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Arkansas County
Woodruff County County Government Offices
County SeatAugusta
Population6,269
Founded1862
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.
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Office: Woodruff County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 500 N 3rd St, Augusta, AR 72006
Phone: (870) 347-5161
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Augusta community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: East Arkansas Delta county; Augusta is county seat on the White River; White River flooding (significant); Cache River also in county; tornado corridor; one of Arkansas’s most economically distressed and depopulating counties; rice and soybean farming dominant; very rural Delta county
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Woodruff County Road Department – (870) 347-5161
Public Transit: None; completely auto-dependent; extremely rural Delta county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: US-64 and US-70 are main corridors; Augusta is small county seat on the White River; very rural; Searcy (White County) and Jonesboro are the nearest significant centers; flat Delta terrain
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Woodruff County – (870) 347-5161
Services: Basic building permits; Augusta, McCrory, Cotton Plant, Colt separate
Notes: Very limited development; one of Arkansas’s most economically distressed counties; significant population decline; agricultural county with minimal construction activity
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Woodruff County Veterans Service Office – (870) 347-5161
VA Medical: Central Arkansas VA (Little Rock); Memphis VAMC (both accessible)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Rural Delta county; VA access from either direction requires significant travel; telehealth critical
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Woodruff County Library – Augusta: (870) 347-5160; McCrory Branch
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi; White River heritage materials
Notes: Two-branch library system; important community resources in economically distressed county; internet access critical for residents with limited home connectivity
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: White River (bass fishing and duck hunting – White River bottomlands are among Arkansas’s finest waterfowl areas); Cache River NWR (extends into Woodruff County – prime duck hunting and bass fishing); Woodruff County Lake; hunting and fishing on private and public bottomland areas; Delta agricultural landscape
Notes: Woodruff County’s outdoor recreation centers on the White River and Cache River bottomlands; duck hunting in the White River bottomlands is outstanding; the area’s Delta landscape supports significant waterfowl populations; bass fishing in the White River is productive; hunting (deer, ducks, geese) on private bottomland is the primary outdoor activity
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: Very poor rural county; state GIS primary; White River flood mapping (Army Corps); Cache River NWR mapping (USFWS)
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Woodruff County Animal Control – (870) 347-5161
Services: Very basic animal control
Notes: Extremely limited resources; one of Arkansas’s most economically challenged counties
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Woodruff County – (870) 347-5161
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; White River watershed; Cache River NWR; agricultural chemical runoff from rice and soybean production; Army Corps (White River management)
Notes: White River and Cache River wetlands provide critical wildlife habitat; water quality monitoring important for waterfowl and fish populations; agricultural chemical use from intensive row crop production monitored by ADEQ; drainage district management of the Delta’s complex agricultural water systems; very limited environmental management capacity; illegal dumping is a concern in very poor rural counties
About Woodruff County County
Woodruff County is east-central Arkansas’s White River and bottomland wildlife county – the White River’s bass and crappie fishery and the Cache River wildlife corridor’s critical Delta wetland habitat define a county where Augusta serves the surrounding cotton, rice, and farming communities in the east Arkansas Delta interior.
Augusta (the county seat, population ~1,900) is Woodruff County’s governmental hub on the White River, an east-central Arkansas Delta community whose White River access, bottomland wildlife habitat, and farming economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Augusta (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Note: One of Arkansas’s most economically distressed counties; high DHS/Medicaid utilization
Recommended
Search Woodruff County public records for Augusta and Woodruff County residents.
Courts & Legal
Woodruff County Circuit Court at 500 N. 3rd Street, Augusta, AR 72006, phone 870-347-2531, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging (EAAAA) — serves Woodruff 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
500 N. 3rd St., Augusta, AR 72006
(870) 347-2521
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
500 N. 3rd St., Augusta, AR 72006
(870) 347-2521
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Woodruff County Clerk, Probate Division (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Woodruff County Historical Society – active primarily via a Woodruff County genealogy-focused Facebook group; no separate physical address confirmed in available directories.
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 Woodruff County, probate matters are handled by the County Clerk’s Office, while other Circuit Court matters go through the separate Circuit Clerk.
Woodruff County Clerk – Probate Division 500 N. Third Street, Augusta, AR 72006 (870) 347-2871 (Probate/County Clerk); (870) 347-2391 (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
Augusta, AR 72006
(870) 347-2531
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 347-2581
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Woodruff County Health Unit – (870) 347-5161
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: White River Medical Center (Batesville) and Jonesboro hospitals serve area; Augusta area clinic services only; Woodruff County Medical Center (Augusta) – very limited
Notes: No significant local hospital; Delta health disparities; severe poverty-related health challenges; WIC and prenatal care critically important; healthcare access is a major barrier
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Augusta
Population: 6,269
Area: 591 sq mi
Established: 1862
Public Records
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