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Arkansas County
Lafayette County County Government Offices
County SeatLewisville
Population6,308
Founded1827
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Office: Lafayette County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 2 Courthouse Sq, Lewisville, AR 71845
Phone: (870) 921-4633
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Lewisville community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: Southwest Arkansas corner county bordering Texas and Louisiana; Lewisville is county seat; Red River drainage (flooding – Red River forms part of the Texas border); tornado corridor; one of Arkansas’s smallest population counties; timber and oil/gas heritage; Stamps is the county’s other significant town (birthplace of Maya Angelou)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Lafayette County Road Department – (870) 921-4633
Public Transit: None; completely auto-dependent; very rural corner county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-82 runs east-west (connecting Texarkana to El Dorado); very rural; Texarkana metro 30 miles west; Louisiana border proximity; flat timberland terrain
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lafayette County – (870) 921-4633
Services: Very basic building permits; Lewisville and Stamps have separate permits
Notes: Very limited development; timber and oil/gas county; one of Arkansas’s least populated counties
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lafayette County Veterans Service Office – (870) 921-4633
VA Medical: Overton Brooks VAMC (Shreveport, LA) – most accessible; Texarkana VA clinic
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Shreveport VA is the closest major VA facility for this corner of Arkansas; very rural with limited local services
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lafayette County Library – (870) 921-5813
Address: Lewisville area; Stamps Branch
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi; Maya Angelou heritage materials
Notes: Small library; Stamps branch serves the Maya Angelou birthplace community – the poet laureate and author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” spent her formative years in Stamps; library holds materials honoring this remarkable native daughter
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Red River (fishing and water recreation); Maya Angelou birthplace and heritage sites in Stamps; hunting on private timberlands; very limited public recreation infrastructure
Notes: Lafayette County’s most significant cultural asset is its connection to Maya Angelou – she grew up in Stamps and her experiences there profoundly shaped “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”; the community honors her memory; Red River provides fishing recreation; hunting on extensive private timberlands is the primary outdoor activity; county is extremely rural with very limited developed recreation
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Very small rural county; state GIS primary; Red River mapping important for flood management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Lafayette County Animal Control – (870) 921-4633
Services: Very basic animal control
Notes: Extremely limited resources; one of Arkansas’s smallest counties
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Lafayette County – (870) 921-4633
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Red River watershed (multi-state – Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma); oil and gas legacy sites; timber industry
Notes: Red River is a multi-state resource with complex water rights and environmental management; oil and gas production in Lafayette County has created legacy site management needs; timber industry dominant land use; ADEQ monitors operations; very limited environmental management capacity
About Lafayette County County
Lafayette County is southwest Arkansas’s Red River watershed and timber agricultural county – the Little River drainage and the pine timber and row crop farming landscape define a small community where Lewisville serves the county’s rural population near the Texas and Louisiana borders.
Lewisville (the county seat, population ~1,100) is Lafayette County’s governmental hub on US 82, a southwest Arkansas agricultural community whose timber economy, Red River watershed, and courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Lewisville or Stamps (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Lafayette County public records for Lewisville and Lafayette County residents.
Courts & Legal
Lafayette County Circuit Court at 2 Courthouse Square, Lewisville, AR 71845, phone 870-921-4633, 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
2 Court Square, Lewisville, AR 71845
(870) 921-4633
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
2 Court Square, Lewisville, AR 71845
(870) 921-4633
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lafayette County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Lafayette County Historical Society, P.O. Box 180, Bradley, AR 71826
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
Lafayette County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division #3 Courthouse Square, Lewisville, AR 71845 (870) 921-4878 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
Lewisville, AR 71845
(870) 921-4323
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 921-4115
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Lafayette County Health Unit – (870) 921-4653
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: No local hospital; Texarkana hospitals (Wadley, Christus St. Michael) serve the county
Notes: Lafayette County has no local hospital; Texarkana is the primary healthcare center; severe health access challenges in this rural corner county
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lewisville
Population: 6,308
Area: 528 sq mi
Established: 1827
Public Records
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