Small Claims / Civil Court

Additional Small Claims / Civil Court Information

Civil Division Information

Small Claims Division Information

Common Questions

District Court of Washington County, Springdale Department maintains this portion of the City of Springdale's website in order to increase public access to district court information. This information is not intended to be a source of legal advice. This website is not sponsored or associated with any other linked entity. The existence of any link is simply intended to make other resources available to the reader. This Court does not guarantee the accuracy or sources of any information found on any linked websites. While the District Court website is constantly updated and revised in an effort to provide timely and accurate information, we make no guarantees. We will make every attempt to correct errors as they are brought to our attention.

This Web site contains information originating from other organizations and departments, both public and private. While every attempt is made to ensure that all information is accurately referenced on our site, we do not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, or quality of the content of every source.

If you are unsure how you should proceed with your case or whether or not you should proceed with a case, please contact an attorney. Please do not contact the clerk for legal advice. A court clerk is not permitted to give legal advice about any case, quote or interpret laws, quote or interpret rules, recommend attorneys, recommend methods of service, recommend process servers, or anything of that nature. The clerk may not answer questions that go beyond very limited procedural direction. The clerk's primary job is as keeper of the records only and he or she must remain unbiased in that position.

The District Court has no jurisdiction over matters involving personal injury or evictions. Those matters must be taken to Circuit Court. 

The Small Claims Division is designed to allow individuals to settle certain disputes in court with relaxed rules of the procedure without attorneys. Individuals who are represented by an attorney must file their claim in the civil division. Individuals are allowed to sue in small claims court for different types of damages. Small claims court is often used as a means to recover money for damages to personal property, to recover personal property, or to settle disputes involving contracts. All claims are limited by a set dollar amount, which is set by state law. The current amount of a claim cannot exceed $5,000.00. 

Currently Small Claims Cases for the Springdale Department of Washington County District Court are being heard by the Hon. Terra Stephenson on the first (1st) Wednesday of every other month at 1:00 p.m.

The Civil Division of District Court is designed to allow collection agencies, a collection agent, a firm, an association, a corporation, or an individual being represented by an attorney, to file a claim to settle certain disputes that are not in excess of $25,000.00 and do not meet the criteria to be filed in the Small Claims division. These may include contracts, recovery for damages to personal property, money owed, or for delivery of personal property. A civil lawsuit usually deals with the private rights of individuals, groups, or businesses. Any claim in excess of $25,000.00 will need to be filed in Circuit Court.     

An example of a civil lawsuit is a collection agency suing an individual for a medical debt or a credit card company suing an individual for a past due bill.  

Currently, the cases in the Civil Division for the Springdale Department of Washington County District Court are being heard by the Hon. Graham H. Nations on the fourth (4th) Wednesday of each month in the Courtroom at 1:00 p.m.

In the Civil and Small Claims Division of the District Court, State Certified Court Interpreters are NOT automatically requested or available for court hearings and trials. If you or a client will be in need of an Interpreter you must request in writing to the Court Clerk that an Interpreter be ordered at least two (2) weeks ahead of your court date. The request must also state the language needed. The Court Clerk must officially request the interpreter from the Administrative Office of the Courts with enough time for the AOC to make the interpreter available. For some languages, there is only one (1) interpreter available. If you come to your court date and have not requested an interpreter, your court date may be postponed to a later date.

If you request a State Certified Court Interpreter and you find that your case is going to be settled, dismissed, or continued please notify the Court Clerk as soon as possible. The Court Clerk will need to notify the Administrative Office of the Courts to cancel the interpreter so that the interpreter may be made available for other cases in other courts.

SI USTED NECESITA UN INTÉRPRETE, usted debe colocar su petición ante el Tribunal POR ESCRITO POR LO MENOS DOS 2 SEMANAS ANTES de LA AUDIENCIA o FECHA de JUICIO y DIGANOS SU IDIMOA que hablas. Por favor escriba su nombre, dirección y número de caso a su petición y luego MUESTRA SU SOLICITUD antes de enviarla a la corte. Puede traer su solicitud y entregarla en persona, por correo a la dirección indicada arriba o fax al (479) 750-8564. 

In the Civil and Small Claims Division of the District Court, an attorney cannot be appointed for you. You may hire an attorney of your choice to represent you if you choose to do so. The Court Clerk may not make any suggestions as to who should hire an attorney. You may contact the Arkansas Bar Association, Legal Aid of Arkansas, Arkansas Access to Justice, University of Arkansas Law School Legal Clinic, or get suggestions from family and friends. For your convenience, there are links to these agencies under the "Court Related Agencies" tab.

Please note if an attorney is hired by either party in a Small Claims case that case will be automatically transferred to the Civil Division of the District Court. 

*Appeals, subpoenas, and writ of executions must be requested in writing to the court. All forms must be filled out by the party requesting the form be issued.