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Arkansas County
Crittenden County, Arkansas
West Memphis's Blues Trail connection and the Memphis metro's Arkansas side - from West Memphis's Delta Blues heritage (West Memphis was a significant stop on the Blues Highway - Highway 61 and the Mississippi River blues corridor passed through Crittenden County, and the blues clubs and juke joints of West Memphis attracted musicians and audiences from across the Delta) to the West Memphis Three case (the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis and the subsequent wrongful conviction of three teenagers became one of the most high-profile criminal justice cases in American history, documented in the Paradise Lost documentary series) and Crittenden County's Mississippi River agricultural delta landscape.
County SeatMarion
Population48,163
Founded1825
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Office: Crittenden County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 100 Court St, Marion, AR 72364
Phone: (870) 739-3238
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio; New Madrid Seismic Zone alerts
Shelter Info: Multiple shelter locations; Marion and West Memphis community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: Northeast Arkansas; West Memphis is the major city; Marion is county seat; Mississippi River borders the east (significant flood risk); New Madrid Seismic Zone (major earthquake risk – see Craighead County notes); West Memphis is directly across the Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee; I-40 and I-55 cross here creating a major transportation hub; West Memphis Three case (famous criminal justice case from the 1990s); tornado corridor
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Crittenden County Road Department – (870) 739-3238
Public Transit: Limited; West Memphis city bus; Memphis Area Transit (MATA) accessible across river for some residents
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: I-40 (Memphis to Little Rock – extremely heavy truck traffic; one of the busiest freight corridors in the US) and I-55 (Chicago to New Orleans) both cross the Mississippi here; Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (I-40) and Hernando de Soto Bridge (I-40/I-55) are critical infrastructure; West Memphis is a major trucking hub; Marion VA clinic serves veterans
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Crittenden County – (870) 739-3238
Services: Building permits; West Memphis (active), Marion, Earle, Turrell, Jennette, Sunset have separate permits
Notes: I-40/I-55 interchange generates significant commercial/industrial development; trucking and logistics facilities; West Memphis gaming (Southland Casino Racing) drives hospitality development; Marion growing as Memphis suburb
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Crittenden County Veterans Service Office – (870) 739-3238
VA Medical: Marion VA Clinic – (870) 739-1052 (local outpatient clinic); Memphis VAMC – (901) 523-8990 (across the river – major VA facility)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Marion VA clinic provides local access; Memphis VA (just across the river) is a major facility; very accessible VA services for this border county
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Crittenden County Library – West Memphis: (870) 735-1580; Marion: (870) 739-6202
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs
Notes: Two-branch system; West Memphis branch serves the urban population; Memphis Public Library system also accessible across the bridge; bilingual services growing with Hispanic population increase
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Southland Casino Racing (West Memphis – greyhound racing and casino; major entertainment employer); Mississippi River heritage; Tom Sawyer’s Island; West Memphis arena events; Horseshoe Lake (fishing); Wapanocca NWR (waterfowl)
Notes: West Memphis’s proximity to Memphis makes it part of the broader Mid-South entertainment market; Southland Casino Racing is one of Arkansas’s major gaming facilities; Wapanocca NWR is an excellent waterfowl area; the Mississippi River levee system creates linear recreation corridors; Delta Blues music heritage connects across the river to Memphis’s Beale Street
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Crittenden County GIS; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: County GIS; Mississippi River levee mapping (Army Corps critical); New Madrid Seismic Zone hazard maps; I-40/I-55 bridge infrastructure mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Crittenden County Animal Control – (870) 739-3238; West Memphis Animal Services
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, animal control
Notes: Urban Delta county; Memphis/West Memphis metro animal rescue community active
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Crittenden County – (870) 739-3238; West Memphis city sanitation
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Army Corps (Mississippi River levees – critical); New Madrid Seismic Zone infrastructure vulnerability; I-40/I-55 corridor industrial environmental compliance; agricultural drainage from Delta fields
Notes: Mississippi River levee system is critical infrastructure for Crittenden County – without the levees, much of the county would flood; Army Corps maintains and inspects the levees; New Madrid Seismic Zone poses the greatest single infrastructure risk to Crittenden County – a major earthquake could damage the Mississippi River bridges (I-40 and I-55 Hernando de Soto Bridge), which would have national economic consequences (these are among the highest-truck-traffic bridges in the US); industrial facilities along I-40/I-55 corridor require environmental monitoring; agricultural chemical runoff from Delta fields is managed through drainage districts
About Crittenden County
Crittenden County is northeast Arkansas’s Memphis metro delta county – the Mississippi River border community whose Delta Blues heritage and the West Memphis Three case gave it national attention for very different reasons.
West Memphis (population ~24,000) sits directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis – the city’s identity is deeply connected to its larger neighbor while maintaining its own Delta character. The West Memphis Three case – in which Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were convicted of murders they likely did not commit and served 18 years before release – drew international attention to Arkansas’s criminal justice system.
Marion (the county seat, population ~12,000) is the county’s governmental hub.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS offices: West Memphis (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Crittenden County public records for Marion, West Memphis, Earle, and Crittenden County residents.
Courts & Legal
Crittenden County Circuit Clerk at 100 Court Square, Marion, AR 72364, phone 870-739-4434, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging (EAAAA) — serves Crittenden 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 Court St., Marion, AR 72364
(870) 739-4434
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
100 Court St., Marion, AR 72364
(870) 739-3248
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Crittenden County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
No dedicated Crittenden 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
Crittenden County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division 100 Court Square, Marion, AR 72364 (870) 739-3248 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
350 Afton Ave., Marion, AR 72364
(870) 739-4434
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 735-3300
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Crittenden County Health Unit – (870) 735-3108
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: Baptist Memorial Hospital West Memphis – (870) 735-1500; also extensive Memphis healthcare accessible
Notes: West Memphis uses both Arkansas and Tennessee (Memphis) healthcare systems; Baptist Memorial serves the local population; Crittenden County has high rates of STIs and poverty-related health conditions; West Memphis has significant social service needs
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Marion
Population: 48,163
Area: 610 sq mi
Established: 1825
Tier: 3
Public Records
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