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Arkansas County
Lee County County Government Offices
County SeatMarianna
Population8,600
Founded1873
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Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Marianna community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: East Arkansas Delta county; Marianna is county seat on Crowley’s Ridge overlooking the Delta; St. Francis River drainage (flooding); tornado corridor; majority African American county; one of Arkansas’s most economically distressed counties; significant poverty and health disparities; Crowley’s Ridge College (Paragould) accessible but Lee County has no 4-year university
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Lee County Road Department – (870) 295-7764
Public Transit: Very limited; demand-response; rural Delta county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-79 and US-49 are main corridors; Marianna sits on Crowley’s Ridge offering distinctive scenery above the Delta; very rural; Memphis (Tennessee) is the nearest major urban center for healthcare and services; flat Delta terrain outside the ridge
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lee County – (870) 295-7764
Services: Basic building permits; Marianna, Marvell, Haynes separate
Notes: Very limited development; one of Arkansas’s most economically distressed counties; limited construction activity
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lee County Veterans Service Office – (870) 295-7764
VA Medical: Memphis VAMC – most accessible; Marion VA clinic (Crittenden County)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Memphis VA is the nearest major VA facility; rural Delta transportation challenges make VA access difficult; telehealth critical
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lee County Library – (870) 295-7086
Address: Marianna area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs
Notes: Small library; critical resource in economically distressed county; internet access through library is essential for many residents
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Crowley’s Ridge State Park – (870) 573-6751 (beautiful loess bluff park with lake; hiking; camping; scenic overlook of the Delta); L’Anguille River (fishing); Delta cultural heritage; St. Francis NF (small national forest – Crowley’s Ridge area); hunting and fishing
Notes: Crowley’s Ridge SP is the county’s recreational crown jewel – the beautiful loess bluffs rising above the flat Delta provide dramatic scenery unusual in Arkansas; the park lake is excellent for fishing; Delta Blues music heritage connects Lee County to the broader Mississippi Delta culture; hunting and fishing on private lands are primary outdoor activities
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Poor rural county; minimal GIS resources; state resources primary
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Lee County Animal Control – (870) 295-7764
Services: Very basic animal control
Notes: Extremely limited resources; one of Arkansas’s most economically challenged counties
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Lee County – (870) 295-7764
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; St. Francis River watershed; agricultural drainage management; Crowley’s Ridge ecological protection
Notes: St. Francis River drainage management; agricultural chemical runoff from Delta fields; Crowley’s Ridge unique ecology (beech-maple forests) deserves conservation attention; illegal dumping is a documented concern in very poor rural counties; very limited environmental management capacity
About Lee County County
Lee County is east Arkansas’s Cache River and Delta bottomland county – the wildlife refuge corridor that may shelter the ivory-billed woodpecker and the flat Delta cotton and soybean landscape define a county where Marianna serves the surrounding agricultural communities in the east Arkansas Delta interior.
Marianna (the county seat, population ~3,500) is Lee County’s governmental hub on US 79, an east Arkansas Delta community whose Cache River refuge proximity, Delta farming, and courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Marianna (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Note: High poverty rate; significant DHS/Medicaid utilization
Recommended
Search Lee County public records for Marianna and Lee County residents.
Courts & Legal
Lee County Circuit Court at 15 E. Chestnut Street, Marianna, AR 72360, phone 870-295-7723, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging (EAAAA) — serves Lee 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
15 E. Chestnut St., Marianna, AR 72360
(870) 295-7763
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
15 E. Chestnut St., Marianna, AR 72360
(870) 295-7763
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lee County Clerk, Probate Division (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Tri-County Genealogical Society (Monroe-Phillips-Lee Counties), P.O. Box 580, Marvell, AR 72366, (870) 829-2971 – covers Lee County alongside neighboring Monroe and Phillips counties.
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
In Lee County, probate matters are handled by the County Clerk’s Office, while other Circuit Court matters go through the separate Circuit Clerk.
Lee County Clerk – Probate Division 15 East Chestnut Street, Marianna, AR 72360 (870) 295-7715 (Probate/County Clerk); (870) 295-7710 (Circuit Clerk, other case types) 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
Marianna, AR 72360
(870) 295-7767
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 295-7763
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Lee County Health Unit – (870) 295-7727
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI/HIV testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: Lee Memorial Hospital (Marianna) – (870) 295-4422; critical access hospital
Notes: Small critical access hospital; severe health disparities in this Delta county; STI rates very high; diabetes, hypertension, obesity elevated; WIC and maternal health critically important; limited specialty care; Memphis for major medical needs
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County Facts
County Seat: Marianna
Population: 8,600
Area: 603 sq mi
Established: 1873
Public Records
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