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Arkansas County
Marion County, Arkansas
Bull Shoals Lake's Arkansas shoreline and the White River trout corridor - from Bull Shoals Lake's Marion County shoreline (the 45,000-acre reservoir's Arkansas shore - with its dramatic White River canyon and clear Ozark water - is Marion County's primary recreation and economic asset, with Bull Shoals State Park and dozens of marinas, resorts, and vacation rentals serving year-round visitors) to the White River's legendary trout fishing below Bull Shoals Dam (the cold tailwaters produce trophy rainbow and brown trout in what is consistently ranked among the top 10 trout streams in the United States).
County SeatYellville
Population16,664
Founded1836
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Office: Marion County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 301 E Old Main St, Yellville, AR 72687
Phone: (870) 449-6231
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Yellville and Bull Shoals community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: North-central Arkansas Ozark county; Yellville is county seat; Bull Shoals Lake (the major feature – shared with Baxter County across the Missouri border); White River below Bull Shoals Dam; tornado corridor; flash flooding in Ozark terrain; winter weather at elevation; significant retirement and tourism community around Bull Shoals Lake; Turkey Trot Festival (Yellville – famous live turkey drop controversy)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Marion County Road Department – (870) 449-6231
Public Transit: Very limited; demand-response; rural Ozark lake county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-62 and AR-14 are main corridors; Yellville is small county seat; Bull Shoals Lake drives tourism and retirement traffic; mountain terrain; Missouri border proximity; Harrison (Boone County) is the nearest significant regional center
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Marion County – (870) 449-6231
Services: Building permits; Yellville, Bull Shoals, Flippin, Cotter, Oakland separate
Notes: Bull Shoals Lake waterfront development significant; retirement community construction; tourism facilities; lake cabin development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Marion County Veterans Service Office – (870) 449-6231
VA Medical: Fayetteville VAMC; Mountain Home VA clinic (Baxter County) – most accessible
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Mountain Home VA clinic is the nearest outpatient facility; large retirement community includes significant veteran population
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Marion County Library – Yellville: (870) 449-6015; Bull Shoals Branch
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs
Notes: Two-branch system; Bull Shoals branch serves the larger lakefront retirement community; Yellville branch serves the county seat area
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Bull Shoals Lake (one of Arkansas’s largest lakes – 94,000 acres; outstanding bass and crappie fishing; multiple marinas; Army Corps managed; shared with Missouri); Bull Shoals-White River State Park – arkansasstateparks.com | (870) 431-5521 (excellent trout fishing below the dam); White River below Bull Shoals Dam (world-class trout tailwater – brown and rainbow trout; Cotter is the “Trout Fishing Capital of the World”); Crooked Creek (smallmouth bass); Turkey Trot Festival (Yellville – annual festival with live turkey drop from airplane; famous/infamous nationally; turkeys are now encouraged to fly not dropped injured)
Notes: The White River below Bull Shoals Dam in Marion County (at Cotter) is among the most celebrated trout fishing rivers in North America – “Trout Fishing Capital of the World”; the cold tailwater from the dam creates ideal trout habitat; Cotter’s bridge area is a classic trout fishing scene; Bull Shoals Lake’s fishing is outstanding; the Yellville Turkey Trot festival with its turkey drop from an airplane has generated national media attention and animal welfare controversy for decades; Marion County’s Ozark lake and river landscape is genuinely beautiful
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Marion County GIS; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: County GIS; Army Corps Bull Shoals Lake mapping; White River trout water mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Marion County Animal Control – (870) 449-6231; Bull Shoals/Flippin area humane efforts
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, animal control
Notes: Retirement community supports some humane programs; Turkey Trot animal welfare controversy has raised awareness of animal welfare in the county
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Marion County – (870) 449-6231; Bull Shoals, Flippin, Cotter, Yellville manage separately
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Army Corps (Bull Shoals Lake; White River); White River trout fishery water quality; Crooked Creek watershed
Notes: Bull Shoals Lake water quality is critical for the recreation economy; nutrient loading from lakefront development is monitored; White River trout fishery quality requires cold, clean water maintained through careful dam release management by the Army Corps; Crooked Creek (a White River tributary in Marion County) has had significant water quality issues from karst geology bringing livestock waste into the groundwater – a documented challenge; Army Corps management of Bull Shoals Dam is essential for both recreation and the downstream trout fishery
About Marion County
Marion County is north-central Arkansas’s Bull Shoals Lake and White River trout county – the lake’s scenic Ozark shoreline and the legendary trout fishery below the dam anchor a recreation economy that sustains the county’s communities.
Bull Shoals (population ~2,000) and Flippin (population ~1,400) serve the lake recreation economy – marinas, boat dealers, fishing guides, and vacation rentals support communities whose economic identity is defined by the reservoir.
Yellville (the county seat, population ~1,300) is the county’s governmental hub and hosts the annual Wild Turkey Calling Contest.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Yellville or Flippin (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Marion County public records for Yellville, Bull Shoals, Flippin, and Marion County residents.
Courts & Legal
Marion County Circuit Clerk at 300 E. Old Main Street, Yellville, AR 72687, phone 870-449-6231, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: North Central Arkansas Area Agency on Aging — serves Marion 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
301 E. Main St., Yellville, AR 72687
(870) 449-4329
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
301 E. Main St., Yellville, AR 72687
(870) 449-6231
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Marion County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Marion County Arkansas Heritage Society, P.O. Box 761, Yellville, AR 72687, [email protected]
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
Marion County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division 300 E. Old Main Street, Yellville, AR 72687 (870) 449-6226 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
Yellville, AR 72687
(870) 449-4242
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 449-4209
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Marion County Health Unit – (870) 449-4282
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: Ozark Health Inc. (Clinton – Van Buren County) – region; Baxter Regional (Mountain Home) serves area; Flippin area clinic
Notes: No large local hospital; Baxter Regional Medical Center (Mountain Home) is the primary referral hospital; retirement community creates significant healthcare demand; limited local specialty care
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Yellville
Population: 16,664
Area: 597 sq mi
Established: 1836
Tier: 3
Public Records
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