Find Jonesboro Court Docket Records
Jonesboro court docket records come from two main sources: the Craighead County Circuit Court, which handles felony cases, civil suits, domestic matters, and probate, and the Craighead County District Court, which covers misdemeanors and traffic violations. Jonesboro is unique in that Craighead County has two county seats, with court operations split between Jonesboro and Lake City. This guide explains how to search records at each court, what you can find online, and how to get copies when you need them.
Jonesboro Court Records Overview
Craighead County Circuit Court and Jonesboro Cases
The Craighead County Circuit Court handles all serious cases tied to Jonesboro, including felony criminal charges, civil lawsuits with amounts over $25,000, domestic relations cases such as divorce and child custody, and probate matters. Craighead County is unusual in Arkansas because it has two county seats: Jonesboro and Lake City. The Circuit Court maintains offices at both locations to serve the full county.
The Craighead County Circuit Clerk office in Jonesboro is at 511 S Main St, Jonesboro, AR 72401. The phone number is (870) 933-4530. The Lake City office is at 113 Cobean Blvd, Lake City, AR 72437, phone (870) 237-4142. If your case was filed in Jonesboro, you will generally deal with the Main Street office. The clerk maintains records for civil, criminal, domestic relations, and probate divisions.
CourtConnect has full participation for Craighead County Circuit Court. That means you can search online for cases going back to January 1, 2009. Docket entries, party information, and in some cases document images are all available. Most searches are free without an account.
Note: If you are unsure which office holds your case, call ahead before making the trip since both offices serve different parts of the county.
Search Jonesboro Court Docket Online
The Search ARCourts portal gives free public access to Craighead County court records, including cases from the Jonesboro courthouse. You can search by party name, case number, attorney name, or judge. Results show case type, filing date, parties, and docket history. Document image access may require a registered account, and some images carry a per-page fee.
The full CourtConnect system ties together district and circuit courts statewide. Since the Craighead County District Court participates, you can search traffic and misdemeanor cases from Jonesboro through the same portal. The Arkansas Courts Online Services page lists all digital tools including eFiling and kiosk access points.
The Craighead County District Court also has information available at craigheadcounty.org/district-court. This page covers the district court's jurisdiction, hours, and contact details for both the Jonesboro and Lake City divisions.
Jonesboro District Court Records
The Craighead County District Court serves Jonesboro for traffic citations, misdemeanor criminal charges, and civil claims up to $25,000. The Jonesboro division is at 511 S Main St, Jonesboro, AR 72401, sharing the building with the Circuit Clerk. The phone number is (870) 933-4530.
District courts handle the bulk of routine traffic and low-level criminal cases. If someone received a traffic ticket in Jonesboro, that record is in the district court system. Misdemeanor charges such as petty theft, simple assault, and driving offenses below the felony threshold are also processed here. The district court also has small claims jurisdiction for disputes under $5,000, which is part of the broader civil claim limit.
Records from the Jonesboro District Court are part of the CourtConnect system. You can search them online at the same portal used for circuit court records. In-person access is available at the courthouse during regular business hours, and copies carry the standard per-page fee.
Note: The Jonesboro Municipal Court at jonesboro.org handles city ordinance violations filed within Jonesboro city limits, which may be separate from county district court cases.
How to Get Copies of Jonesboro Court Records
Copies of court records from the Craighead County Circuit Court can be obtained in person at the Jonesboro office on S Main St, by mail, or through the online CourtConnect system. For in-person requests, bring the case number or know the party names so the clerk can locate the file quickly. Mail requests should include a written description of what you need, your contact information, and payment for the estimated fee.
Standard copy fees are $0.50 per page. Certified copies cost $5 per document. A summons runs $2.50, and writs are $20 each. Filing a new civil case costs $165. These are set by Arkansas statute and apply at courthouses statewide. If you need a large number of pages, it helps to call ahead and get an estimate so you can send the right amount.
For district court records, contact the Jonesboro division directly. Some older records may not be in the online system and will require an in-person or mail request. The court staff can tell you what is available electronically versus what must be pulled from paper files.
Jonesboro Court Records and Arkansas FOIA
Court docket records in Arkansas are public by default under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Most civil, criminal, and traffic case information is open for anyone to inspect. Exceptions include juvenile cases, sealed court records, and certain files in domestic violence proceedings. You do not have to explain why you want the records.
If you submit a written FOIA request, agencies must respond within three business days. The Arkansas FOIA procedures guide outlines what happens if a request is denied, including your right to seek review. The court clerk cannot charge you just to look at a file; fees only apply when you want copies.
Keep in mind that FOIA applies to court administrative records and clerk office records. Access to actual case files is governed by court rules, but the result is largely the same: most records are open to the public.
eFiling and Kiosk Access for Jonesboro Cases
Arkansas provides electronic filing through efile.arkansas.gov. Attorneys and pro se filers can submit documents in Craighead County Circuit Court without visiting the courthouse. The system logs submissions and assigns docket numbers electronically.
The Arkansas Court Kiosk program places public access terminals at courthouses around the state. If you are in Jonesboro and need to search case records or print documents without a personal computer, check whether a kiosk is available at the Craighead County Courthouse. The kiosk site has a locator tool to find your nearest terminal.
Federal Court Records Affecting Jonesboro
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas has a courthouse in Jonesboro that handles federal cases for the northeastern part of the state. Federal records are not part of the Arkansas CourtConnect system. To search federal filings, use the PACER system at pacer.uscourts.gov. Public terminals are available at the federal clerk's office for free access. For copies, electronic copies are $0.10 per page and paper copies prepared by the clerk are $0.50 per page. Certification adds $12 plus $0.50 per page. More information is at are.uscourts.gov.
Jonesboro District Court Portal Screenshot
The image below shows the Craighead County District Court page, which is where Jonesboro district court filings and contact details are maintained.
The district court page also links to the online CourtConnect search tool for direct case lookups.