North Little Rock Death Index
North Little Rock sits directly across the Arkansas River from the state capital, which puts residents within easy reach of the primary office for death certificate requests in Arkansas. If you need to search the North Little Rock Death Index or get a certified copy of a death certificate for someone who died in this city, the Arkansas Department of Health vital records office is just a short drive away in Little Rock. This page covers how to request records, what Pulaski County maintains, and what local resources are available for genealogy research tied to deaths in North Little Rock.
North Little Rock Death Index Overview
North Little Rock Death Certificate Requests
Death certificates for North Little Rock residents are held at the state level, not at any city or county office. The Arkansas Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, is at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. Call (501) 661-2174 or toll-free (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. Because North Little Rock is right across the river from Little Rock, this is one of the most convenient in-person options in the state.
The first certified copy of a death certificate costs $10.00. Each additional copy ordered at the same time is $8.00. Photo ID is required for all requests. For records 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, meaning anyone can request a copy without demonstrating a family relationship. If the state conducts a search and finds nothing, the $10.00 fee is still charged and not refunded.
Online orders can be placed through VitalChek, the official state-authorized ordering platform for Arkansas vital records. VitalChek adds $5.00 for processing and $1.85 for identity verification on top of the certificate fee. Mail requests go directly to the Little Rock address with a completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order made out to "Arkansas Department of Health."
VitalChek is the authorized online ordering service for Arkansas death certificates, covering all deaths that occurred in North Little Rock from February 1914 forward.
Pulaski County Records for North Little Rock
Deaths in North Little Rock fall under Pulaski County for court and probate purposes. The Pulaski County Clerk is at 401 West Markham Street, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: (501) 340-8500. The Clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The County Clerk does not hold death certificates, but the office is the right place to search probate records, estate filings, and marriage records that can support death research. Marriage records at the Pulaski County Clerk run back to 1838, which gives you a solid record base when you are trying to confirm a spouse or identify an heir.
When a North Little Rock resident died and left property, debts, or an estate, a probate case was often opened in Pulaski County. Those estate files typically contain dates of death, lists of heirs, and letters testamentary that confirm the basic facts behind the certificate. Estate files may also include inventories of property and correspondence that fill gaps when a formal certificate is restricted or missing. The Clerk's office can direct you to the right files based on the deceased person's name and estimated year of death.
Certified copies of documents filed with the Pulaski County Clerk cost $5.00. Marriage licenses cost $60.00 in cash or $63.00 by credit or debit. For court records, including probate and civil matters, contact court records at (501) 340-8766 or courtrecords@pulaskiclerk.com.
Note: The Pulaski County Clerk's office covers both Little Rock and North Little Rock residents. Probate cases for North Little Rock decedents are filed in the same office and searchable by name.
North Little Rock City Clerk and Local Records
The North Little Rock City Clerk is at City Hall, 300 Main Street, North Little Rock, AR 72114. Phone: (501) 975-8600. The City Clerk maintains city records, ordinances, and resolutions but does not issue or hold death certificates. If you need to request a city-level document related to a death, such as a permit, a city code record, or a municipal ordinance that touches a property in question, the City Clerk is the right contact. The office is open weekdays during regular business hours.
For vital records applications in North Little Rock, the Pulaski County Health Unit at 2800 McCain Boulevard, North Little Rock, AR 72116 can assist. Call (501) 791-8511 for hours and referral information. Health unit staff can provide application forms for birth and death certificates and direct you to the correct state agency for processing. The health unit does not issue certified copies itself. All certified death certificates come from the state office in Little Rock.
North Little Rock Death Index: Court and Online Records
The Arkansas CourtConnect portal gives online access to court records statewide, including probate cases tied to North Little Rock residents. CourtConnect indexes case-level information with filing dates, party names, and case types. It is a good starting point when you know someone died in North Little Rock and want to check whether an estate case was opened in Pulaski County without visiting the courthouse in person.
The Arkansas CourtConnect portal provides online access to Pulaski County probate and court cases, a useful secondary source when researching deaths in North Little Rock.
Court records in Arkansas are public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, with limited exceptions for juvenile matters, adoption records, and protected witness files. If you need records not available online, a written FOIA request to the Pulaski County Circuit Clerk can get you copies at $0.25 per page for standard documents. Most estate and probate filings are available by name and year through the Circuit Clerk's office or through CourtConnect for more recent cases.
Historical Death Records for North Little Rock
State death registration in Arkansas began on February 1, 1914. For North Little Rock, that means the formal Death Index starts in 1914. Earlier deaths in the city are not in the state index. To find deaths before registration began, you need to look at secondary sources. Funeral home records, church burial registers, and cemetery records are the main options for pre-1914 research tied to North Little Rock. The North Little Rock Public Library at 2700 Lakewood Village Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116 holds local history materials and a genealogy collection that may include obituary indexes, local directories, and other resources useful for older research.
The Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock holds the Death Index for 1914 through 1949 in alphabetical form, plus the In Remembrance Database covering deaths from 1819 to 1920. For the period from 1935 to 1961, the Arkansas Digital Archives Death Records Index at digitalheritage.arkansas.gov is free to search online by name and county. Use it to locate a certificate number before placing an order with the Department of Health, which saves time and reduces the chance of ordering the wrong record.
The Arkansas Genealogical Society offers research guides and indexed collections that cover Pulaski County. Membership provides access to additional databases and research tools. FamilySearch also holds Pulaski County records that can support research for deaths before and after state registration began. For newspaper research, the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock carries the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Historical Archive from 1867 to 1994, which is searchable for obituaries tied to North Little Rock residents.
Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, deaths must be registered within 10 days of occurrence. Compliance varied in the early years of the registration system, especially in the 1910s and 1920s. If a record is missing from the index, try secondary sources before concluding the death went unregistered.
Death Records Law and Access in Arkansas
Access to Arkansas death records is governed primarily by Arkansas Code § 20-18-305, which sets the 50-year public access rule. Death certificates less than 50 years old are restricted to immediate family and legal representatives. Those 50 years old or older are open public records. The state registrar's authority, including how the birth-death record matching system works, flows from § 20-18-601 and related sections under Title 20, Subtitle 2, Chapter 18.
Under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, public records must be provided within 3 business days of a written request. Court and probate documents not covered by vital records law are generally subject to FOIA and cost $0.25 per page. Death certificates themselves are not processed under FOIA. They follow the fee schedule set by the Department of Health, which is $10.00 for the first copy and $8.00 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time.
Nearby Cities
Other qualifying cities near North Little Rock have dedicated Death Index pages with local office contacts and search tools.