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Arkansas County
Union County, Arkansas
El Dorado's oil boom legacy and the Murphy Arts District - from El Dorado's 1921 oil discovery (the Busey No. 1 well drilled on January 10, 1921 - which blew in as a massive gusher and triggered an oil rush that brought 100,000 people to Union County within weeks, making El Dorado the center of one of America's most spectacular petroleum booms) to the Murphy Arts District (the Murphy family - whose Murphy Oil Corporation grew from the El Dorado boom into a multinational energy company - has invested over $80 million in transforming downtown El Dorado into a world-class arts and entertainment destination, including a restored 1920s-era auditorium and outdoor performance venues that host nationally recognized music festivals).
County SeatEl Dorado
Population38,000
Founded1829
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Office: Union County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 101 N Washington Ave, El Dorado, AR 71730
Phone: (870) 864-1900
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Multiple shelter locations; El Dorado community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: South Arkansas oil country; El Dorado is county seat; Ouachita River drainage; tornado corridor; significant oil and gas industry (El Dorado oil boom 1920s – one of America’s great oil boom stories; active oil production continues); Smackover oil field; Murphy Oil Corporation headquarters; significant chemical manufacturing; Felsenthal NWR
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Union County Road Department – (870) 864-1900
Public Transit: Limited; demand-response; El Dorado area
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-82, US-167, and US-63 are main corridors; El Dorado is a significant regional hub for south Arkansas; South Arkansas Community College; Murphy Oil Corporation makes El Dorado a corporate center; Arkansas Louisiana Gas Company (ArkLa – legacy gas company) headquarters historically here; Southern Arkansas University-Tech (El Dorado campus)
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Union County – (870) 864-1900
Services: Building permits; El Dorado (active – separate), Smackover, Norphlet, Junction City, Strong, Huttig, Lisbon separate
Notes: Oil industry construction; chemical manufacturing facilities; Murphy Oil Corporation facilities; El Dorado Music Festival development; Murphy Arts District construction (significant recent investment)
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Union County Veterans Service Office – (870) 864-1900
VA Medical: Overton Brooks VAMC (Shreveport, LA) – most accessible; Central Arkansas VA (Little Rock)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment; Murphy Oil veteran programs
Notes: Shreveport VA most accessible for south Arkansas; El Dorado has strong VSO community reflecting oil industry veteran workforce
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Union County Library – El Dorado: (870) 863-5447 | unionsouthlibrary.org; Smackover, Norphlet, Junction City branches
Services: Books, e-books, public computers, Wi-Fi, genealogy (oil boom heritage), Arkansas collection, children’s programs; South Arkansas Community College library supplements
Notes: Well-developed library reflecting El Dorado’s relative prosperity; oil boom history collection (1921 discovery of the El Dorado oil field transformed south Arkansas) is exceptional; Murphy Arts District development creates cultural programming energy; SAU-Tech library supplements academic resources
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Felsenthal NWR (32,000 acres on the Ouachita River – America’s largest greentree reservoir; excellent duck hunting, bass fishing, birding; one of the finest wetland areas in the South); Murphy Arts District (El Dorado – nationally recognized arts and entertainment district funded by Murphy Oil; First Financial Music Pavilion; multiple arts venues; MAD culture initiative has transformed downtown El Dorado); South Arkansas Arts Center (El Dorado); Smackover Creek; historical oil field heritage (El Dorado Oil Museum; Smackover Oil Museum)
Notes: El Dorado has undertaken one of the most remarkable small-city cultural transformations in America through the Murphy Arts District (MAD) – funded substantially by the Windgate Charitable Foundation (Murphy Oil family); MAD’s outdoor concert venue and arts programming have brought national attention and major acts to this south Arkansas city of 18,000; Felsenthal NWR is a duck hunting paradise and birding destination; El Dorado’s oil boom heritage (1921 discovery – city went from 4,000 to 30,000 people almost overnight) is a compelling American story preserved in the El Dorado Centennial Museum
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Union County GIS – unioncountyar.gov; Arkansas GIS
Notes: County GIS; AOGC mapping for oil and gas wells (extensive); Felsenthal NWR USFWS mapping; Ouachita River mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Union County Animal Control – (870) 864-1900; El Dorado Humane Society – (870) 862-7234
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, owner surrenders, spay/neuter, animal control
Notes: Active humane society reflecting El Dorado’s relative prosperity; oil industry workforce community contributes to animal welfare programs; MAD cultural district has elevated community standards
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Union County – (870) 864-1900; El Dorado city sanitation
Recycling: El Dorado city recycling; county drop-off
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; AOGC (Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission – extensive oil and gas regulatory oversight); Murphy Oil Corporation environmental compliance; Felsenthal NWR (USFWS); Ouachita River watershed; chemical manufacturing environmental compliance
Notes: Union County’s oil and gas industry (active since 1921) creates extensive environmental compliance management; AOGC and ADEQ oversee oil production, injection wells, and legacy contamination sites; Murphy Oil Corporation has a comprehensive environmental management program for its Arkansas operations; brine water disposal from oil production is a major regulatory concern; chemical manufacturing in El Dorado area requires significant air and water quality monitoring; Felsenthal NWR’s greentree reservoir requires careful water management for optimal duck habitat; Ouachita River water quality monitoring downstream of industrial operations
About Union County
Union County is south Arkansas’s oil boom heritage and arts revival county – El Dorado’s 1921 petroleum gusher created one of America’s most spectacular oil rushes, and the Murphy family’s $80 million arts district investment has created one of the most unlikely cultural destinations in the rural South.
El Dorado (the county seat, population ~18,000) experienced one of America’s most dramatic oil booms – 100,000 people converged on a small south Arkansas town within weeks of the 1921 gusher. Murphy Oil Corporation grew from this boom into a multinational energy company, and the Murphy family’s investment in the Murphy Arts District has given El Dorado a performing arts infrastructure rivaling cities many times its size.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS offices: El Dorado (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Union County public records for El Dorado, Strong, Norphlet, and Union County residents.
Courts & Legal
Union County Circuit Clerk at 101 N. Washington Street, El Dorado, AR 71730, phone 870-864-1940, 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
101 N. Washington St., El Dorado, AR 71730
(870) 864-1940
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
101 N. Washington St., El Dorado, AR 71730
(870) 864-1940
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Union County Clerk, Probate Division (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Union County Genealogical Society, Barton Library, El Dorado, 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 Union County, probate matters are handled by the County Clerk’s Office, while other Circuit Court matters go through the separate Circuit Clerk.
Union County Clerk – Probate Division 101 N. Washington Street, El Dorado, AR 71730 (870) 864-1910 (Probate/County Clerk); (870) 864-1940 (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
El Dorado, AR 71730
(870) 864-1940
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 864-1955
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Union County Health Unit – (870) 863-5101
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: Medical Center of South Arkansas (El Dorado) – (870) 863-2000; CHI St. Vincent (also in El Dorado area)
Notes: Medical Center of South Arkansas serves a wide south Arkansas region; oil industry occupational health; chemical manufacturing worker health; South Arkansas Community College nursing program supplements workforce; El Dorado’s relative prosperity (oil wealth) provides better healthcare than many south Arkansas communities
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