Search Garland County Property Deeds
Garland County deed records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk's Recorder's Office in Hot Springs. The office records all property instruments for land within Garland County, including deeds, mortgages, liens, and plats. Both in-person and electronic access options are available, and the county is served by multiple online search portals for title research and property ownership lookups.
Garland County Deed Records Overview
Searching Garland County Deed Records
The Garland County Circuit Clerk and Recorder's Office is located at 501 Ouachita Avenue, Room 207, Hot Springs, AR 71901. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Circuit Clerk Kristie Womble Hughes (email: kristie@garlandcounty.org) oversees the recording function as the ex-officio county recorder. The main phone number is (501) 622-3630, and the fax is (501) 609-9043.
Garland County has a well-developed set of online search options. The county's own online services portal at garlandcounty.org links to deed and property record search tools. ActDataScout is county-sponsored and provides searchable access to property ownership records, deed information, and related data for Garland County at no cost. This is one of the most complete free tools for Garland County deed research online.
ARCountyData.com also covers Garland County with property ownership and assessment data. For researchers who need deed instrument images or more detailed transaction history, ActDataScout typically provides more depth for this county. Both tools are worth checking when you start a title search.
Public search terminals are available at the Garland County Courthouse for in-person record research. Staff at the Recorder's Office can help you locate documents once you provide a grantor or grantee name, parcel number, or instrument reference. County employees are not licensed title searchers and cannot perform official title searches, but they can guide you through the index system.
The ActDataScout interface for Garland County is shown below. It is the primary county-sponsored portal for deed and property record searches in Hot Springs and surrounding areas.
The ActDataScout portal for Garland County is the county-sponsored property search tool providing access to deed records, ownership history, and parcel data for properties in Hot Springs and Garland County.
Circuit Clerk and Recorder's Office Services
The Garland County Circuit Clerk's office is the clerk of the civil, domestic relations, criminal, and juvenile courts and also acts as the ex-officio recorder for the county. The office is responsible for recording deeds, mortgages, liens, surety bonds, and other orders and instruments which involve property within the county. Staff also swear in notaries public and maintain a record of all court proceedings for the Garland County Circuit courts.
The Recorder's Office at Garland County handles the real property recording side of the Circuit Clerk's work. That office is linked at garlandcounty.org/364/Recorders-Office and is the specific division to contact for deed recording questions, copy requests, and recording fee information. For court case records separate from deed instruments, the Circuit Clerk's Office page covers that function.
Plain copies run $0.25 per page at the Garland County courthouse, which is slightly lower than the $0.50 rate seen in many Arkansas counties. Certified copies are $5.00 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page. Court record searches carry a $10.00 fee plus applicable copy charges. Documentary stamps for the Real Property Transfer Tax are available at the Arkansas State Revenue Office.
The Garland County Circuit Clerk page on the county website is shown below. It describes the office's full range of duties including both court functions and deed recording responsibilities.
The Garland County Circuit Clerk page details the office's responsibilities as both clerk of the courts and ex-officio county recorder for Garland County property instruments.
E-Recording in Garland County
Garland County accepts electronic recording of real property documents. E-recording lets title companies, attorneys, and lenders submit deeds, mortgages, and other instruments digitally without traveling to the Hot Springs courthouse. Four approved vendors handle e-recording for Garland County: CSC eRecording Solutions at 1-855-200-1150 (csc-help@cscinfo.com), Simplifile at 1-800-460-5657, eRecording Partners Network (ePN) at 1-888-325-3365, and Indecomm Global Services at 1-877-272-5250. Contact the Circuit Clerk at (501) 622-3630 for specific e-recording procedures and to confirm which vendor setup works best for your needs.
Electronic recording in Garland County operates under Arkansas Code § 14-2-301 et seq., the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act. A document accepted electronically during business hours carries the same legal effect as one filed in person. The same content requirements apply: proper margins, 8.5 by 11 inch format, grantor and grantee names, preparer information, and proper execution before a notary or witnesses.
For title companies and legal professionals closing multiple transactions per week in Garland County, e-recording through one of the four approved vendors is the most efficient filing method available. Same-day recording is the norm when submissions come in during business hours and the document meets all content requirements.
The Garland County Recorder's Office page on the county website is shown below and covers recording services for property instruments in Hot Springs and the county as a whole.
The Garland County Recorder's Office page outlines the recording procedures, fee schedules, and document requirements for property instruments filed in Hot Springs and Garland County.
Note: Always confirm current e-recording procedures directly with the Garland County Circuit Clerk at (501) 622-3630 before submitting. Vendor acceptance and procedures can change, and calling ahead ensures your submission goes smoothly.
Recording Fees and Requirements
Garland County follows the Arkansas fee schedule under Arkansas Code § 21-6-306. The recording fee is $15.00 for the first page and $5.00 for each additional page. This rate applies to deeds, mortgages, deeds of trust, releases, powers of attorney, plats, and all other standard instruments. The Real Property Transfer Tax is $3.30 per $1,000 of consideration on transactions exceeding $100. The Circuit Clerk collects this tax at recording time. Qualified exemptions include spousal transfers, family gifts, trust transfers, and divorce-related conveyances.
Document formatting under Arkansas Code § 14-15-403 requires white 8.5 by 11 inch paper, a 2.5-inch blank area at the top right of the first page, half-inch side margins, and a 2.5-inch clear area at the bottom of the last page. The first page must include the document title, grantor name, grantee name, and preparer's name and address. Grantee mailing address for tax statements is also required. Documents not meeting these standards may be returned unfiled.
Deeds must be executed in the presence of two disinterested witnesses or acknowledged before a notary under Arkansas Code § 18-12-104. When the property being conveyed is a homestead, both spouses must sign regardless of whose name is on title. The Act 752 photo ID requirement (effective August 5, 2025) applies at the Garland County courthouse as it does statewide. Attorneys, brokers, bankers, and government employees in official roles are exempt.
State Resources and Additional Tools
Tax-delinquent property in Garland County is managed by the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. The COSL runs public auctions for properties where real estate taxes have gone unpaid. Hot Springs and the broader Garland County area generate a fair volume of COSL activity given the county's significant real estate market. The COSL auction platform shows past and upcoming Garland County auctions and includes parcel maps for research.
The Arkansas Judiciary Case Search covers Garland County court cases including foreclosures, judgment liens, and domestic relations orders that affect property title. This free portal works alongside deed record searches to give a complete picture of any title issues tied to a Hot Springs or Garland County property.
The Arkansas Secretary of State provides entity records for companies that appear in Garland County deeds. Hot Springs has a significant volume of commercial real estate involving corporations and LLCs, making entity verification a regular part of local title work. The Secretary of State's free corporation search confirms legal names and current standing quickly.
For older or historical Garland County deed research, the Arkansas Digital Archives holds digitized land records from the early statehood period. Garland County was formed from Hot Spring County in 1873, so some early records may require cross-referencing with Hot Spring County historical data as well. The Arkansas State Land Surveyor's Office maintains survey records and plats that can help verify legal descriptions going back to the original government surveys of this area.
The Garland County website homepage is shown below, giving access to all county departments including the Circuit Clerk and Recorder's Office.
The Garland County website provides a directory of all county departments, including direct links to the Circuit Clerk and Recorder's Office pages for Hot Springs deed records and property filings.