An Arkansas death certificate must be filed with the state Division of Vital Records within ten days of the death, and a preliminary fact-of-death record within three calendar days.1Justia. Arkansas Code 20-18-601 – Registration Generally The funeral director handles the filing, a physician or coroner certifies the cause of death, and once the certificate is registered, eligible family members can order certified copies from the Arkansas Department of Health for $10 for the first copy and $8 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.2Arkansas Department of Health. Order Death Records
Filing Deadlines
Two clocks run at the same time. The complete death certificate is due within ten days of the death or discovery of the body. A shorter preliminary filing, the fact-of-death record, is due within three calendar days.1Justia. Arkansas Code 20-18-601 – Registration Generally
On the medical side, the certifying physician has three business days after receiving the certificate from the funeral director to complete and return it.3Code of Arkansas Rules. 17 CAR 140-2801 – Requirements of Licensed Physicians in Completing Death Certificates That three-day clock pauses when a coroner’s investigation is required, which is a common reason certificates take longer than families expect.
Who Files the Certificate
The funeral director who first takes custody of the body carries most of the filing work. Arkansas law assigns four duties: file the death certificate and fact-of-death record, collect personal details about the deceased from the next of kin, obtain medical certification from the responsible physician, and give the certifier enough identifying information to complete their portion.1Justia. Arkansas Code 20-18-601 – Registration Generally
Families almost never file anything themselves. What they do is supply information. Expect the funeral home to ask for the deceased’s full legal name, Social Security number, date and place of birth, occupation, marital status, and parents’ names. Having those details ready at the first meeting avoids back-and-forth that slows the filing.
The funeral director also typically reports the death to the Social Security Administration. If the deceased was receiving Social Security or Medicare, that notification stops payments and prevents overpayments the family would later have to repay.4USAGov. Report the Death of a Social Security or Medicare Beneficiary
Who Certifies the Cause of Death
The physician in charge of the patient’s care for the illness or condition that caused death completes and signs the medical certification. Arkansas generally requires certification through the Division of Vital Records’ designated electronic system unless the Division grants an exception.1Justia. Arkansas Code 20-18-601 – Registration Generally
If the attending physician is unavailable, an associate physician, the chief medical officer at the facility where the death occurred, or a pathologist who performed an autopsy can step in, provided they have access to the patient’s medical history and the death was from natural causes. Alternate certifiers are held to the same three-business-day deadline.3Code of Arkansas Rules. 17 CAR 140-2801 – Requirements of Licensed Physicians in Completing Death Certificates
When the Coroner Gets Involved
Many families are surprised to learn the county coroner must be notified even for completely expected deaths. Arkansas requires that the coroner, prosecuting attorney, and either the county sheriff or local police chief be promptly notified of a long list of death types. Anyone with knowledge of the death, including physicians, funeral directors, and family members, has a duty to make that notification.5Justia. Arkansas Code 12-12-315 – Notification of Certain Deaths
The categories that trigger coroner involvement include:
- Violent, suspicious, or accidental deaths, including homicides and suicides
- Deaths involving drugs or poisons
- Motor vehicle accidents, or any body found near a roadway or railroad
- Deaths from fire, explosion, or drowning
- Deaths of anyone under 18, including any case suggesting child abuse
- Deaths in jails, police custody, or state mental institutions without a prior medical explanation
- Workplace deaths
- Sudden or unexplained deaths that appear to be anything other than natural
- Unattended deaths, meaning no physician was in attendance within 36 hours before death (or within 30 days for previously diagnosed terminal or bedfast patients)
- Deaths at home
- Decomposed or unidentified remains
- Deaths that pose a public health threat
The at-home category catches many families off guard. An elderly parent who dies peacefully at home still triggers the notification requirement. Coroner involvement does not mean foul play is suspected; it is a statutory checkpoint. While the investigation is open, the three-business-day certification deadline is paused.1Justia. Arkansas Code 20-18-601 – Registration Generally
Hospice Deaths
Arkansas gives hospice nurses a specific role. A registered nurse employed by the attending hospice may both pronounce death and complete the medical certification when the patient was terminally ill, the death was anticipated, and the patient was receiving services from a certified hospice program. This applies to deaths in a hospice inpatient facility, a nursing home, or a hospital.1Justia. Arkansas Code 20-18-601 – Registration Generally
Home hospice deaths work differently. The nurse can still pronounce death, but the coroner and the chief law enforcement official of the county or municipality must be immediately notified, even when the death was fully expected.
Ordering Certified Copies
Once the certificate is registered, families typically need several certified copies for banks, insurance companies, courts, and government agencies. A certified copy costs $10 for the first copy and $8 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.2Arkansas Department of Health. Order Death Records Ordering five or six at once is common and saves time compared with placing a second order later.
Mail orders go to the Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records, Slot 44, 4815 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding state holidays, and can be reached at (866) 209-9482. Online ordering is available through VitalChek, the Division’s authorized vendor, which charges an additional processing fee on top of the state cost.2Arkansas Department of Health. Order Death Records
Not everyone can order a death certificate in Arkansas. Access is limited to eligible applicants, generally immediate family members, legal representatives of the estate, and others with a documented legal need. You will need to show identification and state your relationship to the deceased when ordering.
Fixing Errors on a Death Certificate
Errors are common and the state has a process for correcting them. If you spot a mistake, call the funeral home first. The funeral director can tell you whether the correction falls to them or to the certifying physician and knows how to submit the amendment to the Division of Vital Records.
The split works like this: errors in the personal information section, such as a misspelled name or wrong date of birth, are corrected by the funeral director who filed the certificate. Errors in the medical certification portion are corrected by the certifier. When new findings emerge later, such as autopsy results that change the cause or manner of death, the certifier files a supplemental report to update the record.