Stone County Dissolution of Marriage Lookup

Stone County dissolution of marriage records are kept by the Circuit Clerk in Mountain View, the county seat. The clerk's office in Mountain View holds all divorce filings, orders, and final decrees for the county, and you can search case details through the Arkansas CourtConnect portal or contact the courthouse directly to request documents.

Stone County Circuit Clerk Office

The Circuit Clerk in Mountain View handles dissolution of marriage filings for all of Stone County. The courthouse is located in Mountain View in north-central Arkansas. The clerk's office processes new filings, maintains the docket for all active and closed cases, issues certified copies on request, and can direct you to the right form or resource for your particular situation.

Certified copies of divorce decrees cost $5.00 each. You can request copies in person at the courthouse or by sending a written request by mail with payment. For mail requests, include the full legal names of both parties, the year the case was filed, and a check or money order payable to the Stone County Circuit Clerk. A case number, if you have it, will make the search much faster.

County contact information including the Circuit Clerk's address and phone number is available through the Stone County profile on the Arkansas Association of Counties website. It also lists other county departments if you need to reach a different office.

Visit arcounties.org/counties/stone for the courthouse address and county office contact details in Stone County.

The profile page lists all county offices including the Circuit Clerk with current phone numbers and address.

Online Search for Stone County Dissolution Cases

Arkansas CourtConnect at caseinfo.arcourts.gov is the free statewide court case search tool. Stone County cases are included. Search by party name or case number to find dissolution of marriage filings. The results show the case type, filing date, party names, and a full docket list. Some case documents may be viewable directly from the portal.

No account or login is required for basic CourtConnect searches. Older cases may not appear if they were filed before the county's records were digitized. For those cases, contact the Stone County Circuit Clerk's office in Mountain View. Staff can do a manual search using the paper indexes and should be able to locate most cases by name and year.

Under Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-305, dissolution of marriage records are restricted to the parties and their immediate family for 50 years after the case is closed. After that period, the records become fully public. Anyone other than a party to the case should verify their access rights before requesting records from the clerk's office.

How to File for Dissolution of Marriage

You start a dissolution of marriage in Stone County by filing a complaint at the Circuit Clerk's office in Mountain View. At least one spouse must have lived in Arkansas for 60 days before the filing date. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-303, the court requires 90 days of total state residency before a final decree can be issued. Both conditions are mandatory.

Filing fees begin at around $165. Additional fees may apply for specific motions or service of process. If paying the fee would cause a financial hardship, ask the clerk for the Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis. The court can waive fees for qualifying low-income filers.

Arkansas law requires a stated ground for every dissolution petition. The state does not offer simple no-fault divorce. You must meet one of the grounds in Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-301. The most common choices are general indignities under § 9-12-301(b)(3)(C) and 18-month continuous separation under § 9-12-301(b)(5). After serving your spouse with the complaint, a 30-day waiting period under § 9-12-307(a)(1)(B) applies before a final decree can be signed.

Statutory Grounds for Dissolution in Arkansas

General indignities is broad and adaptable. It covers treatment that makes living together intolerable for the other spouse. Courts have applied it to verbal abuse, cruelty, deliberate neglect, and sustained demeaning conduct. A single argument does not qualify. You need evidence of a pattern that persists over time.

The 18-month separation ground avoids the need to prove fault at all. Both spouses simply need to have lived apart continuously for 18 months. Any cohabitation during that period resets the clock back to zero. This ground fits situations where the marriage has effectively ended and the parties want a legal conclusion without reopening old conflicts in court.

Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-301 also lists grounds including habitual drunkenness, felony conviction, impotency at the time of marriage, and cruel and barbarous treatment. These apply in specific circumstances. If your situation does not clearly fit general indignities or the separation ground, speaking with an attorney helps you choose the right option and document it properly.

Arkansas Department of Health Divorce Certificates

When a dissolution is granted in Stone County, the court sends notice to the Arkansas Department of Health. ADH keeps a statewide index of divorces from 1923 forward. Certified divorce certificates from ADH cost $10.00 each. Their office is at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Call 800-462-0599 to request a certificate. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The ADH certificate is a short confirmation of the divorce. It shows the parties' names and the date but does not include case terms or orders. For the full text of the decree, including any property, custody, or support provisions, you need a certified copy from the Stone County Circuit Clerk at $5.00 per copy. Each document serves a different purpose, and many situations require both.

Getting Legal Help in Stone County

Free legal assistance is available for income-qualifying Stone County residents through Arkansas Legal Services. Call (501) 376-3423 for the statewide intake line. The organization handles family law cases including dissolution of marriage and can provide free or reduced-cost help to eligible clients. If your case involves children, property, or contested issues, legal help is especially valuable.

AR Law Help at arlawhelp.org offers free online guides that explain the Arkansas divorce process from start to finish. You can download forms, read explanations of each step, and find links to local resources. The clerk's office staff can help you with procedural questions and accept your filings, but they cannot provide legal advice or tell you how to fill out your paperwork.

Nearby Counties

Stone County is in north-central Arkansas. It borders Searcy County to the west, Van Buren County to the south, Cleburne County to the southeast, Independence County to the east, and Izard County to the north. All neighboring counties have their own Circuit Clerks handling local dissolution filings.

See the Searcy County dissolution of marriage page for information about filings in Marshall. For a complete list of all Arkansas county court offices, visit the counties directory.