Pulaski County Probate Court Arkansas: How to File and What to Expect

If the person you are settling an estate for lived in Pulaski County — which includes Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Maumelle — you will file probate in the Pulaski County Circuit Court's Probate Division. That sounds straightforward, but Pulaski County has a specific filing system that surprises and delays many executors who show up unprepared.

Here is what you need to know before you walk into that courthouse, or attempt to file electronically.

Venue: Why It Matters Which County You File In

Arkansas probate venue is determined by where the decedent was domiciled — their legal home — at the time of death. If they lived in Little Rock or any other part of Pulaski County, you file in Pulaski County Circuit Court. If they lived in Benton County (Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville area), you file there.

This rule has teeth. If you file in the wrong county — even a neighboring one — the filing is void and must be transferred, costing additional fees and weeks of delay. For out-of-state decedents who owned Arkansas real property but did not live in the state, venue is determined by the county where the Arkansas property is located, and you will need a separate ancillary probate proceeding.

Pulaski County's eFlex Electronic Filing Requirement

Pulaski County uses the eFlex electronic filing system, operated through the CourtConnect platform, for all civil and probate filings. This creates an additional procedural hurdle that does not exist in most other Arkansas counties.

To file probate documents in Pulaski County, attorneys must:

• Register with the eFlex system and pay a one-time $100 registration fee to the Arkansas Bar
• Pay a $20 electronic filing fee for each new case initiated
• Complete the required eFlex online training and submit a signed Electronic Filing User Agreement

Pro se filers — people handling their own estate without an attorney — are not exempt from the eFlex requirements. A pro se executor who walks into the Pulaski County courthouse expecting to hand over paper forms will be directed to the electronic system. If you are not registered and have not taken the training, you cannot file. This is a genuine barrier that delays many out-of-state executors and families who expected the process to work the same way it does in rural counties.

The base probate filing fee of $165 applies regardless of the electronic filing surcharge.

What to File to Open a Pulaski County Probate Case

To initiate formal probate in Pulaski County, you file either:

• Arkansas Judiciary Form 3 (Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative) — when there is a valid will
• Arkansas Judiciary Form 2 (Petition for Administration Without Will) — when the decedent died intestate

If the will lacks a self-proving affidavit, attach Form 4 (Proof of Will) with notarized statements from the original witnesses.

For estates under $100,000 in adjusted value, you can file the small estate affidavit (Form 23) with the county clerk instead of opening a formal probate case. The small estate filing fee is $25, and the eFlex surcharges do not apply to affidavit filings with the county clerk.

The Small Estate Alternative in Pulaski County

If the estate qualifies for the small estate affidavit — gross value under $100,000 after excluding the constitutional homestead, statutory allowances, and encumbrances — you can bypass the formal circuit court process entirely. The affidavit is filed with the county clerk's office, not the circuit court.

One important trap with small estates that include real property in Pulaski County: you must publish notice of the decedent's death and the filing of the affidavit in a newspaper of general circulation within Pulaski County within 30 days of filing. This publication is what triggers the shortened three-month creditor claim window. Skip it, and no title company in Pulaski County will insure the real estate — the title remains clouded by potential unextinguished creditor claims.

Benton County Probate Court

Benton County (which includes Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, and the broader Northwest Arkansas metro) is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state and handles a significant volume of probate filings. The Benton County Circuit Court Probate Division operates out of the courthouse in Bentonville.

Benton County also uses an electronic filing system. The same eFlex training and registration requirements apply for attorneys filing there. Executors dealing with estates in the Bentonville or Rogers area should verify current filing procedures directly with the Benton County Circuit Clerk before assuming their experience in another county transfers.

The $165 circuit court filing fee applies statewide and Benton County is no exception. The small estate affidavit fee in Benton County is $25 (slightly higher than some rural counties at $25-30 depending on local schedules).

The Dual-District County Trap

Ten Arkansas counties have dual judicial districts with two separate county seats, two separate courthouses, and two separate sets of records. Craighead County, for example, is divided into the Jonesboro district and the Lake City district. Filing in the wrong courthouse means your case is void.

Pulaski County operates as a single district centered in Little Rock, so this specific trap does not apply there. But if you are managing estates that cross into counties like Craighead, Carroll, or Clay, confirm the correct district before filing anything.

How Long Does Pulaski County Probate Take?

The timeline for a formal probate in Pulaski County follows the same statutory framework as every Arkansas county:

• Six months minimum for the creditor nonclaim period after notice is published
• 60 days from appointment to file the estate inventory
• Another several months for final accounting, court review, and distribution

The eFlex registration delay — if you're caught off guard — can add two to four weeks to the front end of your timeline simply because you cannot file until you have completed the mandatory training and paid the registration fee.

If you are navigating probate in Pulaski County, Benton County, or any other Arkansas court, the Arkansas Probate Process Guide provides a county-aware checklist covering the eFlex requirements, the inventory deadline, the creditor publication rules, and the forms required at each stage of the court process.

See more Arkansas guides →