Arkansas Public Records
Can Anyone Access Arkansas Public Records?
Each state is allowed to decide who can access their public records. Most states allow anyone - in state or out - access to these records if they need them. However some states decided that not everyone is allowed to access these records, and placed provisions that prevent some people from accessing them.
An Example - Arkansas Public Records
Arkansas public records are a great example. According to Arkansas law, only those that live in the state of Arkansas can make copies of public records. The idea is that only residents of the state should be allowed access to information in the state in an effort to reduce abuse and dissemination of these records outside of the state.
Does That Mean That Only Arkansas Residents Can Access These Records?
Yet even though many states have prevented people from accessing these records, federal courts have found that limiting that information is illegal. So although the original Arkansas public records law states that only residents can access the records, federal ruling has stated that anyone from any state is still allowed to access these records upon request. Check with the current government law to help you decide if it is possible for you to retrieve the data you need.
Arkansas Birth Records
There are numerous reasons that one might need to obtain a copy of an Arkansas Birth Record. The Arkansas vital records agency has birth records that date from February 1914 to present. Before 1914, births were not required to be recorded. Some births were recorded after 1914 from prior years, but these records are in limited numbers.If you are looking for an Arkansas Birth Record from Little Rock, you may be in greater luck. Some of these records date back as far as 1881.To obtain an Arkansas Birth Record, you must be a ‘person of legitimate interest’. Basically, if you not the named person on record (or the parent of the named), you need to have a valid reason for asking to obtain the birth record. After one hundred years, the Arkansas Birth Records become a public record, obtainable by anybody. You may request a certified copy of a birth certificate from Arkansas in two ways. One, by visiting one of their offices that are located throughout the State or two, through their express service using an outside company. If you visit their office with all of the required information, you can typically receive a copy of the birth record that same day.
Arkansas Death Records
Death records are required to be filed after the passing of an individual. Often times, the certificate is required to be signed by a physician but once in a while, a paramedic may signs.
Arkansas death records began recording on February 1 of 1914. Prior to this date, Little Rock and Fort Smith death records can be found dating back to 1881. There are only a limited number of Arkansas death records from that date.
Arkansas death records are not public records until after fifty years after the event. To obtain a death certificate that is newer then fifty years you must be of immediate kin to the deceased.
Search Arkansas Public Records By County
Additional Arkansas Resources
The links listed below lead to government agencies that provide free online access to public record information.
- Arkansas - Business Entities, Trademarks, Notaries, Not-For-Profits
- Arkansas - Trademark
- Arkansas - Incarceration Records
- Arkansas - State Archives
- Arkansas - Unclaimed Property
- Arkansas - Sex Offender Registry
- Arkansas - Crash Reports
- Arkansas - Securities Company State Registration
- Arkansas - Voter Registration
- Arkansas - Elections - Financial Disclosures, Lobbyist List, Political Action Committee (PAC)
- Arkansas Online Searches
- Arkansas Court Records