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Arkansas County
Sevier County, Arkansas
De Queen's poultry industry and the Little River - from De Queen's significant poultry processing economy (the poultry industry anchored by processing facilities in De Queen is the primary driver of Sevier County's economy - the growth of contract poultry farming in the southwest Arkansas Ouachita foothills has brought substantial Hispanic immigrant populations to communities like De Queen) to the Little River's Sevier County corridor and Gillham Lake's recreation on the Cossatot River tributary.
County SeatDe Queen
Population15,839
Founded1828
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Office: Sevier County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 115 N 3rd St, De Queen, AR 71832
Phone: (870) 584-3441
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; De Queen community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: Southwest Arkansas; De Queen is county seat; Little River drainage (Gillham Lake); tornado corridor; Oklahoma border county; Ouachita National Forest borders; significant Hispanic population from poultry industry; timber and poultry industry dominant; Cossatot River (wild whitewater river)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Sevier County Road Department – (870) 584-3441
Public Transit: Very limited; auto-dependent; rural county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-70 and US-71 are main corridors; De Queen is county seat and regional center; Oklahoma border proximity (Broken Bow, OK area accessible); timber industry truck traffic significant; poultry processing drives agricultural transportation
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Sevier County – (870) 584-3441
Services: Building permits; De Queen, Horatio, Gillham separate
Notes: Poultry processing facility construction; timber industry; limited residential development; Gillham Lake recreation development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Sevier County Veterans Service Office – (870) 584-3441
VA Medical: Overton Brooks VAMC (Shreveport, LA); Texarkana VA clinic accessible
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Shreveport VA most accessible for southwest Arkansas; rural county
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Sevier County Library – (870) 584-3303 | seviercolibrary.org
Address: De Queen area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; bilingual materials; Cossatot River heritage
Notes: Library serves diverse community including significant Spanish-speaking population; bilingual programming important; Cossatot River heritage and Ouachita Mountains materials
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cossatot River State Park Natural Area – arkansasstateparks.com | (870) 385-2201 (the Cossatot River is Arkansas’s finest whitewater river; Class III-V rapids; beautiful and wild; “bone crusher” rapids in spring flood; also excellent smallmouth bass fishing in low water; one of Arkansas’s most dramatic natural experiences); Gillham Lake (Corps of Engineers – excellent bass fishing; camping; boating); Ouachita National Forest access; hunting on national forest and private timber lands
Notes: The Cossatot River is Arkansas’s most thrilling whitewater experience – the river cascades through a dramatic Ouachita Mountain gorge with Class III-V rapids that attract paddlers from across the South; its name reportedly comes from a Caddo word meaning “skull crusher” or “bone crusher” reflecting the river’s power; in low water the Cossatot is a beautiful smallmouth bass stream; Gillham Lake provides gentler water recreation; the combination of whitewater, lake fishing, and National Forest access makes Sevier County an outdoor recreation destination
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Rural county; state GIS primary; Army Corps Gillham Lake mapping; Ouachita National Forest USFS mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Sevier County Animal Control – (870) 584-3441; De Queen area humane efforts
Services: Basic animal control; bilingual coordination for Hispanic community
Notes: Limited resources; poultry worker community has diverse pet ownership; De Queen Humane Society
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Sevier County – (870) 584-3441; De Queen city sanitation
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Cossatot River State Park management; Ouachita National Forest; Gillham Lake (Army Corps); poultry industry waste management; Little River watershed
Notes: Cossatot River water quality is critical for the whitewater recreation economy – any pollution would destroy the pristine river experience; poultry industry (Tyson Foods has a major processing plant in De Queen) creates wastewater treatment requirements monitored by ADEQ; Little River and Cossatot River watershed management; Ouachita National Forest provides watershed protection; Gillham Lake water quality managed by Army Corps; the Cossatot’s remote canyon setting is both spectacular and environmentally sensitive
About Sevier County
Sevier County is southwest Arkansas’s poultry and Ouachita foothills county – De Queen’s poultry processing industry has transformed the county’s demographics while the Little River and Gillham Lake provide outdoor recreation.
De Queen (the county seat, population ~6,000) has grown substantially from poultry industry immigration – the community’s Hispanic population, drawn by processing plant employment, has transformed De Queen into one of southwest Arkansas’s more diverse small cities.
Gillham Lake on the Cossatot River tributary provides boating and fishing recreation in the Ouachita Mountain foothills.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: DeQueen (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Sevier County public records for De Queen, Lockesburg, and Sevier County residents.
Courts & Legal
Sevier County Circuit Clerk at 115 N. 3rd Street, De Queen, AR 71832, phone 870-584-3055, 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
115 N. 3rd St., De Queen, AR 71832
(870) 584-3055
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
115 N. 3rd St., De Queen, AR 71832
(870) 584-3055
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Sevier County Clerk, Probate Division (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Sevier County Museum, 717 Walter J. Leeper Drive, DeQueen, AR 71832, (870) 642-6642, [email protected]
Sevier County Historical Society (founded 1984), De Queen, AR
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 Sevier County, probate matters are handled by the County Clerk’s Office, while other Circuit Court matters go through the separate Circuit Clerk.
Sevier County Clerk – Probate Division 115 North 3rd Street, De Queen, AR 71832 (870) 642-2852 (Probate/County Clerk); (870) 584-3055 (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
De Queen, AR 71832
(870) 584-4477
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 584-4462
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Sevier County Health Unit – (870) 584-4434
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records; bilingual Spanish/English services
Hospital: De Queen Medical Center – (870) 584-4111; critical access hospital; Texarkana hospitals for major care
Notes: Small critical access hospital; bilingual health services critical given large Spanish-speaking poultry worker community; WIC heavily utilized; Texarkana healthcare for specialty needs
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: De Queen
Population: 15,839
Area: 565 sq mi
Established: 1828
Tier: 3
Public Records
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