Find St. Francis County Bankruptcy Records
St. Francis County bankruptcy records are filed through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, with the main office in Little Rock. This page covers how to search those records, contact local clerks, and find related court documents in Forrest City and online.
St. Francis County at a Glance
Federal Bankruptcy Court Serving St. Francis County
St. Francis County is part of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. All bankruptcy filings from county residents and businesses go to the Little Rock courthouse at 300 W. 2nd Street, Little Rock, AR 72201. The court phone number is 501-918-5500. Office hours follow a standard Monday through Friday schedule.
The Eastern District is part of the 8th U.S. Circuit. It uses NextGen CM/ECF for electronic filing and case tracking. Licensed attorneys must have PACER accounts to file documents electronically. Anyone filing without an attorney — called a pro se filer — must submit paper documents to the Little Rock courthouse in person or by mail. The court does not accept electronic filings from non-attorneys unless a judge has issued a specific court order permitting it.
For quick case lookups by phone, the Multi-court Voice Case Information System runs 24 hours a day at 1-866-222-8029. It can give you the case number, filing date, chapter, and case status without needing a PACER account. You will need the debtor's name or case number to use this automated line.
The St. Francis County official website provides contact information for county departments and links to court-related resources in Forrest City.
St. Francis County Circuit Clerk Office
The St. Francis County Circuit Clerk is Alan T. Smith. The office is located at the county courthouse, 313 S. Izard St., Forrest City, AR 72335. You can reach the circuit clerk by phone at (870) 261-1724. This office is the keeper of all state-level court records for civil, criminal, domestic relations, and juvenile cases filed in St. Francis County.
The circuit clerk also records real estate documents, including deeds, mortgages, and liens. These records can be relevant when looking into someone's debt situation. If a property lien was filed in St. Francis County before a bankruptcy case was filed, the lien may become part of the bankruptcy proceedings. Creditors with recorded liens often have secured claims in federal bankruptcy cases, which are treated differently from unsecured debts.
State records held by the circuit clerk are separate from federal bankruptcy records. They do not appear on PACER. If you need information from both systems, you must search each one on its own. Copy fees for state court records vary by document type and volume.
St. Francis County County Clerk
The St. Francis County Clerk is Brandi H. McCoy. The office phone is (870) 261-1729. The county clerk shares the same courthouse address at 313 S. Izard St., Forrest City, AR 72335. This office issues marriage licenses, handles voter registration, records DBA certificates, and maintains probate court records for the county.
Probate records matter in some bankruptcy cases. If someone in St. Francis County is receiving an inheritance from an estate being probated here, that asset may need to be disclosed in their bankruptcy filing. A trustee reviewing a debtor's financial picture might contact the county clerk's probate records to verify estate status. This is more common in Chapter 7 cases where the trustee is looking for non-exempt assets that could be sold to pay creditors.
How to Search St. Francis County Bankruptcy Records on PACER
PACER is the federal government's online system for accessing bankruptcy and other federal court records. You can register for free at pacer.uscourts.gov. Once registered, select the Arkansas Eastern Bankruptcy Court to search St. Francis County cases. You can look up cases by debtor name, case number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Each page of documents costs $0.10 to view, with a maximum of $3.00 per document.
Search results will show you the case type, filing date, current status, assigned judge, and trustee. You can download individual filings, review dockets, and track case activity all through PACER. Quarterly charges of less than $30 are waived automatically. If your usage stays light, the system can be nearly free. The PACER Service Center can help with account issues at (800) 676-6856 on weekdays.
Not sure which district has the case? Use the PACER Case Locator at pcl.uscourts.gov. It searches across all federal courts and updates nightly. For very recent filings, go directly to the Arkansas Eastern Bankruptcy Court in PACER.
The Association of Arkansas Counties profile for St. Francis County lists all elected officials and contact information for county offices involved in court records management.
What St. Francis County Bankruptcy Records Contain
A bankruptcy case file from St. Francis County will include the debtor's name, address, and county of residence. The file also contains the chapter filed under (7, 11, 12, or 13), a complete creditor list with amounts owed, and financial schedules detailing assets and income. Statement of financial affairs forms cover recent property transfers, income sources, and any lawsuits the debtor was part of in the prior years.
Other documents in the file may include the trustee's report, any motions filed by creditors or the debtor, reaffirmation agreements, and hearing notices. The case closes with either a discharge order or a dismissal. Certified copies of case documents cost $12 for certification plus $0.50 per paper page. Social Security numbers are always truncated to the last four digits in public documents under federal law.
CourtConnect for State Court Records in St. Francis County
Arkansas runs a free public court portal called CourtConnect at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. You can use it to search state circuit court cases in St. Francis County by party name or case number. It includes civil, criminal, probate, and domestic relations cases. Some older or closed cases may not be in the online system, so in-person visits to the circuit clerk's office may be needed for historical records.
CourtConnect is maintained by the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts. If you run into trouble using it, call their help line at (501) 410-1900 or (866) 823-5778. For a full picture of someone's court history in St. Francis County, check both CourtConnect and PACER — the two systems cover different courts and do not overlap.
Nearby Counties in the Eastern District
St. Francis County sits in eastern Arkansas and is surrounded by other Eastern District counties. All use the same federal bankruptcy court in Little Rock. Nearby counties include: