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Arkansas County
Nevada County County Government Offices
County SeatPrescott
Population8,310
Founded1871
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Office: Nevada County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 215 E 2nd St S, Prescott, AR 71857
Phone: (870) 887-2517
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Prescott community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: Southwest Arkansas; Prescott is county seat; Little Missouri River drainage; tornado corridor; timber industry dominant; Old Washington State Park nearby (significant historic site); very rural county
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Nevada County Road Department – (870) 887-2517
Public Transit: Very limited; auto-dependent; rural county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-371 and US-278 are main corridors; Prescott is small county seat; Texarkana and Hope are the nearest significant centers; very rural agricultural and timber county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Nevada County – (870) 887-2517
Services: Basic building permits; Prescott and Emmet separate
Notes: Very limited development; timber and agricultural county; limited construction activity
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Nevada County Veterans Service Office – (870) 887-2517
VA Medical: Overton Brooks VAMC (Shreveport, LA); Texarkana VA clinic
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Shreveport VA most accessible; rural county with limited local veteran services
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Nevada County Library – (870) 887-2812
Address: Prescott area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs
Notes: Small library; Old Washington State Park history materials accessible through county library collections; important community resource
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Old Washington State Park – arkansasstateparks.com | (870) 983-2684 (one of Arkansas’s finest historic state parks; the antebellum county seat of Hempstead County; where James Bowie supposedly received his famous knife from blacksmith James Black; where Sam Houston stayed on his way to Texas; where the Confederate capital of Arkansas was briefly located during the Civil War; beautifully preserved 1820s-1860s architecture); Crater of Diamonds State Park (Pike County – nearby; world’s only diamond mine open to the public); Little Missouri River recreation
Notes: Old Washington State Park is a gem of Arkansas heritage – a beautifully preserved antebellum village where James Bowie received his famous Bowie knife, Sam Houston planned his Texas adventures, and the Arkansas Confederate government relocated during the Civil War; it’s one of the most historically layered sites in the mid-South; the Crater of Diamonds SP nearby in Pike County draws visitors to this region
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Rural county; state GIS primary
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Nevada County Animal Control – (870) 887-2517
Services: Basic animal control
Notes: Very limited resources
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Nevada County – (870) 887-2517
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Little Missouri River watershed; timber industry management
Notes: Timber dominant land use; Little Missouri River water quality; very limited industrial environmental concerns; ADEQ timber industry monitoring
About Nevada County County
Nevada County is southwest Arkansas’s Ouachita River transition zone and timber county – the river corridor and the pine timber and poultry farming landscape define a community where Prescott serves the county’s agricultural families on the I-30 corridor between Little Rock and Texarkana.
Prescott (the county seat, population ~3,100) is Nevada County’s governmental hub on I-30, a southwest Arkansas community whose timber economy, Ouachita River proximity, and courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Prescott (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Nevada County public records for Prescott and Nevada County residents.
Courts & Legal
Nevada County Circuit Court at 215 E. 2nd Street N, Prescott, AR 71857, phone 870-887-2517, 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
215 E. 2nd St. N., Prescott, AR 71857
(870) 887-2710
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
215 E. 2nd St. N., Prescott, AR 71857
(870) 887-2710
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Nevada County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Nevada County Depot and Museum, 403 West First Street South, Prescott, AR 71857 (mailing: P.O. Box 592), (870) 887-5821, [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
Nevada County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division 215 East 2nd Street South, Prescott, AR 71857 (870) 887-2511 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
Prescott, AR 71857
(870) 887-2316
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 887-6484
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Nevada County Health Unit – (870) 887-2331
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: Nevada County Ouachita Valley Medical Center (Prescott) – (870) 887-3511; critical access hospital
Notes: Small critical access hospital; Texarkana or Hope for specialty care; rural south Arkansas health disparities; WIC critically important
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County Facts
County Seat: Prescott
Population: 8,310
Area: 618 sq mi
Established: 1871
Public Records
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