Search Jonesboro Deed Records
Jonesboro deed records are filed and maintained by the Craighead County Clerk's Recording Division and the Craighead County Circuit Clerk, which together handle the official recording of real property instruments for Jonesboro and all of Craighead County. Deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and related instruments for Jonesboro addresses are recorded at the courthouse on South Main Street. The county maintains an online portal for record searches and accepts in-person, mail, and electronic filings.
Jonesboro Deed Records Overview
How Jonesboro Deed Records Work
Jonesboro is the county seat of Craighead County. Every deed, mortgage, lien, deed of trust, and other instrument affecting title to real property within the city must be filed with Craighead County. The Circuit Clerk and County Clerk's offices share responsibility for land recording in this county. The County Clerk's Recording Division handles deed recording at 511 S. Main Street, Suite 103, in Jonesboro. That office indexes documents by grantor and grantee names and assigns instrument numbers to each filed record.
Under Arkansas Code § 14-15-404, a recorded deed provides constructive notice to all future buyers and lenders. Arkansas is a race-notice state. Whoever records first without knowledge of a prior unrecorded competing claim generally wins a title dispute. In Jonesboro's active real estate market, title companies and closing attorneys make recording the same day as closing standard practice. The risk of waiting is real.
Craighead County has a second office location at 107 Cobean Boulevard in Lake City. That branch serves the western portion of the county and handles recording for that district. If you are filing for a property in the Lake City area, confirm which district applies before heading to the main Jonesboro office. Most Jonesboro city addresses fall within the main Jonesboro district.
The Craighead County Circuit Clerk's office is at 511 S. Main Street, Suite 202, Jonesboro, AR 72401. The Circuit Clerk handles court proceedings and related court records. The County Clerk's Recording Division handles deed recording. Both offices are in the same courthouse building. If you are not sure which window to go to for your specific need, ask at the front desk on arrival.
Craighead County Clerk - Recording Division
The Craighead County Clerk's Recording Division is your primary contact for filing and accessing deed records for Jonesboro properties. The Jonesboro office address is 511 S. Main Street, Jonesboro, AR 72401. The recording phone number is (870) 933-4520. The Lake City branch is at 107 Cobean Boulevard, Lake City, AR 72437, at (870) 237-4424. Office hours at both locations are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The Craighead County Circuit Clerk's office, which handles court proceedings, can be reached at (870) 933-4530 at the same courthouse address.
When visiting in person to record a deed, bring the original document with original signatures. Photocopies are not accepted for filing. The document must be on 8.5 by 11 inch paper. Leave a 2.5-inch blank margin at the top right of the first page for the recorder's stamp. Side and bottom margins must be at least half an inch. The last page needs a 2.5-inch margin at the bottom. Pay the recording fee and any applicable transfer tax at the counter. Bring a check made out to the Craighead County Clerk or confirm accepted payment methods before your visit.
For mail requests, address your correspondence to the Jonesboro office. Include the instrument type, approximate date of recording, grantor and grantee names, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Prepay for estimated copy costs. Mail requests take longer than in-person visits, so factor that into your timeline if you have a deadline. E-recording through approved Arkansas vendors is available and offers same-day processing for most standard deed transactions.
The Craighead County Circuit Clerk at craigheadcircuitclerk.com provides information on recording procedures, contact details, and access to court records for Jonesboro and all of Craighead County.
Online Search Tools for Jonesboro Property Records
Craighead County deed records can be searched online through the county portal at craighead.countyportal.net. This system provides access to recorded instruments for Jonesboro and other county addresses. You can search by grantor name, grantee name, or document type. The county portal is the best first stop when you need to check whether a deed has been recorded or to pull an instrument number before requesting a certified copy.
For property-specific data including parcel numbers, assessed values, and ownership information, the Craighead County Assessor's office at 511 S. Main Street, Suite 106, Jonesboro, AR 72401, phone (870) 933-4547, maintains the county's property assessment records. The assessor's data supplements the deed index when you need ownership information and valuation together. The assessor's office also maintains parcel maps useful for confirming boundaries on Jonesboro properties.
The free ARCountyData portal draws from Craighead County assessor data. It is a quick way to confirm current ownership, check parcel numbers, and get a general property overview before running a full title search. ARCountyData is a starting point, not a substitute for a complete search through the clerk's deed index and court case records.
The Arkansas Judiciary Case Search is essential for thorough Jonesboro title research. Judgment liens, judicial foreclosures, and probate proceedings tied to Jonesboro properties appear in the circuit court case records, not in the deed index. These records can cloud title or create competing claims on a property. Always check both the deed index and the case search together when doing a full title examination.
The Craighead County property records portal provides online access to recorded instruments and property data for Jonesboro and surrounding areas. Use this alongside the county portal for the most complete search of available online records.
Recording Fees and Document Requirements
Craighead County follows the standard Arkansas recording fee schedule. The fee is $15.00 for the first page and $5.00 for each additional page under Arkansas Code § 21-6-306. A two-sided document counts as two pages. Certified copies of recorded instruments cost $5.00 each. Plain copies run $0.50 per page. These fees apply to deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, releases, powers of attorney, plats, and similar recorded instruments.
The Real Property Transfer Tax of $3.30 per $1,000 of consideration applies to most sales over $100. The county clerk collects this tax at the time of recording. Standard exemptions apply for gifts between family members, spousal transfers, living trust transfers, and certain divorce-related property conveyances. If an exemption applies to your transaction, include language in the deed to reflect that. The clerk will collect the tax on any transfer that does not clearly qualify for an exemption.
All deeds must be signed before a notary public or two disinterested witnesses under Arkansas Code § 18-12-104. When the property being transferred is a homestead, both spouses must sign the deed. This is a constitutional requirement in Arkansas and cannot be skipped. A homestead deed signed by only one spouse is not legally effective even if the clerk accepts the filing.
Beginning August 5, 2025, Act 752 requires individuals filing deeds in person at the Craighead County courthouse to present a valid government-issued photo ID. The exemptions cover licensed attorneys, real estate brokers, bank representatives, and government employees. Electronic recording is available through approved vendors including Simplifile, CSC eRecording Solutions, eRecording Partners Network, and Indecomm Global Services. E-recording allows same-day filing without an in-person visit to the courthouse.
Jonesboro City Resources
The Jonesboro City Clerk's office is at 300 S Church Street, Jonesboro, AR 72401, phone (870) 935-0305. The city clerk maintains official city records including ordinances, resolutions, and city council minutes. The clerk does not hold property deed records. Those go to the county. The city uses a Legistar portal for public access to legislation documents, meeting minutes, upcoming agendas, and archived videos of council sessions. This resource is useful for researching city ordinances that may affect property use, but it is separate from deed records.
The City of Jonesboro at jonesboroar.gov provides access to city departments, the planning and zoning office at (870) 932-0406, building inspections at (870) 933-4602, and other city services related to property. Real property deed records for Jonesboro addresses are maintained by Craighead County, not the city.
The Jonesboro Planning and Zoning department at (870) 932-0406 handles land use permits, subdivision approvals, and zoning inquiries for city properties. Building and inspections is at (870) 933-4602. These departments maintain records that relate to property use, development approvals, and code compliance. While those records are separate from the deed index, they are relevant to anyone doing thorough due diligence on a Jonesboro property. A permit history or zoning variance can affect what you can do with a parcel even after the deed records out clean.
State Resources for Jonesboro Deed Research
The Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands manages tax-delinquent property statewide. Jonesboro properties with unpaid taxes for more than one year can be certified to the Land Commissioner. The COSL auction platform shows upcoming sales and post-auction properties across all 75 Arkansas counties. Buying at a COSL auction comes with a limited warranty deed from the state. The state cannot guarantee clear title, physical access, or full ownership rights to any auctioned parcel, so independent title research before bidding is essential.
The Arkansas State Archives Digital Collections hold historical land records including territorial conveyances, swamp land patents, donation land records, and forfeited deeds. For older Jonesboro properties, the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives covers a 16-county region that includes Craighead County. That archive extends the research options beyond what the county deed index holds. Researchers looking at pre-1900 land history in the Jonesboro area should check both the county archive and the regional state archive.
The Arkansas Judiciary Case Search covers court cases statewide and is free to use. For Jonesboro, it covers Craighead County circuit court cases including foreclosures, judgments, and probate matters that affect property title. This tool is a critical part of any thorough title search in the area. Judgment liens in particular can attach to real property and follow the land through subsequent sales if they are not discovered and resolved.