Sebastian County
Sebastian County was created in 1851 from parts of Arkansas's Crawford, Polk, Scott, and Van Buren Counties. Its land area is about 531.2 square miles, and its estimated population is 128,184. The county seats are located in Greenwood and Fort Smith.
Sebastian County courts consist of a Circuit Court and District Courts. The Circuit Court handles felony, civil, domestic relations, probate, and juvenile cases. It has a Mental Health Court which addresses cases of those suffering from mental illness. The Sebastian County District Courts, Fort Smith Division, and Greenwood Division deal with preliminary hearings of felonies, misdemeanors, civil, small claims (less than $5,000), traffic infractions, and building violations. It operates specialty courts, including a Drug Court and a Veterans Treatment Court.
Sebastian County public court records contain documents, notices, minutes, orders, dockets, memoranda and correspondence, and judgments related to judicial proceedings generated by the courts in the county. The Supreme Court of Arkansas accepted Administrative Order No. 19, an order that governs and permits access to the following public court records in Sebastian County:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
- Family law records
- Probate records
- Domestic Relations records
The Circuit Clerk prepares, maintains, and disseminates accurate court records to the public. The Arkansas Judicial allows the public to search for court records online through the Court Connect portal. Also, anyone may access Sebastian County court records on the public kiosk at the clerk's offices in Forth Smith and Greenwood courthouses. A request to inspect or copy a District Court document must be made in writing or verbally and it needs to be accompanied by enough information to properly identify the requested record.
