How to Search Benton County Court Records
The main portal is Arkansas Judiciary Case Search at caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad. Benton County links it as CourtConnect, View Dockets, Find Court Records, and Court Docket. It is a statewide system. The portal returns Benton County Circuit Court cases that have been filed into the state Contexte system. Most public docket information shows up. Printed results are not an official court record; the portal posts that warning at the top of every print.
Before starting, the searcher should have a party name, a case number, or a case description. The system searches by participant by default. Advanced filters narrow by date range and court. For district court traffic and misdemeanor cases, the search routes elsewhere. Bentonville District Court has its own Municipal Online Services portal, and other Benton County district court departments link payment and lookup through Arkansas eTraffic.
- Open caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad. Pick the Participants search mode.
- Enter a first name, a last name, or both. Use middle name and organization or case description if the name is common.
- Open Advanced Filters to narrow by court, date range, or case category.
- Submit the search. Treat the results as case-index information, not as certified records.
- Call the Circuit Clerk Civil/Domestic at 479-271-1015 or Criminal at 479-271-1016 to order certified copies.
The Arkansas Judiciary Case Search portal that Benton County links as CourtConnect is at caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad.
Participant search by first, middle, and last name plus an Advanced Filters icon for court, county, date range, and case category is the main entry.
Benton County Court Records Search Fields
The Arkansas Judiciary portal keeps its public fields short and focused on participant identity. The default search is by first, middle, and last name with an optional organization or case description input. Each text field accepts up to 200 characters. The advanced filter icon opens additional narrowing options for date range and court. Every page carries a print watermark stating the result is not an official court record.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Optional | aria-label "Search By First Name"; max length 200. |
| Middle Name | Text | Optional | aria-label "Search By Middle Name"; max length 200. |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | aria-label "Search By Last Name"; max length 200. |
| Organization or Case Description | Text | Optional | aria-label "Search by organization or case description"; max length 200. |
| Advanced Filters | Icon Button | Optional | Tune icon opens court, county, date range, and category filters. |
| Search | Icon Button | n/a | Search icon submits the query. |
Types of Benton County Court Records
The records system splits along the Arkansas court hierarchy. Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court for Benton County. District Courts handle lower-volume cases. Probate sits under the County Clerk. Juvenile sits with the Circuit Clerk but is restricted from public view.
Arkansas Constitutional Amendment 80 set the modern split. Effective January 1, 2002, Circuit Courts moved into five subject-matter divisions: criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, and juvenile. Benton County's seven Circuit Court divisions cover all five subject areas across multiple judges.
- Civil records - complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, and liens filed at Circuit Court.
- Criminal records - felony cases, arraignments, bond orders, pleas, trial settings, judgments, sentences, and probation conditions.
- Domestic relations records - divorce, custody, support, visitation, and orders of protection.
- Probate records - wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, inventories, and final settlements.
- District court records - traffic, misdemeanor, ordinance violations, small claims, and lower-value civil cases.
- Juvenile records - delinquency, dependency, and family-in-need-of-services matters, restricted from public access.
What Benton County Court Records Show
A typical Benton County court file lists the parties, the case number, the filing date, every event posted to the docket, and the final disposition. Money items show too: filing fees, court costs, fines, restitution, bonds, payments, and any open balance. Hearings show the date, the time, the courtroom, and the assigned judge. Some filings carry document links inside the portal. Many do not, and certified copies must be ordered from the Circuit Clerk.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Official docket identifier. Format varies by court and system. |
| Court / Division | Circuit Court Division (1 through 7) or the relevant district court department. |
| Case Type | Civil, criminal, domestic relations, probate, juvenile, small claims, traffic, misdemeanor, or ordinance. |
| Filing Date | Date the case was opened. |
| Parties | Plaintiff/defendant, petitioner/respondent, state/defendant, estate/protected person, creditor/debtor. |
| Attorneys | Counsel names and bar numbers where listed. |
| Judge | Assigned judge or division. |
| Status | Open, closed, disposed, dismissed, transferred, sealed, pending, judgment entered. |
| Docket Entries | Filings, summonses, motions, orders, hearings, continuances, pleas, judgments, sentences, appeals. |
| Financial Fields | Filing fees, court costs, fines, restitution, bonds, payments, balance due. |
| Hearings | Date, time, courtroom, hearing type, judge. |
| Disposition | Outcome of the case or charge. |
| Redactions | Social Security numbers, account numbers, minors' details, sealed criminal cases, adoption files, juvenile information. |
Public Access Framework for Benton County Court Records
Arkansas court records sit under two layers of law. The state Freedom of Information Act at Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-105 opens records held by public offices to inspection and copying by Arkansas citizens during regular business hours. Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 19 then sets the access rule for court files. The order opens most court records but excludes Social Security numbers, account numbers, sealed or expunged records, juvenile information, adoption records, and any item closed by federal or state law.
Anyone can search Benton County Circuit Court cases through CourtConnect. Anyone can call the Circuit Clerk to order copies. The Circuit Clerk accepts cash (exact change), checks payable to Benton County Circuit Clerk or BCCC, money orders, cashier's checks, debit, and credit. American Express is not accepted. Personal checks need the requester's driver's license number and a phone number written on the check.
Note: Printed CourtConnect results carry a watermark stating they are not official records; certified copies must be ordered through the Benton County Circuit Clerk at 479-271-1015 or 479-271-1016.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in Benton County
Some records do not appear in CourtConnect at all. Juvenile records fall under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-309 and are confidential. Adoption records fall under Ark. Code Ann. § 9-9-217 and are sealed. Sealed criminal cases under the Comprehensive Criminal Record Sealing Act of 2013, Ark. Code Ann. § 16-90-1401 et seq., drop off public view. Mental health hearings, grand jury materials, attorney work product, and protective-order address details are also restricted or redacted.
To seal an eligible criminal case in Benton County, the petitioner files in the court that handled the case. The petition must identify the case, the statutory basis, and the eligibility facts. Common denial reasons include an ineligible offense, an open balance, an incomplete sentence, a pending charge, or a missed required service. Sealed cases remain available to certain law-enforcement and licensing bodies but stop showing on the public docket.
In-Person Court Record Requests
The Benton County Circuit Clerk handles in-person requests at 102 NE A St., Bentonville. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and stays open through lunch. The Recorder's Office at 215 E Central Ave. follows the same window but stops recording at 4:15 p.m. for end-of-day operations. Probate records are at 102 NE A St., Room 206. Requesters should bring a photo ID, the case number when known, and payment.
Benton County Circuit Clerk
102 NE A St.
Bentonville, AR 72712
479-271-1015 (Civil / Domestic)
479-271-1016 (Criminal)
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Circuit Clerk's public records page is at bentoncountyar.gov/circuit-clerk/public-records.
The page links the records request channels, forms, and the Circuit Clerk's contact information.
Benton County Circuit Clerk Court Fees
The Circuit Clerk fee schedule sets the price of common court-records services. Copies are $0.25 per page. Certification of a court document is $5.00. Authentication is $5.00. Subpoenas and summonses run $2.50 each. Civil and domestic case-initiation fees are $165.00 under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-6-403(b)(1). Reopening a case is $50.00.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Copy of pleading or any document | $0.25 per page |
| Certification of a court document | $5.00 |
| Authentication of a court document | $5.00 |
| Initiating a civil or domestic cause | $165.00 |
| Initiating an appealed criminal cause | $150.00 |
| Reopening a case | $50.00 |
| Subpoena or summons issued by clerk | $2.50 |
| Writs of garnishment, execution, possession | $20.00 |
| Fax-filed pleading | $1.00 per page |
Filing a Case at Benton County Circuit Court
New cases open at the Circuit Clerk's Civil/Domestic or Criminal desk. Civil and domestic filings use the Domestic Relations Coversheet or Civil Coversheet, both linked from the Circuit Clerk's forms page. The standing order takes effect at filing in domestic relations cases. Pro se filers can pull blank coversheets, but the Circuit Clerk does not provide legal forms for completing the actual pleadings and cannot give legal advice. For criminal matters, the Prosecuting Attorney files the information at 100 NE A St. The Public Defender at 1204 SW 14th St., Suite 4, represents indigent defendants. Specialty Courts route eligible criminal defendants into treatment through the Specialty Court Administrator at 479-696-9970.
Appeals from Benton County Circuit Court
Most appeals go to the Arkansas Court of Appeals, with some matters going directly to the Arkansas Supreme Court. The notice of appeal is filed at the Benton County Circuit Clerk. Bond on appeal and the record on appeal follow Arkansas Rules of Appellate Procedure. Federal cases from Benton County route through the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas at the Fayetteville divisional courthouse, with appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Federal case filings are accessed through PACER, the official federal docket and document system.