Civil cases in district court

A dispute about money or property between people or businesses, rather than a prosecution. Benton County's district courts hear them up to $25,000.

Civil limit: $25,000, excluding interest and costs. Administrative Order 18 § 6(a), which raises the general district court limit for state district courts. Benton County's District 1 is a state district court.
Small claims limit: $5,000. Administrative Order 18 § 4, read with § 3. Section 6 does not raise it. Small claims is a separate division with its own procedure.
Above $25,000: The case belongs in circuit court, not district court.
What it covers: Contract disputes, recovery of personal property, and damage to personal property.

Who hears civil cases in Benton County

Civil is assigned by the division a case arises in, not by the city it came from — so it does not always follow the judge who hears that city's criminal and traffic cases.

Division 1 — Judge Griffin presides over the Division 1 civil docket.
Division 2 — Judge Bunch takes all civil and small claims arising in Division 2.
Divisions 3 and 4 — Judge Anglin takes all civil and small claims arising in either, and all small claims arising in Division 1.

Civil docket days

From the county's administrative plan, effective 1 January 2026.

Rogers District Court	3rd Wednesday — civil docket, 9:00 a.m.
Bentonville District Court	4th Thursday — civil, 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday — criminal and traffic, with civil or small claims overflow, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Siloam Springs District Court	2nd Tuesday — small claims and civil, 10:00 a.m.
Benton County West District Court	1st Wednesday — civil and small claims, 1:00 p.m.
Cave Springs District Court	Civil and small claims trials are scheduled as needed.
Pea Ridge District Court	Civil and small claims trials are scheduled as needed.
Bella Vista District Court	Civil and small claims trials are scheduled as needed.

Courts not listed schedule civil matters as needed rather than on a standing docket.

Civil and criminal are separate

The same event can produce both. They are different cases with different questions: a criminal case asks whether the State proved an offence, a civil case asks who owes what to whom. Winning or losing one does not decide the other.

Sources: Arkansas Supreme Court — Administrative Order No. 18 (opens in a new tab)Arkansas Judiciary — Arkansas Court Structure (opens in a new tab)Arkansas Judiciary — Benton County administrative plan (opens in a new tab)

Last reviewed: September 16, 2026