Small Claims Court in Jonesboro, Arkansas: Craighead County Filing Guide

Craighead County District Court

Jonesboro is the county seat of Craighead County, which falls in the 2nd Judicial District. The district court here handles small claims for Jonesboro, Lake City, Bay, Bono, Brookland, and surrounding areas in Northeast Arkansas.

The rules are statewide: claims up to $5,000 under A.C.A. § 16-17-704, no attorneys in the Small Claims Division, and both sides represent themselves. Collection agencies and lending institutions are barred from filing in Small Claims under A.C.A. § 16-17-606.

File in the department covering a proper venue location, such as where the defendant lives or where the dispute happened. Craighead County has two department locations (Jonesboro and Lake City) — confirm with the clerk which department covers the address or dispute location.

Filing Fees and Requirements

The standard small claims filing fee is $65 at metropolitan district courts across Arkansas. Rural departments may charge less ($30–$50). Confirm the current fee with the Craighead County clerk before visiting.

You will need:

• The completed complaint form from the clerk's office (no statewide standard — each court uses its own)
• Three complete copy sets (court, plaintiff, each defendant) with all attachments
• The defendant's full legal name and home or business address
• Payment for the filing fee

If the defendant is a business, verify the legal name through the Arkansas Secretary of State Business Entity Search. Getting it wrong leads to enforcement headaches later.

Serving the Defendant

Once filed, serve the defendant within 120 days (ARCP Rule 4(i)):

• Certified mail, restricted delivery, return receipt requested — the defendant signs the green card; if anyone else signs or the letter comes back, service fails
• Craighead County Sheriff — personal delivery, typically around $50
• Court-appointed process server — requires a judge's order

If your first method fails, get an alias summons and try another. The defendant must receive the papers at least 10 days before the hearing.

The Hearing

Small claims hearings in Craighead County are informal. You explain your case to the judge, hand over printed evidence (three sets), and answer questions. The defendant does the same.

Bring physical copies of contracts, receipts, photos, repair estimates, text messages, and any other documentation. Small Claims Division hearings use relaxed rules of evidence; if a witness saw what happened, bring them to explain what they observed.

If the defendant does not file an answer within 30 days after service and does not appear, you can request a default judgment. After the docket entry of judgment, the losing side has 30 calendar days to appeal to Circuit Court (District Court Rule 9, $165 fee, completely new trial).

Your Filing Toolkit

The Arkansas Small Claims Filing Guide walks through the entire process with checklists for demand letters, evidence organization, and deadline tracking — built for people filing without a lawyer.

See more Arkansas guides →