Service of process in Arkansas
In Arkansas, a summons may be served by the county sheriff or deputy, by a person 18 or older appointed by the court, by someone authorized to serve where service occurs, or by the plaintiff/attorney via restricted-delivery certified mail; publication is available by court order. Under Rule 4(i), service must generally be completed within 120 days of filing or the case may be dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant absent a timely extension.
ProcessServerState provides procedural-information-only summaries of state process-server rules. This is not legal advice. Service of process is a critical step in litigation — if you fail to serve correctly, your case can be dismissed. For complex or contested matters, consult a licensed attorney or a court self-help center. Not affiliated with any court or sheriff's office.
Is a license required in Arkansas?
No statewide license. Non-sheriff servers must be appointed by the circuit court under ARCP Rule 4(c)(2) and Administrative Order No. 20 (18+, HS diploma/equiv, valid driver's license, no disqualifying convictions); some counties add local registration.
Who may serve process in Arkansas?
- County sheriff
- Any non-party adult (18+)
- Licensed / registered process server
- Plaintiff (limited circumstances)
- Certified / registered mail
- Publication (by court order)
Service deadline (Arkansas)
ARCP Rule 4(i): if service is not made within 120 days of filing and no timely good-cause extension is granted, the action is dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant.
UIDDA: Arkansas has adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act for interstate service.
Sheriff / Marshal civil-process route
Civil-process fees are set by each county and listed on the local sheriff's civil-process page. Not all counties publish a fee schedule — confirm with the county where service will be made.
Statute / Rule citation
Verification notes for Arkansas: the following could not be fully primary-source-confirmed in our last pass and should be verified against the cited source before you rely on them:
- rule4Url (secondary index — official ARCP Rule 4 full text on arcourts.gov not directly fetched; rule cite confirmed via secondary sources)
Interstate service from Arkansas
Arkansas has adopted the Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (UIDDA), which provides a streamlined process for issuing an out-of-state subpoena based on one issued in the trial state. Service of an initial summons across state lines follows the receiving state's rules.
Sources for Arkansas
Other states with no license requirement
Check a different state
Verified against Arkansas primary sources on June 16, 2026. Read how we verify on our methodology page, or browse every citation in the source manifest.
Editorial review status: Reviewer attribution pending — we are recruiting a credentialed reviewer (ex-process-server with a NAPPS credential, or a NALA/NFPA-certified civil-procedure paralegal) before this site applies for advertising. We will not display a fabricated reviewer.
ProcessServerState provides procedural-information-only summaries of state process-server rules. This is not legal advice. Service of process is a critical step in litigation — if you fail to serve correctly, your case can be dismissed. For complex or contested matters, consult a licensed attorney or a court self-help center. Not affiliated with any court or sheriff's office.