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 under A.C.A. § 28-40-102 is determined by the county of the decedent's residence 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, or the surrounding area), you file there.

This rule has teeth. If you file in the wrong county — even a neighboring one — the filing may be rejected or require correction or transfer, causing additional fees and delay. For out-of-state decedents who owned Arkansas real property but did not live in the state, venue is determined by the Arkansas county containing the property, and you may need a separate ancillary probate proceeding.

Pulaski County's eFlex Electronic Filing Requirement

Pulaski County uses the eFlex electronic filing system for applicable civil and probate filings. This creates an additional procedural hurdle that does not apply in the same way across Arkansas counties.

To file probate documents in Pulaski County where eFlex is required, users must:

• Register with the eFlex system at https://efile.arcourts.gov/ and pay a one-time $100 registration fee to the Bar of Arkansas
• 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, use Form 4 (Proof of Will) with witness affidavits or testimony, as required.

For estates whose adjusted probate value does not exceed $100,000 after subtracting encumbrances and excluding homestead and statutory allowances, you can file the small estate affidavit (Form 23) with the county clerk instead of opening a formal probate case. The base small-estate filing fee is $25; confirm the current county schedule, and confirm whether any electronic-filing charge applies to the filing route.

The Small Estate Alternative in Pulaski County

If the estate qualifies for the small estate affidavit — adjusted probate value not exceeding $100,000 after subtracting encumbrances and excluding the constitutional homestead and statutory allowances — 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: you must publish notice of the decedent's death and the filing of the affidavit in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the real property is located within 30 days of filing. This publication is what triggers the shortened three-month creditor claim window. If it is missed, title may remain clouded and a transfer, sale, refinance, or title-coverage decision may be delayed.

Benton County Probate Court

Benton County (which includes Bentonville, Rogers, and the surrounding Northwest Arkansas area) 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 is another example of a county using an electronic filing system. Where eFlex is used or required, the training and registration requirements apply to pro se filers as well as attorneys. 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 base small-estate filing fee is $25, but confirm the county's current schedule.

The Dual-District County Trap

Ten Arkansas counties have dual judicial districts: Arkansas, Carroll, Clay, Craighead, Franklin, Logan, Mississippi, Prairie, Sebastian, and Yell. Craighead County, for example, is divided into the Jonesboro district and the Lake City district. Filing in the wrong district may lead to rejection, correction, or delay.

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 the first publication
• 60 days from appointment to file the estate inventory
• Another several months for final accounting, court review, and distribution

An eFlex registration or training requirement can add processing time to the front end of your timeline if you are caught off guard, so verify the current procedure before filing.

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 →