Arkansas keeps its death records at the Department of Health in Little Rock, and the order death records page sets out four ways to buy a certified copy: online through the state portal, by mail, at the walk in counter, or by telephone. The state fee is modest, $10 for the first copy and $8 for each additional copy, and the department says state law requires it to keep $10 as a search fee whenever no record is found or no copy is made. The death certificate application adds a warning that only the names and dates listed on the form are searched for that fee, so an applicant who is unsure of the year lists every possible date and spelling.
Access is narrower than the price suggests. The department publishes a one page list of eligible individuals, and for a death record it names the mother, the father if he is on the birth certificate, a child, the spouse, a grandchild, the maternal grandparents of the deceased, the informant, the funeral home and a beneficiary with proper documentation. Everyone else is outside the list, and the department posts a Vital Records Authorization Form alongside the application for an entitled person to use. The application itself carries the penalty for a false statement: a fine of up to $10,000, up to five years in prison, or both, under Arkansas Code 20-18-105.
- $10 then $8: the first certified copy costs $10 and each additional copy $8, and $10 stays with the state as a search fee when no record is found.
- Nine applicants: mother, father named on the birth certificate, child, spouse, grandchild, maternal grandparents, informant, funeral home and a documented beneficiary.
- 4 p.m. cutoff: walk in requests at the Little Rock office by 4 p.m. are usually filled the same day; later arrivals pick up the next day.
- Veteran free copy: a veteran's beneficiary or representative can request one free certificate for the Department of Veterans Affairs under Arkansas Code 20-18-306.
Written by SearchSystems.net from Arkansas's own systems: the Arkansas Department of Health order death records page, the Arkansas death certificate application, form VR-8, the department's list of eligible individuals for birth and death certificates, the request for a veteran's free copy of a birth or death certificate, form VR-40, the department's identification requirements sheet, the department's page on changing or amending a birth or death certificate, each read on October 15, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.
The nine people who can order
The eligible individuals list is a short table with a column for death records. It names the mother of the deceased; the father, but only if he is named on the birth certificate; a child; the spouse; a grandchild; the maternal grandparents of the deceased; the informant who supplied the facts for the record; the funeral home; and a beneficiary who brings proper documentation. The list is specific in a way that catches people out: paternal grandparents are not on it, siblings are not on it, and a niece, an executor without beneficiary papers or a landlord is not on it either.
The department posts a Vital Records Authorization Form with the death certificate forms for use by an entitled person, and it asks that family history and genealogy orders go by mail or online rather than to the counter. Every applicant, whatever the category, must pass identity verification, which the application notes applies to all ordering methods.
Fees, the search charge and the free veteran copy
The first certified copy is $10 and each additional certified copy of the same record is $8. If no record is found or no copy is made, the department keeps $10 to cover the search, and the application states that only the listed names and dates are searched for that money. Mail payments are a check or money order payable to the Arkansas Department of Health; the department refuses cash and temporary checks by mail. Online orders carry a $5 non refundable processing fee and a $1.85 identification verification fee, plus any expedited shipping chosen, and can be paid with Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express.
A separate form, the request for a veteran's free copy, cites Arkansas Code 20-18-306(a)(2)(A): the state provides one free copy of a veteran's birth or death certificate so that the Department of Veterans Affairs can determine eligibility for benefits. The veteran, a beneficiary or an authorized representative signs it, and a funeral director may sign as the representative for the family. The signer certifies that no free copy has been issued before, and a completed death certificate application must go with the form.
Online, mail and telephone orders
The department page routes online orders through the state portal and says they typically take 7 to 14 business days from the date the order is approved, plus shipping. A mailed order uses the completed application, copies of acceptable identification and the check or money order, addressed to the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records, Slot 44, 4815 West Markham Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, and the department asks for 10 to 14 days of processing plus mail time.
Telephone orders are taken toll free at (866) 209-9482, with the service fee and the certificate fee charged to a card and overnight shipping available for an extra charge.
The application asks for every possible date of death and every name under which the certificate might be registered, the city or county of death or, if unknown, the last place of residence, the funeral home and the attending certifier, and whether an infant was stillborn. An order status check is available online with the confirmation number, and local public health units around the state also offer vital records services.
Walking in at 4815 West Markham
The Little Rock office is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on state holidays, and takes walk in orders for same day issuance from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The department says most certificate requests can be fulfilled the same day for customers arriving by 4 p.m., and that customers who arrive after that may pick up the request the following day or have it mailed. Same day service is not guaranteed for non routine requests, which the page names as certificate corrections, court orders, paternity affidavits and genealogical requests for deaths before 1935. Walk in customers bring photo identification and the completed application.
Identification the state accepts
The identification sheet accepts a United States or territorial driver license or identification card, a tribal card with the bearer's signature, a military card with a signature, a United States or foreign passport, a visa inside a signed passport, a resident alien card, and employment authorization or temporary resident cards. It rejects a Matricula Consular card, a Mexican voter card, the I-551 permanent resident card without a visible signature, border crossing cards, the I-197 citizen identification card, a food stamp card, a tribal or military card with no signature, and any foreign or international driver license.
An applicant without acceptable photo identification needs at least two other documents that together show a current address and a signature: an employment card with a pay stub or W-2, a school card with proof of enrollment, a Department of Corrections card with probation or discharge papers, a signed Social Security or Medicare card, a pilot license, a vehicle registration or title, a Selective Service card, a voter registration card, a filed federal tax form, a bank statement or utility bill, or court documents.
The sheet warns that a notarized statement is not accepted in place of identification unless the notary verified identity under state law.
Changing or amending a death certificate
The amendment page sets a $15 legal fee for an amendment, with or without a court order, and charges the normal certificate price for the replacement copies, $10 for the first and $8 for each additional. A certificate that was issued with an error and returned within one year of issuance is replaced without a certificate fee. The department reviews each case individually to decide what documents or actions are required and does not publish a single list for death records; questions go to 501-682-1214 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The department accepts cash in person, checks, money orders and major credit cards, but asks that no cash be mailed.
Old deaths and records that are not here
The application states that only Arkansas deaths are recorded in the office and that only a limited number of death records are on file for deaths before February 1, 1914, when statewide registration took hold. Genealogical requests for deaths before 1935 are among the requests that cannot be promised same day service, and the department asks that family history orders be placed by mail or online. A marriage or divorce record is a different matter: the department directs questions about amending one first to the county clerk or circuit clerk where the record was filed.
The birth side of the same office is covered in the Arkansas birth certificates guide, and requests to other state agencies in the Arkansas public records law guide.
Questions about Arkansas death records
Related Arkansas records
Arkansas readers can continue with the Arkansas birth certificates guide for the same Little Rock office, the Arkansas public records law guide, and the Arkansas county pages for every county clerk and circuit clerk.