Ark. Code Ann. § 22-5-701 (2026)
Field notes and other papers as public records — Right to inspect and copy
- The field notes, transcripts, documents, maps, plats, records, and other papers kept in the office of the Commissioner of State Lands are declared to be public records.
- Under the authority and direction of the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, any deputy surveyor or other agent of the United States shall have free access to any such public records for the purpose of taking extracts therefrom or making copies thereof, without charge of any kind.
- The Commissioner of State Lands and the clerks in his or her office shall be allowed to take extracts from or make copies of any of the public records in the office of the Commissioner of State Lands.
- All other persons may have the right to inspect the public records under the supervision of the Commissioner of State Lands or the clerks in his or her office.
- The Commissioner of State Lands shall assign a space in his or her office for the reception and safekeeping of records and shall allow free access to the records by the authorities of the United States.
History. Acts 1881, No. 12, §§ 2, 5, p. 18; C. & M. Dig., §§ 4745, 4748; Acts 1933, No. 155, § 2; Pope's Dig., §§ 5447, 5824, 5827, 5833; Acts 1939, No. 121, § 2; A.S.A. 1947, §§ 10-1202, 10-1205, 10-1207.
Publisher's Notes. Acts 1881, No. 12, § 1, authorized the Commissioner of State Lands to take charge of the field notes, maps, records, and other papers pertaining to surveys of the public lands and land titles in Arkansas, which were formerly in the office of the Surveyor-General of the District of Arkansas.
Acts 1933, No. 155, § 1, as amended by Acts 1939, No. 121, § 1, provided that the Commissioner of State Lands take charge of all transcripts, documents, records, field notes, maps, plats, and other papers formerly kept in the United States District Land Office in Little Rock, Arkansas.