Arkansas Small Claims Court Forms: What to File and How to Fill Them Out

There Is No Statewide Form

Arkansas does not use a single standardized small claims complaint. Each State District Court department creates its own forms and instruction packets. Get the forms from the specific clerk's office where you are filing, not from a court in a neighboring county.

Some clerk's offices post forms online (Little Rock's District Court publishes a "Notice to Plaintiff" PDF and complaint template), but links break frequently. Plan to call the clerk's office or visit in person to pick up the current packet.

Four Filing Components

A complete small claims filing in Arkansas typically includes:

Small Claims Complaint (Claim Form / Statement of Claim) — This is the core document. It identifies you (the plaintiff) and the person or business you are suing (the defendant) by full legal name, physical address, and phone number. It includes a plain-language description of the dispute, the date of the transaction or incident, and the exact dollar amount you are requesting (up to $5,000). You must sign it.

Notice to Defendant — The claim form includes this notice. It tells the defendant to file an answer within 30 days of service (60 days if incarcerated). Under District Court Rule 10, a separate summons is not required.

Blank Answer Form — Served to the defendant along with the claim form, giving them a form to file their response.

Civil Information Sheet — A standardized cover sheet the court uses for docket indexing and statistical tracking. Not every department requires this, but most metropolitan courts do.

Filling Out the Complaint

The complaint itself is straightforward, but accuracy matters — errors in party names or addresses can make a judgment unenforceable.

Defendant name: Use the exact legal name. For individuals, use their full legal name ("John Michael Doe"), not a nickname. For businesses, search the Arkansas Secretary of State's Business Entity Search to find the correct registered name. If you're suing an individual operating a business, list them as "John Doe, individually and d/b/a Doe's Plumbing."

Claim description: Write in plain language. State what happened, when it happened, and how much you are owed. You do not need legal terminology. "Defendant collected a $3,200 deposit on March 15, 2026 to remodel my kitchen. No work was performed. I sent a written demand on April 20, 2026. Defendant has not responded or returned the deposit."

Dollar amount: Must not exceed $5,000 (excluding court costs and interest). If your damages exceed that, you can waive the excess and file in Small Claims, or file in the Civil Division for claims up to $25,000.

Copy Requirements

This trips up a lot of filers. You must submit the original signed complaint plus at least three complete copies: one for the court file, one for your records, and one for each defendant. If you are suing two people, you need four copies total.

Every attachment — contracts, receipts, invoices, photos — must be duplicated across all copies. If you show up without enough copies, the clerk will charge you to make them: $0.25 per page at Fort Smith, $0.12 per page at Springdale.

Attaching documents to the complaint makes them part of the court record, but it does not automatically admit them as evidence. Bring separate physical copies of everything to the hearing.

Redaction Rules

Under Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 19, you must redact sensitive information before filing. Show only the last four digits of Social Security numbers, and redact financial account numbers, credit card numbers, bank routing numbers, driver's license numbers, medical records, and minor children's full names. Filing unredacted documents can create identity theft exposure in the public court record.

E-Filing vs. Paper Filing

Arkansas uses the eFlex electronic filing system, but pro se litigants are exempt. Under Administrative Order No. 21, self-represented filers can always file on paper — in person at the clerk's office or by standard mail. Email and fax filings are not accepted.

CourtConnect is for looking up existing cases, not for filing new ones.

Our Arkansas small claims filing guide includes a pre-filing checklist that walks through every field on the complaint form, with the copy count and attachment rules built in so nothing gets missed at the clerk's window.

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