Search Montgomery County Death Index
Montgomery County lies in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas, and its Death Index covers families from Mount Ida and the remote hollows and ridge communities that define this rugged corner of the state. Death certificates for Montgomery County are held by the Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock, not at the Mount Ida courthouse. This page covers how to request those records by mail, online, or in person, what the county clerk and circuit clerk hold locally, and where to find historical records for deaths before state registration began. If you are doing genealogy work or need a legal copy of a certificate, the resources here will direct you to the right office.
Montgomery County Death Index Overview
Montgomery County Death Certificate Requests
All death certificates for Montgomery County are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, at 4815 West Markham Street, Slot 44, Little Rock, AR 72205. The main phone number is (501) 661-2174, with a toll-free line at (800) 637-9314. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. In-person visitors should arrive by 3:00 PM to receive same-day service. The Montgomery County Local Health Unit in Mount Ida can answer general questions and provide referrals, but it does not issue death certificates.
A certified copy of a death certificate costs $10.00 for the first copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $8.00. If the state office conducts a search and does not locate a record, the $10.00 fee is still charged. That search fee is not refundable under any circumstance. Photo ID is required for all requests. For deaths within the last 50 years, access is limited to immediate family members, legal representatives, and people with a documented direct and tangible interest under Arkansas Code § 20-18-305.
Online requests are handled through VitalChek, the official state-authorized ordering service for Arkansas vital records. VitalChek adds $5.00 for processing and $1.85 for identity verification. Mail requests require a completed application form, a copy of your government-issued photo ID, and a check or money order made out to "Arkansas Department of Health."
The CDC National Center for Health Statistics provides a state-by-state guide to vital records access, including Arkansas death certificate ordering procedures that apply to Montgomery County deaths from 1914 to the present.
County Clerk Records in Montgomery County
The Montgomery County Clerk is located at the courthouse in Mount Ida. This office holds probate court filings, marriage licenses, and county court records. It does not hold death certificates, which go directly to Little Rock. Probate records are the main resource here for death research. When a Montgomery County resident died and left property or debts, an estate was often opened. Probate files typically include a date of death, heirs, an inventory of assets, and in some cases a copy of a will. That information can confirm facts about a death even when the original certificate is restricted or hard to locate.
Marriage records held by the County Clerk go back to approximately 1842, the year Montgomery County was formed. That decades-long run of marriage data is useful when you need to confirm a spouse's name or establish a family relationship. If you need to request a death certificate on behalf of a family member, showing the relationship through a marriage record can help satisfy the eligibility requirement for restricted records. The Clerk's office can tell you what years are available and whether any indexes or finding aids exist for the marriage collection.
Note: All birth and death certificates in Arkansas go to the state office. The County Clerk in Mount Ida has never maintained vital records of that type.
Circuit Clerk and Court Records
The Montgomery County Circuit Clerk, also at the Mount Ida courthouse, maintains civil, criminal, domestic relations, and probate court case files. The Circuit Clerk also functions as the ex-officio county recorder for real estate documents including deeds, mortgages, and liens. When a person died in Montgomery County and their real property was transferred to heirs or a surviving spouse, that deed transfer was filed with the Circuit Clerk. Land records can confirm a death event and establish the approximate date, which is useful when a certificate is unavailable or when records from the earliest registration years are missing.
Arkansas public court records are accessible under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, § 25-19-101. Most records are available within three business days of a written request. Document copies are $0.25 per page. Probate case indexes and court records statewide, including Montgomery County, can be searched through the Arkansas CourtConnect portal. That system lets you search by name and gives case-level information that can help confirm whether an estate was filed for a particular person. Detailed document retrieval from older cases may still require a direct visit or written request to the Circuit Clerk in Mount Ida.
Historical Death Records for Montgomery County
Montgomery County was created December 9, 1842, and named for Richard Montgomery, the Revolutionary War general who died at the Battle of Quebec in 1775. The county's Ouachita Mountain setting meant smaller and more scattered communities than in the lowland counties, and early death records reflect that. Compliance with state registration requirements was uneven in the mountains during the first decade after 1914. Some deaths from that early period may not appear in the index even when they can be confirmed through other sources. Cemetery records, church burial registers, and old newspaper obituaries are the most reliable secondary sources for that gap period.
The Arkansas State Archives holds the statewide Death Index for 1914 through 1949. That index is searchable by name and county and provides certificate numbers that you can use when ordering from the Department of Health. For 1935 through 1961, the Arkansas Digital Archives Death Records Index is available online at no cost. Search that database first before paying the state fee, since a successful name match there will give you the certificate number and year needed to place your request.
FamilySearch holds digitized collections for Arkansas counties that include probate records, land records, and compiled genealogies. Searching FamilySearch for Montgomery County entries can surface estate records, church records, and compiled family histories that mention death dates. The Arkansas Genealogical Society also holds research materials on mountain counties and can assist with research questions tied to western Arkansas families.
Arkansas Death Registration Law
Death registration in Arkansas became mandatory on February 1, 1914. Under Arkansas Code § 20-18-601, the attending physician or medical certifier must complete their portion of the death certificate within three business days, and the full certificate must be filed within 10 days of the death. That 10-day rule has been in place since registration began. In the current electronic system, death certificates are typically filed digitally. Older records from the early decades of registration exist only in paper or microfilm form.
The 50-year public access rule under § 20-18-305 means that anyone can request a Montgomery County death certificate for deaths that occurred more than 50 years ago. No relationship to the deceased is required for records in that public range. For deaths within the past 50 years, requesters must show they are an immediate family member, a legal representative, or someone with a direct and tangible interest in the record.
The State Registrar's authority to maintain these records, including the system that links birth records to corresponding death records, comes from § 20-18-203. That statute also governs the registrar's responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of the death registration system statewide, including in small mountain counties like Montgomery.
A state-by-state guide to death certification laws covers Arkansas's specific requirements for reporting, timing, and registration that apply to every death in Montgomery County.
Note: The Arkansas FOIA provides a separate avenue for accessing court-related death records. Vital records requests go through the Department of Health process and are not covered by the standard FOIA document fee schedule.
Cities in Montgomery County
No cities in Montgomery County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated records page. Mount Ida is the county seat and largest community. For death records tied to any Montgomery County location, use the county-level resources on this page.
Nearby Counties
Deaths near the Montgomery County border may have been recorded in a neighboring county. Check these nearby county pages for court contacts and additional search options.