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Arkansas County
Dallas County County Government Offices
County SeatFordyce
Population6,482
Founded1845
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Office: Dallas County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 3 Court Square, Fordyce, AR 71742
Phone: (870) 352-7179
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Fordyce community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: South-central Arkansas; Fordyce is county seat; Ouachita River drainage; tornado corridor; very rural timber county; Paul “Bear” Bryant birthplace (Fordyce – legendary Alabama football coach born here in 1913)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Dallas County Road Department – (870) 352-7179
Public Transit: None; auto-dependent rural county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-79 and US-167 are main corridors; Fordyce is small county seat; very rural; Camden (Ouachita County) and Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) are nearest significant centers
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Dallas County – (870) 352-7179
Services: Very basic building permits; Fordyce has separate permits
Notes: Very limited development; rural timber county
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Dallas County Veterans Service Office – (870) 352-7179
VA Medical: Central Arkansas VA (Little Rock); Shreveport VA also accessible
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Rural south Arkansas; VA access requires significant travel
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Dallas County Library – (870) 352-5433
Address: Fordyce area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs
Notes: Small library; Paul “Bear” Bryant memorabilia in the community reflects local pride in the famous native son
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Ouachita River (fishing and floating); Bear Bryant birthplace marker and museum (Fordyce – pays tribute to the coaching legend born here); hunting on private timberlands; very limited public recreation
Notes: Fordyce takes great pride in being the birthplace of Bear Bryant – the legendary University of Alabama football coach who won 6 national championships; the Bear Bryant Museum in Fordyce is a pilgrimage site for Alabama football fans; Ouachita River provides recreational fishing and floating; hunting is the primary outdoor activity
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: Dallas County Animal Control – (870) 352-7179
Services: Basic animal control
Notes: Very limited resources
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Dallas County – (870) 352-7179
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Ouachita River watershed; timber industry management
Notes: Timber dominant land use; Ouachita River water quality; very limited industrial environmental concerns
About Dallas County County
Dallas County is south-central Arkansas’s Bear Bryant birthplace and Ouachita River county – the hometown of college football’s most legendary coach and the cotton and timber river economy that shaped a small Arkansas community define a county where Fordyce serves the surrounding agricultural families in the south Arkansas interior.
Fordyce (the county seat, population ~3,600) is Dallas County’s governmental hub on US 79, a south-central Arkansas community whose Bear Bryant heritage, Ouachita River setting, and cotton and timber history anchor its identity as the birthplace of college football’s most storied coach.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Fordyce (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Dallas County public records for Fordyce and Dallas County residents.
Courts & Legal
Dallas County Circuit Court at 206 W. 3rd Street, Fordyce, AR 71742, phone 870-352-2307, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District (SWAPDD) — Area Agency on Aging
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
201 W. 3rd St., Fordyce, AR 71742
(870) 352-2307
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
201 W. 3rd St., Fordyce, AR 71742
(870) 352-2307
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dallas County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Dallas County Arkansas Genealogical and Historical Society, c/o Dallas County Library, Fordyce, AR 71742
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
Dallas County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division 206 West Third Street, Fordyce, AR 71742 (870) 352-2307 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
Fordyce, AR 71742
(870) 352-3523
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 352-3137
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Dallas County Health Unit – (870) 352-3112
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: Dallas County Medical Center (Fordyce) – (870) 352-6300; critical access hospital
Notes: Small critical access hospital; Delta-adjacent health disparities; limited specialty care locally
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fordyce
Population: 6,482
Area: 667 sq mi
Established: 1845
Public Records
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