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Arkansas County
St. Francis County County Government Offices
County SeatForrest City
Population23,090
Founded1827
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Office: St. Francis County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 313 S Izard St, Forrest City, AR 72335
Phone: (870) 261-1700
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Multiple shelter locations; Forrest City community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: East Arkansas Delta county; Forrest City is county seat; St. Francis River drainage (flooding); tornado corridor; I-40 corridor county; significant agricultural Delta county; Crowley’s Ridge traverses the county; majority African American county; L’Anguille River; East Arkansas Regional Unit of the ADC (major state prison) in Lee County nearby
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: St. Francis County Road Department – (870) 261-1700
Public Transit: Very limited; demand-response; rural Delta county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: I-40 runs through Forrest City (exits 93-99 – significant I-40 hub between Memphis and Little Rock); US-70 parallel to I-40; Crowley’s Ridge Parkway; railroad through Forrest City important for agricultural shipping; Forrest City is midpoint between Memphis (80 miles east) and Little Rock (85 miles west) on I-40
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: St. Francis County – (870) 261-1700
Services: Building permits; Forrest City (active – separate), Earle (Crittenden County line), Madison, Palestine, Hughes, Caldwell separate
Notes: I-40 commercial development in Forrest City; some manufacturing base; Delta agricultural processing; Crowley’s Ridge development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: St. Francis County Veterans Service Office – (870) 261-1700
VA Medical: Memphis VAMC – 80 miles east via I-40; very accessible; Marion VA clinic (Crittenden County) also accessible
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: I-40 makes Memphis VA quite accessible; active veteran community in Forrest City
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: St. Francis County Library – Forrest City: (870) 633-5223; Hughes Branch; Palestine Branch
Notes: Multi-branch library system; Crowley’s Ridge geological and ecological heritage in local collections; important literacy resource in a county with economic challenges
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Village Creek State Park – arkansasstateparks.com | (870) 238-9406 (one of Arkansas’s finest Crowley’s Ridge state parks; two lakes; excellent fishing; hiking through beech-maple forest unique to Crowley’s Ridge; camping; very popular with Delta residents); Crowley’s Ridge scenery; St. Francis River recreation; hunting and waterfowl in Delta bottomlands
Notes: Village Creek State Park is one of the most popular state parks in Arkansas – it offers a rare woodland retreat in the flat Delta; the park’s beech-maple forest on the Crowley’s Ridge loess bluffs is botanically unusual (more Appalachian than Delta in character); two lakes provide excellent bass and bream fishing; camping and picnicking are very popular; Delta residents cherish this natural escape from the flat agricultural landscape
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: St. Francis County GIS; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: County GIS; St. Francis River flood mapping; I-40 corridor infrastructure mapping; Crowley’s Ridge mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: St. Francis County Animal Control – (870) 261-1700; Forrest City area humane efforts
Services: Basic animal control; I-40 corridor brings some abandoned animals
Notes: I-40 location creates some unique animal service situations (pets abandoned by travelers); limited local resources
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: St. Francis County – (870) 261-1700; Forrest City city sanitation
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; St. Francis River watershed; agricultural drainage; I-40 corridor
Notes: St. Francis River water quality management important for downstream communities; agricultural chemical runoff from Delta row crops (cotton, soybeans, rice) monitored by ADEQ; drainage districts manage the Delta’s complex water management system; I-40 corridor creates stormwater management needs with ongoing commercial development; Crowley’s Ridge unique ecology requires protection from invasive species
About St. Francis County County
St. Francis County is east Arkansas’s Crowley’s Ridge and St. Francis River Delta county – the remarkable loess ridge rising above the flat Delta alluvium and the St. Francis River’s cypress-lined agricultural corridor define a county where Forrest City serves the surrounding Delta communities near Memphis.
Forrest City (the county seat, population ~13,000) is St. Francis County’s governmental hub on I-40, an east Arkansas Delta community whose Crowley’s Ridge setting, Delta farming, and proximity to Memphis anchor its identity as a significant east Arkansas crossroads.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Forrest City (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search St. Francis County public records for Forrest City and St. Francis County residents.
Courts & Legal
St. Francis County Circuit Court at 313 S. Izard Street, Forrest City, AR 72335, phone 870-261-1725, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging (EAAAA) — serves St. Francis 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
313 S. Izard St., Forrest City, AR 72335
(870) 261-1725
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
313 S. Izard St., Forrest City, AR 72335
(870) 261-1725
Genealogy
County-level record sources
St. Francis County Clerk, Probate Division (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
St. Francis County Historical Society, P.O. Box 2048, Forrest City, AR 72336 – meets 1st Thursday monthly (except December) at the St. Francis County Museum, 603 Front Street, Forrest City (housed in the historic Rush-Gates Home, built 1906).
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 St. Francis County, probate matters are handled by the County Clerk’s Office, while other Circuit Court matters go through the separate Circuit Clerk.
St. Francis County Clerk – Probate Division 313 S. Izard Street, Suite 8, Forrest City, AR 72335 (870) 261-1729 (Probate/County Clerk); (870) 261-1715 (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
Forrest City, AR 72335
(870) 261-1707
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 633-3593
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: St. Francis County Health Unit – (870) 633-8400
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI/HIV testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: East Arkansas Regional Medical Center (Forrest City) – (870) 633-1040
Notes: East Arkansas Regional serves the county; severe health disparities – St. Francis County has high rates of poverty-related health conditions; Delta health challenges; STI rates elevated; WIC critically important; I-40 location provides access to Memphis and Little Rock healthcare
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Forrest City
Population: 23,090
Area: 637 sq mi
Established: 1827
Public Records
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