Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Arkansas County
Searcy County County Government Offices
County SeatMarshall
Population7,828
Founded1838
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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: Searcy County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 302 N Main St, Marshall, AR 72650
Phone: (870) 448-3807
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Marshall community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: North-central Arkansas Ozark county; Marshall is county seat; Buffalo National River (southern boundary – Buffalo River forms the county’s south border); Rush Creek (historic zinc mining area); tornado corridor; flash flooding in rugged Ozark terrain; one of Arkansas’s most isolated and rural counties; very limited services
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Searcy County Road Department – (870) 448-3807
Public Transit: None; completely auto-dependent; one of Arkansas’s most remote counties
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: AR-27 and AR-14 are main corridors; Marshall is a very small county seat; Yellville (Marion County) and Harrison (Boone County) are the nearest significant centers; very rugged Ozark terrain; Buffalo National River gorge on the south is a major geographic barrier; extremely remote
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Searcy County – (870) 448-3807
Services: Very basic building permits; Marshall and St. Joe separate
Notes: Very limited development; one of Arkansas’s least populous counties; National Forest and National River borders; remote mountain county
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Searcy County Veterans Service Office – (870) 448-3807
VA Medical: Fayetteville VAMC – distant; Mountain Home VA clinic (Baxter County) more accessible
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Extremely remote county; VA access is very challenging; telehealth critical
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Searcy County Library – (870) 448-3812
Address: Marshall area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi; Buffalo River and Ozark heritage materials
Notes: Very small library in one of Arkansas’s most isolated counties; critical community resource; important internet access point
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Buffalo National River (forms southern border – the Upper Buffalo; remote, undeveloped reaches of the river; Steel Creek area accessible from here; some of the most wild and beautiful river stretches in the Ozarks); Rush Historic District (Rush – abandoned zinc mining ghost town on the Buffalo River; NPS managed; fascinating industrial ghost town in a spectacular natural setting); Ozark National Forest (northern portions of county); Boxley Valley elk (accessible from south – Newton County); hiking in remote Ozark wilderness
Notes: Searcy County’s portion of the Buffalo National River (the upper reaches) is some of the wildest and most remote river in the Ozarks; Rush Historic District is remarkable – a once-thriving zinc mining community completely abandoned when the mines closed; the ruins are preserved by NPS in a dramatic river canyon setting; this is genuine Ozark wilderness – one of the least-developed counties in the mid-South; the remoteness that makes Searcy County challenging to serve is also what makes it extraordinarily beautiful
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; NPS GIS for Buffalo National River; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov; USFS for Ozark National Forest
Notes: Very rural county; NPS and USFS mapping dominant for most of county lands; USGS topographic maps essential for navigation in this remote area
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Searcy County Animal Control – (870) 448-3807
Services: Very basic animal control; NPS and AGFC manage wildlife
Notes: Extremely limited resources; one of Arkansas’s least populous counties; wild boar management in the Buffalo River watershed important
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Searcy County – (870) 448-3807; very limited infrastructure
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; NPS (Buffalo National River – upper reaches and Rush historic district); Ozark National Forest (USFS); Buffalo River watershed protection
Notes: Buffalo National River upper watershed protection is the paramount environmental concern; the Rush zinc mining district’s historic contamination is managed by NPS; zinc and lead tailings from Rush mines (1880s-1960s) present legacy contamination concerns in the river; NPS monitors and manages these carefully; the Buffalo River’s pristine condition in this remote upper section is extraordinary and must be protected from any future development pressure; wild boar are an increasing management challenge in the upper Buffalo watershed – their rooting behavior damages stream banks and water quality
About Searcy County County
Searcy County is Arkansas’s remote upper Ozarks and Buffalo River wilderness county – the river’s most pristine wilderness reaches and the Richland Creek Wilderness preserve an authentic Ozark mountain landscape where Marshall serves the county’s small population in one of Arkansas’s most genuinely remote mountain communities.
Marshall (the county seat, population ~1,300) is Searcy County’s governmental hub on AR-27, a remote Arkansas Ozark Mountain community whose Buffalo River wilderness, Richland Creek access, and mountain character anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Marshall (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Searcy County public records for Marshall and Searcy County residents.
Courts & Legal
Searcy County Circuit Court at 208 Courthouse Square, Marshall, AR 72650, phone 870-448-2521, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: North Central Arkansas Area Agency on Aging — serves Searcy 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 S. Fall St., Marshall, AR 72650
(870) 448-5516
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
301 S. Fall St., Marshall, AR 72650
(870) 448-5516
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Searcy County Circuit Clerk (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Searcy County Historical Society, P.O. Box 133, Marshall, AR 72650, [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
Searcy County Circuit Clerk – Probate Division 200 AR-27, Marshall, AR 72650 (870) 448-3807 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
Marshall, AR 72650
(870) 448-5522
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 448-5516
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Searcy County Health Unit – (870) 448-3807
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: No local hospital; Baxter Regional (Mountain Home) and North Arkansas Regional (Harrison) serve county
Notes: No local hospital – one of Arkansas’s counties without any hospital; medical emergencies require evacuation; extremely rural health challenges; health department nurse is critical for this isolated community
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Marshall
Population: 7,828
Area: 668 sq mi
Established: 1838
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Searcy County County residents.
