Finding out who owns a property in Arkansas is a common—and critical—step in real estate transactions, legal due diligence, lending, investing, and litigation. Whether you are verifying ownership before making an offer, researching a lien issue, or preparing documentation for court, Arkansas property ownership data is public record, but it is not always simple to interpret.
Arkansas operates under a county-based land records system, meaning ownership information is decentralized across 75 counties. While that transparency is helpful, it also creates challenges: inconsistent online systems, varying record formats, and gaps between assessor data and recorded deeds.
This guide walks through every reliable method for finding property ownership in Arkansas, explains where mistakes commonly occur, and shows how professionals reduce risk by using verified title research.
Property ownership is not just about knowing a name. Ownership determines who has legal authority to sell, mortgage, lease, or encumber a property. Relying on incomplete or outdated information can create serious legal exposure.
Ownership verification is essential for:
One critical reality: the name shown on a tax record is not always the legal owner. Only the most recently recorded deed determines ownership.
Arkansas property data is split across multiple county offices, each serving a distinct role:
Because these offices operate independently, discrepancies between records are common.
Most Arkansas counties offer an online assessor database that allows searches by:
These sites are typically free and provide a fast starting point.
Industry insight: Roughly 18–25% of assessor records show ownership data that does not match the most recently recorded deed due to delayed updates or unrecorded transfers.
ARCountyData.com aggregates assessor and tax information from participating counties into a centralized platform.
This tool is excellent for preliminary research but should not be relied on for legal conclusions.
The only authoritative source for property ownership in Arkansas is the recorded deed.
Each county’s recorder or circuit clerk maintains deed books or digital indexes that show:
Professional reality: A proper ownership determination requires reviewing multiple deeds, not just the most recent one.
AGIO provides statewide GIS mapping tools that overlay parcel data with ownership information.
AGIO data is derived from county assessor inputs and should be treated as informational, not definitive.
For older properties, rural counties, or complex ownership histories, in-person research may be unavoidable.
Finding a name is easy. Verifying ownership is not.
Industry data suggests that 1 in 5 self-performed ownership searches miss at least one material issue affecting marketability.
Online tools are built for convenience, not legal accuracy.
They typically:
In Arkansas, where mineral rights and agricultural parcels are common, incomplete research can result in partial ownership or invalid transfers.
When ownership matters—financially or legally—professionals rely on full title research, not surface-level lookups.
A comprehensive ownership search includes:
This level of diligence is where experienced title research providers outperform public tools.
For attorneys, lenders, and real estate professionals who need defensible ownership data, AFX Research stands out as the industry leader.
AFX Research does not rely on assessor shortcuts or scraped databases. Every ownership conclusion is backed by recorded documentation and quality-controlled by experienced researchers.
You should not rely on DIY methods if:
In these cases, verified title research is not a luxury—it is risk management.
Arkansas makes property ownership information public, but public does not mean simple or complete. County assessor sites, statewide databases, and GIS tools are useful starting points—but they are not substitutes for proper ownership verification.
If the goal is confidence, compliance, and defensible results, professional title research remains the safest path forward.
For those who need ownership data they can rely on—not just names on a screen—AFX Research continues to set the standard.