particular final judgment.
Pulaski County AR Court Records FAQs
Where can I search Pulaski County Arkansas court records online?
Start with Arkansas Judiciary’s Search ARCourts portal. It allows public case searches by participant name or case number. Narrow the results to Pulaski County or the appropriate court after the initial search.
Is Search ARCourts the same as the old CourtConnect system?
Search ARCourts is the newer Arkansas Judiciary public case-search experience replacing Public CourtConnect. Old CourtConnect bookmarks should be replaced with the current Search ARCourts portal.
Does Search ARCourts contain every Pulaski County District Court case?
No single assumption should be made for every district court. Arkansas Judiciary says all circuit courts provide required case information through Search ARCourts, while only some district courts provide case information. Use the court named on the citation or notice when a district matter is missing.
Who do I call about an existing Pulaski County Circuit Court case?
The Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk directs assistance with existing cases to the Court Clerks Department at 501-340-8431.
How much is a certified Pulaski County court-document copy?
The current Pulaski County Records page states that certified copies bearing the clerk’s seal cost $5. The office says certified copies can be picked up or mailed and cannot be emailed. Recheck the official fee page before ordering.
Why can I see the case but not the court document?
Search ARCourts may display case information even when a particular filing image is not available online. Document availability varies, and some information is restricted from Internet access under Arkansas court-access rules. Contact the filing court or Pulaski clerk for a public document that is not remotely available.
Where do I find a Pulaski County divorce case?
Divorce and other domestic-relations matters are Circuit Court cases. Search the party name or case number in Search ARCourts, verify Pulaski County, then contact the Circuit Clerk when you need the actual decree or another filed document.
Are federal cases filed in Little Rock searchable through Pulaski County?
No. Federal district and bankruptcy cases use PACER and the appropriate federal court. A federal case does not become a Pulaski County state-court case simply because the federal courthouse is located in Little Rock.
How This Pulaski County Court Records Guide Was Verified
Search procedures, court-level distinctions, clerk departments, contact information, certified-copy details and online-access limitations were checked against current Arkansas Judiciary and Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk sources.
Fact-check date: September 23, 2026.