Little Rock Death Index Records
Little Rock is the center of Arkansas death record research. The Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records office sits in the city itself, making in-person requests easier here than anywhere else in the state. If you need to search the Little Rock Death Index or order a certified death certificate for someone who died in Pulaski County, this page covers every source available to you. From the state office to the Central Arkansas Library System to the Arkansas State Archives, the tools you need are close by. Local records in Little Rock go back to 1881 in some cases, well before statewide registration began in 1914.
Little Rock Death Index Overview
Little Rock Death Certificate Requests
The Arkansas Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, handles all certified death certificate requests for Little Rock and every other city in the state. The office is at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. You can call (501) 661-2174 or use the toll-free line at (800) 637-9314. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you plan to visit in person, arrive by 3:00 PM to get same-day service. For Little Rock residents, this is one real advantage. You can drive to the office, present your ID, and walk out with a certified copy the same day.
The first certified copy costs $10.00. If you order more copies of the same record at the same time, each additional copy is $8.00. Photo ID is required. If the record you need is less than 50 years old, access is limited to immediate family members and legal representatives under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305. Death records that are 50 years old or older are public, and anyone can request them without showing a family relationship.
Online orders go through VitalChek, the state-authorized ordering platform. VitalChek adds $5.00 for processing and $1.85 for identity verification on top of the certificate fee. Mail orders go to the same Little Rock address with a completed application, a copy of your ID, and a check or money order made out to "Arkansas Department of Health."
VitalChek is the official online platform for ordering Arkansas death certificates, including records for deaths in Little Rock dating back to the start of state registration in 1914.
Note: Little Rock is the only city in Arkansas where you can walk to the state vital records office in person. That makes same-day pickup possible for qualifying records.
Pulaski County Resources for Little Rock Death Records
Deaths in Little Rock fall under Pulaski County jurisdiction for court and probate matters. The Pulaski County Clerk is at 401 West Markham Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: (501) 340-8500. Court records can be reached at (501) 340-8766 or by email at courtrecords@pulaskiclerk.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The County Clerk does not hold death certificates. Those go to the state. But the Clerk's office is the right place to search probate records, estate filings, and marriage records that support death research.
Marriage records at the Pulaski County Clerk go back to 1838. That depth is useful when you are trying to confirm a spouse, identify an heir, or narrow the date range for a death certificate search. Estate files often contain a date of death, a list of heirs, and documentation of property transfers. If a Little Rock resident died and left property or debts, there is a good chance a probate case exists. Certified copies of documents filed with the County Clerk cost $5.00. Marriage licenses are $60.00 (cash or credit).
Real estate deed records for Pulaski County are searchable online at pulaskideeds.com. When a Little Rock resident died and their home or property transferred to heirs, that deed change appears in the county records. It is one more way to confirm a death and locate the right certificate.
The Pulaski County Health Unit serving central Little Rock is at 3915 West 8th Street, Little Rock, AR 72204. Phone: (501) 661-2726. Health unit staff can direct you to the right agency for vital records and may assist with referrals if you are uncertain which office handles your request.
Little Rock City Clerk and Cemetery Records
The Little Rock City Clerk is housed at Little Rock City Hall, 500 West Markham Street, Room 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: (501) 371-6803. City Clerk Allison Segars (asegars@littlerock.gov) and Deputy Clerk Shaqueena McDowell (smcdowell@littlerock.gov) oversee city records. The City Clerk does not issue death certificates, but the office maintains Oakland and Fraternal Cemetery Record Books and issues cemetery deeds. Those records have real genealogical value. If a family member is buried at Oakland Cemetery, the City Clerk's records may give you burial dates and plot information that help confirm a death and narrow your certificate search.
The Little Rock City Clerk's office maintains Oakland and Fraternal Cemetery Record Books, which are a useful secondary source for confirming burial dates when researching Little Rock Death Index records.
The City Clerk also records city ordinances and resolutions and prepares legal notices. While those records are not directly tied to death research, the office is the right starting point if you need to locate a historical city record or find out whether a specific city-level document exists for an older case.
Little Rock Death Index at the State Archives and CALS
The Arkansas State Archives is located at One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: (501) 682-6900. The Archives holds the Arkansas Death Index for 1914 through 1949 in alphabetical form, as well as the In Remembrance Database covering deaths from 1819 to 1920. For Little Rock specifically, the Archives holds city death records on microform. Some of those Little Rock city records date back to 1881, which is more than 30 years before statewide death registration began. If you are searching for a death in Little Rock from the late 1800s or early 1900s, the State Archives is the right place to start. Staff can help you identify the right microfilm rolls and search the indexes.
The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is at 100 Rock Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: (501) 918-3000. CALS maintains a genealogy collection that includes Ancestry Library Edition, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Historical Archive covering 1867 through 1994, and death record databases. Specifically, the library holds the Arkansas Death Certificates collection for 1914 through 1969 and the Arkansas Death Index for 1914 through 1950. Both of those collections are accessible in the library and give you a way to search for certificate numbers before you order from the Department of Health. Newspaper archives at CALS are another strong source for obituaries, which often contain birth dates, names of survivors, and funeral home information that fills in gaps left by a formal certificate.
Note: Little Rock death records on microform at the State Archives predate statewide registration, making them unique among Arkansas cities. If you are researching a death before 1914, the Archives should be your first stop.
Historical Little Rock Death Records
Little Rock and Fort Smith are the two Arkansas cities with documented death records predating state registration. Some Little Rock city death records go back to 1881. Those older records exist in microform at the Arkansas State Archives and are not available through the Department of Health or VitalChek. They were kept by the city, not the state, and the format and completeness vary. For deaths in Little Rock between 1881 and 1913, your search path runs through the State Archives and the CALS genealogy collection.
Funeral home records, church burial registers, and cemetery indexes are other sources for that pre-1914 period. Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock is one of the city's oldest burial grounds, and burial records there may include death dates and cause information that you cannot find in official records. The City Clerk's office maintains those cemetery books. For post-1914 deaths, the Arkansas Digital Archives Death Records Index covers 1935 through 1961 and is free to search by name and county. Use it to find a certificate number before you place an order with the state.
Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, deaths must be registered within 10 days. Compliance improved over time, but gaps in early records do exist. If a death from the 1910s or 1920s turns up missing from the index, it does not always mean the person did not die there. Incomplete registration was common in the early years. Try secondary sources like probate files, newspaper death notices, and funeral home records to fill those gaps.
The Arkansas Genealogical Society offers research guides and indexed collections that cover Pulaski County and Little Rock. Membership provides access to additional databases and expert guidance for navigating the older record systems. FamilySearch also holds Pulaski County records that can support pre-1914 research.
Court Records and FOIA for Little Rock Deaths
Court records connected to Little Rock deaths are searchable through the Arkansas CourtConnect portal. Probate cases, estate filings, and related civil matters that went through Pulaski County courts are indexed there. CourtConnect includes records from multiple courts and provides case-level information including filing dates and party names. It is a useful tool for locating estate cases tied to a death you are researching in Little Rock.
Under Arkansas FOIA § 25-19-101, public records must be provided within 3 business days of a written request. Copies cost $0.25 per page for standard documents. Most death-related records you would request through FOIA are court or city records, not the certificates themselves. The Department of Health handles certificates under its own fee schedule rather than the standard FOIA copy rate. If you need city records held by the Little Rock City Clerk or a Pulaski County agency, a written FOIA request is the right approach for anything not available on the counter or online.
Nearby Cities
Other qualifying cities near Little Rock also have dedicated Death Index pages with local office contacts and search resources.