Search Ashley County Deed Records
Ashley County deed records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk in Hamburg, Arkansas. All deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and related instruments are filed at the Ashley County Courthouse on Jefferson Street. You can search records in person, submit a request by mail, or access older instruments through Titlesearcher.com or the ARCountyData portal online.
Ashley County Deed Records
Ashley County Deed Records and the Circuit Clerk
The Ashley County Circuit Clerk is the official recorder for all real property instruments in the county. Under Arkansas Code § 14-15-402, the clerk must record all deeds, mortgages, conveyances, deeds of trust, and related instruments in the proper books. Each document gets an instrument number and is indexed by grantor and grantee name. That index lets you search the chain of title forward or backward from any property owner's name.
Ashley County accepts a wide range of recordable instruments. The office handles warranty deeds and quitclaim deeds, mortgage documents and releases, deeds of trust, powers of attorney, plats and survey maps, mechanic's and materialman's liens, tax liens and judgments, lis pendens notices, and easements and right-of-way documents. Each type gets its own book and entry in the county's land record system.
Two-sided documents count as two pages for fee purposes. If you have a single instrument that references and releases multiple prior documents, each additional referenced instrument beyond the first carries its own $15.00 base fee. This is worth knowing before you draft a release or assignment that covers several loans at once.
Note: The Real Property Transfer Tax at $3.30 per $1,000 applies to mineral rights transfers in addition to standard real estate conveyances in Ashley County.
Circuit Clerk Office Details
The Ashley County Circuit Clerk is Vickie Riley Stell. The office is in the Ashley County Courthouse at 205 E. Jefferson St., Hamburg, AR 71646. Phone is (870) 853-2030 and fax is (870) 853-2034. Email is ashley.county@arkansas.gov. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and this office stays open through the lunch hour. Staff includes Chief Deputy Kim Lauhon and Deputy Clerks Lisa Fulgham, Araceli Pacheco, Chastity Monroe, and Charlotte Rush.
All records are open to public inspection during business hours. You can visit in person and review the indexes yourself. Staff can point you to the right books and help you understand the filing system, but they cannot conduct searches on your behalf during busy periods. Bring a list of names and dates if possible. That saves time at the counter.
The Ashley County Circuit Clerk website has current office information, fee schedules, and links to recording requirements.
The official Ashley County Circuit Clerk website lists recording fees, accepted document types, and contact details for the Hamburg courthouse.
Find Ashley County Deed Records Online
The main online access point for Ashley County deed records is Titlesearcher.com. Ashley County records are available on this platform from 2009 to the present. You can set up a pay-as-you-go account with a $5.00 initial credit card deposit, then pay for searches as you go. The platform gives you a downloadable program for 24-hour access without going to the courthouse. For bulk data needs, Business Information Systems (BIS) can be reached at 866-604-3674 or (423) 773-1590 for licensing options.
The ARCountyData Ashley County page is a free alternative for looking up ownership and parcel data. It pulls from county assessor records and lets you search by owner name, parcel number, or property address. Coverage extends to most active parcels in the county. It works best as a starting point before you dive into the clerk's recorded instrument index.
The ActDataScout platform also provides access to recorded instruments for some Arkansas counties. Check their Arkansas county list to confirm current Ashley County coverage. Coverage on these third-party systems can change, so the clerk's office is always the definitive source.
The Ashley County website also has circuit clerk information and can be useful for confirming current office policies.
The Ashley County government website provides background on the Circuit Clerk's role and links to relevant recording resources.
Recording Fees and Submission Rules
Ashley County recording fees follow the state schedule under Arkansas Code § 21-6-306. The base fee is $15.00 for the first page and $5.00 for each additional page. The Real Property Transfer Tax is $3.30 per $1,000 of actual consideration on transactions over $100. Bring payment in a form the office accepts. When mailing documents, include a self-addressed stamped envelope for return of the recorded instrument.
Ashley County accepts e-recording through four approved vendors. Corporation Service Company (CSC) can be reached at 800-927-9801 or csc-help@cscinfo.com. Simplifile is available at 800-460-5657. The eRecording Partners Network (ePN) handles submissions at 888-325-3365. Indecomm Global Services operates at 877-272-5250 or erecordsupport@indecomm.net. Electronic recording does not skip any content requirements. The document still needs original signatures, proper formatting, and the correct margins before it goes through an e-recording service.
Document requirements mirror the statewide standard. Use 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Leave a 2.5-inch blank margin at the top right of the first page. Keep half-inch margins on sides and bottom throughout. The last page needs a 2.5-inch blank bottom margin. Documents that don't meet these standards may come back unfiled.
The ARCountyData portal for Ashley County pulls assessor data to show property ownership and parcel details for free, making it a useful supplement to the clerk's recorded deed index.
State and Historical Resources for Ashley County
The ActDataScout platform covers several Arkansas counties and may have searchable deed images for Ashley County. Their system is particularly useful for title professionals who need to pull recorded instruments quickly without an in-person visit. Check their current county coverage list before subscribing.
For older deed records, the Arkansas State Archives Digital Collections hold historical land records including swamp land patents and forfeited deed documents from the territorial and early statehood period. The Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives (SARA) serves counties in the southern part of the state and may hold older collections relevant to Ashley County research. FamilySearch also has some older Ashley County deed records available at no cost.
The Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands tracks tax-delinquent property across all 75 counties. For Ashley County parcels that have gone through the COSL process, the auction site at auction.cosl.org shows past sales and upcoming auctions. Buyers at these sales get a limited warranty deed from the state. The COSL recommends that buyers conduct independent title research before bidding because the state cannot guarantee clear title or property access.
The ActDataScout platform provides searchable land record data for participating Arkansas counties, offering an online alternative to in-person deed index searches at the courthouse.