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Arkansas County
Cleveland County County Government Offices
County SeatRison
Population7,550
Founded1873
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Cleveland County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 675 Main St, Rison, AR 71665
Phone: (870) 325-6521
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Rison community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: South-central Arkansas rural county; Rison is county seat; Saline River runs through county; tornado corridor; very rural and sparsely populated; limited emergency management resources
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Cleveland County Road Department – (870) 325-6521
Public Transit: None; completely auto-dependent
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-63 is main corridor; Rison is small county seat; very rural; timber and agricultural county; Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) is nearest significant center
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Cleveland County – (870) 325-6521
Services: Very basic building permits
Notes: Very limited development; small rural county; timber industry
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Cleveland County Veterans Service Office – (870) 325-6521
VA Medical: Central Arkansas VA (Little Rock)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Rural county; VA access requires travel to Little Rock
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Cleveland County Library – (870) 325-6846
Address: Rison area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi
Notes: Very small library; important community resource in isolated rural county
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Saline River recreation (fishing and floating); hunting on private and timber company lands; very limited public recreation facilities
Notes: Hunting (deer, turkey, ducks) is the primary outdoor recreation; Saline River provides fishing; timber industry manages large land areas with hunting lease access; very limited public recreation infrastructure
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Small rural county; state GIS primary
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Cleveland County Animal Control – (870) 325-6521
Services: Very basic animal control
Notes: Very limited resources
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Cleveland County – (870) 325-6521
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Saline River watershed; timber industry management
Notes: Timber industry dominant; Saline River water quality; very limited industrial environmental concerns
About Cleveland County County
Cleveland County is south-central Arkansas’s Saline River and pine timber county – the river’s bottomland fishing and the timber and row crop economy define a quiet rural community where Rison serves the county’s agricultural and timber families in the south Arkansas interior between the Ouachita foothills and the Gulf Coastal Plain.
Rison (the county seat, population ~1,100) is Cleveland County’s governmental hub on US 63, a south-central Arkansas community whose Saline River access, timber economy, and rural agricultural character anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Rison or nearest regional office (confirm)
Recommended
Search Cleveland County public records for Rison and Cleveland County residents.
Courts & Legal
Cleveland County Circuit Court at 100 Courthouse Square, Rison, AR 71665, phone 870-325-6521, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: Southeast Arkansas Area Agency on Aging (SEAAAA) — serves Cleveland County
Meals on Wheels, transportation, senior centers
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 Magnolia St., Rison, AR 71665
(870) 325-6521
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
100 Magnolia St., Rison, AR 71665
(870) 325-6521
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Cleveland County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
No dedicated Cleveland County genealogical or historical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Cleveland County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division 20 Magnolia Street, Rison, AR 71665 (870) 325-6521 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Arkansas has one of the more generous small-estate thresholds in the country, so check this first.
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where total property value (after debts, excluding the homestead and statutory spousal/minor-child allowances) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after the death. Filed using Form 23 (Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate by Distributee) under Ark. Code § 28-41-101 – no personal representative is appointed, and no full administration is needed.
Independent Administration – available when the will authorizes it, or when all heirs agree to it. The personal representative acts with minimal court oversight at each step.
Supervised Administration – the traditional, more heavily court-involved track; used for contested estates or when independent administration isn’t available or agreed to.
Administration with Will Annexed – used when a valid will doesn’t name an executor, or the named executor can’t or won’t serve.
If using the small estate affidavit
Wait at least 45 days after the death.
Confirm the estate’s total value (after debts, excluding homestead and statutory allowances) is $100,000 or less and there are no unresolved claims against the estate.
Complete Form 23, the Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate by Distributee, listing the property and heirs.
File it with the Probate Clerk, or present it with a certified death certificate directly to banks or other institutions holding the property.
If filing for independent or supervised administration
Gather the original will (if any), a certified death certificate, a list of assets/debts, and names of heirs.
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative (Form 3, if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Administrator/Administratrix (Form 2, if there isn’t) with the Probate Division. Filing fee is $165.
If there’s a will, the court formally admits it to probate; the court then issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative must file an inventory of estate assets within 2 months of appointment.
Creditor notice must be published in a local newspaper, plus direct notice to known creditors; creditors then have 6 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
If independent administration applies, the personal representative can act on most matters without seeking court approval at each step.
After debts are resolved, the personal representative files a final settlement with the court; once approved, the estate closes.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit: no separate court filing fee (a nominal recording fee may apply depending on what’s being transferred).
Formal probate filing fee: $165 (may vary somewhat by county).
Personal representative and attorney compensation: no fixed statutory rate – courts typically look to roughly 2–5% of the estate’s value as a reasonable baseline, subject to court approval as “just and reasonable.”
No state estate tax or inheritance tax in Arkansas.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
Rison, AR 71665
(870) 325-7133
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 325-7157
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Cleveland County Health Unit – (870) 325-7107
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: No local hospital; nearest care in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) or Warren (Bradley County)
Notes: No local hospital – one of Arkansas’s counties without a local hospital; health disparities; transportation barriers critical
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Rison
Population: 7,550
Area: 598 sq mi
Established: 1873
Public Records
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