Conway County Family Court Records

Conway County family court records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk in Morrilton and include divorce, custody, child support, juvenile, and other domestic relations cases handled by the 20th Judicial Circuit. Search the statewide CourtConnect portal online or visit the courthouse on South Moose Street for document requests.

Circuit Clerk Office

The Conway County Circuit Clerk is Darlene Massingill. The Circuit Clerk's office and Recorder of Deeds are both at 117 South Moose Street, Morrilton, AR 72110, at (501) 354-9617. The County Clerk, which handles marriage licenses and probate, is at 115 South Moose Street with the same phone number.

The Circuit Clerk maintains records for all civil, criminal, domestic relations, and probate cases in Conway County. The clerk also acts as the ex-officio county recorder, so the same office that holds your divorce decree also records deeds and mortgages for the county. Both offices are on South Moose Street in Morrilton, just steps apart.

If you need a certified copy of a family court order, call (501) 354-9617 to speak with the clerk's office. Staff can confirm what records exist, tell you the cost of copies, and explain how to submit a request. In-person visits are possible during normal business hours, Monday through Friday.

The Conway County Health Unit at 100 Hospital Drive, Morrilton, AR 72110, at (501) 354-4652 can provide birth and death certificates. These are vital records, not court records, but they may be relevant to your family law case if you need to establish parentage or document a person's identity.

Online Record Search

Conway County circuit court records are available through the statewide Arkansas CourtConnect system at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. This portal is free and searchable by party name or case number. All domestic relations cases filed in Conway County Circuit Court, including divorce, custody, and child support matters, can be found through this system.

The Arkansas CourtConnect system provides full online access to Conway County Circuit Court records under Administrative Order 8.

Administrative Order 8 requires all Arkansas circuit courts to report case data to CourtConnect. Conway County participates fully. That means you can search for any case filed in Morrilton using the same portal you would use to search any other Arkansas county. Results appear at no charge.

The Conway County Court Kiosk provides an additional public access point for searching circuit court records including domestic relations cases.

Administrative Order 19 governs public access to court records. Most circuit court records in Conway County are public. Juvenile records are sealed. Adoption records are confidential. These restrictions apply to both online searches and in-person access at the courthouse. For sealed records, a court order is required. Restricted financial information from domestic relations cases may also be withheld from public view.

Family Court Case Types

Conway County Circuit Court's domestic relations division handles all major family law matters for Morrilton and the rest of the county. Divorce filings follow Arkansas Code Annotated § 9-12-301. Grounds for divorce in Arkansas include eighteen months of continuous separation (the most common), adultery, physical abuse, habitual drunkenness, felony conviction, and general indignities to the person of the spouse. The no-fault separation ground does not require proving fault on either side.

Child custody disputes are decided under § 9-13-101. The court's guiding principle is the best interest of the child. Judges weigh the quality of each parent's relationship with the child, the home environment each parent can offer, each parent's physical and mental health, the child's school and community ties, and any relevant history of violence or abuse. Parents who reach a custody agreement on their own can submit a parenting plan to the court for approval.

Child support in Conway County is set under § 9-14-107 using the income shares model. Both parents' gross monthly incomes are combined to determine the total support obligation. The court divides this amount between parents based on their proportional share of the combined income. Costs for health insurance and work-related childcare are added to the base amount. The Circuit Clerk tracks all court-ordered support payments through the child support registry.

Juvenile cases are governed by § 9-27-309. Juvenile records are sealed and not open to the public. Adoption records are confidential under § 9-9-217. Neither type of record is accessible without a court order. Other case types in the domestic relations division include paternity establishment, domestic violence protective orders, guardianship of minors, and post-decree modifications to custody or support orders.

Fees and Copy Costs

A new domestic relations filing in Conway County costs $165.00. Reopening a case costs $50.00. Summons service fees are $2.50 per party. These are the standard state fees used in all Arkansas circuit courts.

Standard copies cost $0.50 per page for documents made at the courthouse. Certified copies are $5.00 per document. Mail requests require a self-addressed stamped envelope and prepaid payment. Call (501) 354-9617 before sending a mail request to confirm the total cost and payment method.

Online access through CourtConnect is free. No fee is needed to search for or view basic case information. Fees apply only when you need physical or certified copies from the clerk's office in Morrilton.

Legal Help

Free civil legal help is available to eligible Conway County residents through the Center for Arkansas Legal Services. Apply at arjustice.org. CALS provides free assistance with divorce, custody, support, and protective order cases for those who meet income guidelines.

The Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation lists legal aid programs across the state at arkansasjustice.org. Programs serving the Morrilton area and the 20th Judicial Circuit are included in the directory.

The Arkansas Judiciary maintains self-help resources at arcourts.gov/directories/resources. Court forms and procedural guides for common family law matters are available at no charge. The Circuit Clerk's staff can tell you what forms are needed but cannot give legal advice.

Nearby Counties

Conway County is in central Arkansas in the 20th Judicial Circuit. The following counties are nearby and have their own Circuit Clerk offices.