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Arkansas County
Lincoln County, Arkansas
Star City's Grand Prairie agriculture and the Cummins Unit - from Star City's position in the Grand Prairie agricultural region (Lincoln County's flat alluvial soils produce rice and soybeans on a landscape that extends from the Arkansas River delta to the Louisiana border - the county's agricultural productivity has sustained communities that have otherwise faced significant economic challenges) to the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction (the large maximum-security prison facility near Grady is one of Lincoln County's largest employers, a common pattern in rural Arkansas counties where corrections employment supplements agricultural economies).
County SeatStar City
Population13,000
Founded1871
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Lincoln County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 300 S Drew St, Star City, AR 71667
Phone: (870) 628-5020
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Star City community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: Southeast Arkansas; Star City is county seat; Saline River drainage; tornado corridor; agricultural county (soybeans, rice, cotton); Cummins Unit (major Arkansas Department of Correction prison farm – historically controversial, site of 1960s farm abuses that led to Supreme Court prison reform case Holt v. Sarver); limited emergency resources
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Lincoln County Road Department – (870) 628-5020
Public Transit: Very limited; auto-dependent rural county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-425 and US-65 are main corridors; Star City is small county seat; Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) is the nearest significant center; prison agricultural operations generate unique truck traffic; flat agricultural terrain
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lincoln County – (870) 628-5020
Services: Basic building permits; Star City, Grady, Altheimer separate
Notes: Agricultural county; prison system construction through ADC channels; limited development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lincoln County Veterans Service Office – (870) 628-5020
VA Medical: Central Arkansas VA (Little Rock) – Pine Bluff VA clinic closer; Overton Brooks VA (Shreveport)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Pine Bluff VA clinic is the nearest outpatient facility; rural county with limited local veteran services
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lincoln County Library – (870) 628-4344
Address: Star City area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs
Notes: Small library serving rural agricultural county
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Saline River (fishing and floating); Delta agricultural landscape; Cummins Unit Prison Farm (historically significant – site of prison reform litigation); very limited public recreation facilities
Notes: Lincoln County’s most historically significant site is the Cummins Prison Farm – the conditions documented here in the 1960s and 1970s led to the landmark Holt v. Sarver Supreme Court case that established the constitutional rights of prisoners and fundamentally reformed the US prison system; this is a significant but often overlooked piece of American legal and civil rights history; Saline River provides fishing and water recreation
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Rural county; state GIS primary
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Lincoln County Animal Control – (870) 628-5020
Services: Basic animal control
Notes: Very limited resources; rural agricultural county
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Lincoln County – (870) 628-5020
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Saline River watershed; agricultural chemical runoff; ADC Cummins Unit waste management (ADC manages separately)
Notes: Agricultural county with intensive row crop production; agricultural chemical runoff into Saline River monitored by ADEQ; Cummins Unit manages its own environmental compliance as a state prison; limited environmental management capacity
About Lincoln County
Lincoln County is southeast Arkansas’s Grand Prairie rice and corrections economy county – the flat alluvial farmland’s rice and soybean production and the Cummins Unit’s correctional employment define the county’s economic landscape.
Star City (the county seat, population ~2,300) serves the county’s governmental and commercial needs in the flat southeast Arkansas Grand Prairie.
The Cummins Unit – a major Arkansas Department of Correction facility – provides significant public employment in a county with limited private sector alternatives.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Star City (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Lincoln County public records for Star City, Grady, and Lincoln County residents.
Courts & Legal
Lincoln County Circuit Clerk at 300 S. Drew Street, Star City, AR 71667, phone 870-628-5114, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: Southeast Arkansas Area Agency on Aging (SEAAAA) — serves Lincoln 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
300 S. Drew St., Star City, AR 71667
(870) 628-5114
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
300 S. Drew St., Star City, AR 71667
(870) 628-5114
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lincoln County Clerk, Probate Division (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Lincoln County Historical Society, c/o Vera Reynolds, 300 S. Drew Street, Star City, AR 71667
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 Lincoln County, probate matters are handled by the County Clerk’s Office, while other Circuit Court matters go through the separate Circuit Clerk.
Lincoln County Clerk – Probate Division 300 S. Drew Street, Star City, AR 71667 (870) 628-5114 (Probate/County Clerk); (870) 628-3154 (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
Star City, AR 71667
(870) 628-4171
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 628-5555
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Lincoln County Health Unit – (870) 628-5255
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: Lincoln County Medical Center (Star City) – (870) 628-4000; critical access hospital
Notes: Small critical access hospital; significant prison healthcare operations at ADC Cummins Unit (separate state health system); agricultural community health profile; limited specialty care
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Star City
Population: 13,000
Area: 563 sq mi
Established: 1871
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Lincoln County residents.
