Find Pulaski County Death Records

Pulaski County death records are held by the Arkansas Department of Health, which is physically located in Little Rock, the county seat and Arkansas state capital. As the most populous county in Arkansas, Pulaski County generates more death certificates each year than any other Arkansas county. The county includes Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Maumelle, Sherwood, and other suburban communities. The Department of Health vital records office is also in Pulaski County, making in-person requests especially convenient for county residents. This guide covers every major source for Pulaski County death records, from certified certificates to probate files, genealogy archives, and online tools.

Where to Get Pulaski County Death Records

Certified Pulaski County death certificates are available from the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records Section. The address is 4815 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205, Slot 44. Phone: (501) 661-2336. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm. Same-day service is available for in-person requests received before 4pm. Because the Department of Health is located in Little Rock, Pulaski County residents have the easiest access of any county in the state.

Mail requests take four to six weeks. Send a completed application form, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order payable to the Arkansas Department of Health. The fee is $10.00 for the first certified copy and $8.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. Order online through VitalChek for delivery in three to five business days. VitalChek is the state's authorized service and accepts credit cards. A convenience fee applies.

Note that Little Rock has had local registration since 1881, predating the statewide system that began in 1914. Some Little Rock death records from the 1881-1913 period may be available through the Arkansas State Archives or the City of Little Rock, though coverage is incomplete. The Pulaski County Circuit Clerk at pulaskiclerk.com provides online access to court records and is the local contact for probate and estate filings. The Pulaski County probate court has one of the largest dockets in the state given the county's population.

Pulaski County Probate and Estate Death Records

Pulaski County has one of the most active probate courts in Arkansas. When a county resident dies with property requiring administration, the Circuit Clerk in Little Rock opens a probate case. These files include wills, estate inventories, creditor claims, and final distribution orders. The Pulaski County Circuit Clerk's office at pulaskiclerk.com provides online access to many court records, including some probate filings. This online access makes Pulaski County one of the easier Arkansas counties to research from home before making a courthouse visit.

Recent Pulaski County court cases are also searchable through the free Arkansas Courts case search portal. This tool is maintained by the Arkansas judiciary. For older probate records, an in-person visit to the Circuit Clerk's office in Little Rock is needed. The courthouse is at 401 West Markham Street in Little Rock, and the clerk's office handles extensive record volumes given the county's large population.

The Arkansas Secretary of State maintains business and corporate filings that frequently appear in Pulaski County estate research. Little Rock's status as the state capital and commercial center means more business-related estates are filed in Pulaski County than anywhere else in Arkansas. The Secretary of State database is easily searched online and can quickly confirm whether a deceased person was a registered business owner or officer.

Historical Death Records in Pulaski County

Statewide registration began in February 1914, but Little Rock began local registration as early as 1881. This makes Pulaski County unusual among Arkansas counties in having some pre-statewide-registration death records. Coverage before 1914 is incomplete, and records from the 1881-1913 period may have gaps. For deaths before 1881, researchers must rely on church records, cemetery transcriptions, newspaper death notices, and probate court files. Pulaski County's long history as the state capital means the courthouse holds records going back to the territorial era of the early 1800s.

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas provides extensive coverage of Pulaski County and Little Rock history, which can help researchers identify communities, churches, and record-keeping systems that existed before state registration.

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas covers Pulaski County and Little Rock history in depth, providing context for understanding which sources document deaths across different time periods.

The National Archives holds federal mortality schedules for Pulaski County from 1850 through 1880. These are especially valuable for the pre-registration era and cover the Little Rock and surrounding communities in detail. The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock, accessible directly from Pulaski County, holds the most extensive collection of historical Arkansas records of any repository, including early Little Rock newspapers, court records, and territorial-era documents.

Cemetery Records and Burials in Pulaski County

Cemetery records for Pulaski County are available through several sources. Find a Grave has extensive listings from Pulaski County burial sites, including large cemeteries like Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, one of the most historically significant burial grounds in Arkansas. Volunteer contributors have documented many Pulaski County cemeteries with headstone photographs and transcribed inscriptions. The county's large population means the database has far more entries for Pulaski County than for smaller Arkansas counties.

Find a Grave Pulaski County listings often include linked memorial records for family members, allowing researchers to trace family lines across multiple generations buried in the county.

Filter your Find a Grave search to Pulaski County, Arkansas to locate burial records from Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Maumelle, and surrounding communities.

Local funeral homes throughout Pulaski County, from large Little Rock operations to smaller community funeral homes in suburban areas, maintain burial registers. The Arkansas State Archives and the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock hold additional local historical materials related to Pulaski County deaths, burials, and family records.

Obituaries and Death Notices in Pulaski County

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the primary newspaper serving Pulaski County and has published death notices and obituaries for decades, with predecessor papers going back to the 1800s. Search Legacy.com for Pulaski County obituaries by name. The site aggregates listings from local newspapers and funeral homes. Funeral homes throughout Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, and other Pulaski County communities post obituaries on their websites within days of a death.

Older Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Gazette issues are held on microfilm at the Arkansas State Archives and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock library. The Arkansas State Archives newspaper digitization project has made many historical Arkansas Gazette issues available online. The Arkansas Gazette, which was one of the oldest newspapers west of the Mississippi River before it ceased publication in 1991, covers Pulaski County deaths going back to the early 1800s and is an essential source for historical research in the state capital county.

Who Can Access Pulaski County Death Records

Arkansas death certificates are restricted for 50 years under Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 18. Eligible parties for restricted records include the deceased's spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent. Legal representatives with documented authority may also request records. All others must show a legal or financial interest. Government-issued photo ID is required for all requests.

Records more than 50 years old are public. Any person may request a copy without showing a relationship. The standard fee and request form are still required, but no proof of eligibility is needed for public records.

Because the Department of Health is located in Pulaski County, Little Rock residents can walk in and receive same-day service for eligible requests. This is the fastest option available and avoids mail or online processing times. For restricted records, bring your ID and any supporting documentation of your relationship or legal authority to get the fastest turnaround.

Online Search Tools for Pulaski County Deaths

Order certified Pulaski County death certificates through VitalChek or in person at the Department of Health. The Pulaski County Circuit Clerk at pulaskiclerk.com provides online access to court records including some probate filings. The free Arkansas Courts case search covers recent Pulaski County cases across all court types.

The CDC Arkansas vital records guide provides official contact details for the Department of Health. The National Vital Statistics System provides national data and context. For Pulaski County, the combination of in-person access, the clerk's online system, and VitalChek gives researchers more access options than any other Arkansas county.

Genealogy Resources for Pulaski County

FamilySearch provides free access to digitized Arkansas records including census data, vital record indexes, and mortality schedules. Search by surname and Pulaski County for the most relevant results. Pulaski County has more records available on FamilySearch than any other Arkansas county because of its large population and long history as the state capital. Family trees on FamilySearch submitted by researchers often contain documented Pulaski County sources going back to the territorial period.

FamilySearch offers extensive digitized collections for Pulaski County, including census records, mortality schedules, and vital records indexes that cover Little Rock and surrounding communities back to the early 1800s.

Federal mortality schedules for 1850 through 1880 at the National Archives cover Pulaski County in detail. The National Archives also holds Civil War records, pension files, and Freedmen's Bureau materials relevant to Pulaski County families. The Arkansas Courts website and the Pulaski County clerk's site provide court access. The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock holds an extensive collection of local history materials, family files, and newspaper archives that are among the best local genealogy resources in the state.

Nearby Arkansas Counties

Death records in neighboring counties may supplement Pulaski County research, particularly for families who lived near county lines or moved between districts.