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California County
Del Norte County, California
California's remote northern corner where the redwoods meet the Pacific - from Crescent City's harbor and the devastating 1964 tsunami (a 20-foot wave triggered by the 1964 Alaska earthquake killed 11 people and destroyed the downtown, which was rebuilt but has never fully recovered economically) to Redwood National and State Parks' record-tall trees just south of the Oregon border, the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation's homeland, and one of California's most isolated and economically challenged coastal counties where the ancient redwood forest, Pacific storms, and the Oregon border define a community at the very edge of the state.
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Office: Del Norte County OES – (707) 464-7213 | co.del-norte.ca.us
Alert System: Del Norte Alert; CA Alert; NOAA Weather Radio; tsunami warning sirens (coastal)
Shelter Info: Del Norte County Fairgrounds; school facilities; contact OES
FEMA Region: Region 9
Notes: California’s northernmost coastal county; Crescent City is county seat; tsunami risk is extreme (the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake/tsunami devastated Crescent City – 11 people killed, 28 city blocks destroyed; the 2011 Tohoku tsunami caused $8 million in damage to Crescent City Harbor; Crescent City has been hit by more destructive tsunamis than any other US city); earthquake risk (Cascadia Subduction Zone – potential for magnitude 9.0 earthquake); severe Pacific storms; wildfire risk; very remote; Pelican Bay State Prison (major security facility) creates unique emergency planning needs
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Del Norte County Public Works – (707) 464-7213
Transit: Del Norte Public Transit – (707) 464-6400; demand-response and limited routes; Redwood Coast Transit; very auto-dependent
Airport: Jack McNamara Field (Crescent City – small regional airport; commercial service limited or seasonal)
Notes: US-101 (Pacific Coast Highway) runs through Crescent City; US-199 connects to Oregon (Grants Pass) and I-5; Crescent City is 80 miles north of Eureka and 80 miles south of Grants Pass, OR; the county is extremely remote; Oregon border at Smith River; Redwoods Highway corridor
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Del Norte County Planning – (707) 464-7254
Services: County permits; Crescent City has separate permits
Notes: Very limited development; remote coastal county; Pelican Bay State Prison construction through CDCR; harbor facilities; timber industry structures; very limited residential development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Del Norte County Veterans Services – (707) 464-7213
VA Medical: VA Northern California (Mather) – Sacramento – very distant; Eureka VA CBOC accessible (80 miles south); Oregon VA (Roseburg, OR) accessible for some
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare; very limited local resources
Notes: Extremely remote county; VA access is a major challenge; Eureka CBOC is the nearest outpatient facility; telemedicine important; Pelican Bay Prison employs many veterans
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Del Norte County Library – (707) 464-9793 | delnortelibrary.org
Address: 190 Price Mall, Crescent City, CA 95531
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Redwood heritage and tsunami history materials
Notes: Small community library; important internet access point in isolated county; Pelican Bay Prison has an internal library system (separate); library is a critical community resource in a county with limited services
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Redwood National and State Parks (Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park; Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park – the most pristine and awe-inspiring old-growth redwood forests in the world; the Smith River corridor at Jedediah Smith is arguably the most beautiful grove of old-growth redwoods on earth; Prairie Creek Redwoods in Humboldt County but nearby); Smith River (largest undammed river system in California; designated Wild and Scenic; outstanding steelhead and salmon; crystal clear water; elk meadows; extraordinary scenery); Pelican State Beach; Battery Point Lighthouse; Lake Earl Wildlife Area (largest coastal lagoon system in California; exceptional birding)
Notes: Del Norte County contains some of the most extraordinary nature in North America; the old-growth redwood forests at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park are profoundly moving – 2,000-year-old trees in a cathedral-like forest with the Smith River flowing through; the Smith River is unique in California – undammed, completely wild, and producing some of California’s most trophy-worthy steelhead trout; Lake Earl (a coastal lagoon) is exceptional for waterfowl and rare shorebirds; the combination of old-growth forest, pristine river, Pacific coast, and massive wildlife diversity makes Del Norte County an ecological treasure
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Del Norte County GIS – co.del-norte.ca.us; NPS GIS for Redwood NP; CalFire maps; NOAA tsunami hazard maps
Notes: County GIS; tsunami inundation maps are critical and well-developed (Crescent City history); Redwood NP boundary and trail mapping through NPS; Smith River watershed mapping; Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake scenario planning maps
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Del Norte County Animal Control – (707) 465-0883; North Coast Humane Society
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, animal control; wildlife management (elk, black bears, mountain lions, California sea lions)
Notes: Roosevelt elk are abundant in the Redwoods area and on open meadows (Prairie Creek is famous for elk grazing in meadows); sea lions at Crescent City Harbor; marine mammal management through NOAA/NMFS; wildlife conflict with bears increasingly common
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority – (707) 464-5919
Environmental: California SWRCB; NCRWQCB (North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board); Redwood National and State Parks (NPS/State Parks); Smith River National Recreation Area (USFS); NOAA (tsunami preparedness; marine environment); Klamath River (Del Norte’s south boundary – salmon restoration)
Notes: The Klamath River enters the Pacific in Del Norte County – the massive Klamath River Reclamation Project (dam removal completed 2024 – the largest dam removal in US history) removed four dams on the Klamath River restoring salmon passage; Del Norte County’s Smith River watershed is protected from any dam development; Redwood NP watershed restoration (removing logging road impacts, restoring stream channels) has been one of NPS’s most ambitious ecosystem restoration projects; tsunami preparedness is central to Del Norte environmental and emergency management – the community’s experience with multiple destructive tsunamis makes it one of the most prepared coastal communities in the US; the North Coast’s old-growth redwood ecosystem protection is critical globally – these forests are among the world’s largest carbon stores
About Del Norte County
Del Norte County is California’s northwesternmost county – the state’s most remote coastal community, bordering Oregon to the north and separated from the rest of California by rugged mountains and the Klamath River canyon.
Crescent City (the county seat, population ~6,700) is a small harbor city that has faced extraordinary challenges. The 1964 Alaska Good Friday Earthquake generated a tsunami that struck Crescent City’s harbor with devastating force – 11 people were killed and 29 city blocks were destroyed. The rebuilt city has struggled economically for decades, with Pelican Bay State Prison (opened 1989, California’s most secure maximum-security facility and former home of the Security Housing Unit that held the state’s most dangerous inmates) providing a significant portion of the county’s employment.
Redwood National and State Parks – encompassing more than 130,000 acres of old-growth coast redwood forest along the Humboldt-Del Norte county line – contains the world’s tallest known trees, with Hyperion tree (380.3 feet, discovered 2006) located within the park boundary.
The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation maintains cultural connections to the coastal and inland territories of Del Norte County, where their ancestors lived for thousands of years along the Smith River and Pacific coast.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
The Del Norte County Assessor at 981 H Street, Suite 180, Crescent City, CA 95531, phone 707-464-7204, assesses under Proposition 13 rules. No CA estate tax.
Courts & Legal
Del Norte County Superior Court at 450 H Street, Crescent City, CA 95531, phone 707-464-8115, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK-RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses)
981 H St., Suite 210, Crescent City, CA 95531
(707) 464-7216
County Clerk
(707) 464-7216
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Del Norte County Superior Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
No dedicated Del Norte County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Del Norte County Superior Court Del Norte County Courthouse, 450 H Street, Room 209, Crescent City, CA 95531 (707) 464-8115 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
California recently increased its small-estate thresholds substantially, so check this first – more estates now qualify to skip full probate than in past years.
Small Estate Affidavit (personal property) – for estates with personal property valued at $208,850 or less (for deaths on or after April 1, 2025; holds through March 31, 2028). No court filing needed – present the signed affidavit directly to the bank or institution holding the property. Must wait at least 40 days after the death, and no probate proceeding can already be pending.
Petition to Determine Succession to Real Property, Primary Residence – for a decedent’s primary California residence valued at $750,000 or less (Judicial Council Form DE-310). Requires a 40-day wait, notice to heirs, and a probate referee appraisal.
Affidavit for Real Property of Small Value – for other (non-primary-residence) California real property valued at $69,625 or less (Form DE-305). Requires a 6-month wait.
Formal Probate – required when the estate exceeds these thresholds. California typically uses the Independent Administration of Estates Act (IAEA), letting the personal representative handle most matters without a court hearing for each step.
California is a community property state – a surviving spouse already owns their half of community property, and can often use a simplified Spousal Property Petition (Form DE-221) instead.
If using the small estate affidavit (personal property)
Wait at least 40 days after the death.
Confirm total qualifying California personal property (excluding trust assets, joint tenancy, POD/TOD accounts, and beneficiary-designated accounts) is $208,850 or less, using date-of-death values.
Complete the affidavit under Probate Code § 13100.
Present it with a certified death certificate directly to the bank or institution – no court filing required. Collecting property this way makes you personally liable for the decedent’s unsecured debts up to the value received (Prob. Code § 13109).
IF USING THE PRIMARY RESIDENCE PETITION OR SMALL REAL PROPERTY AFFIDAVIT
Confirm the property qualifies and the applicable waiting period has passed (40 days for the primary-residence petition; 6 months for the small real property affidavit).
File the petition (Form DE-310) or affidavit (Form DE-305) with the Del Norte County Superior Court.
A probate referee appraises the property; heirs receive notice.
Once approved, the property transfers without full probate administration.
If formal probate is required
Deliver the original will (if any) to the court clerk within 30 days of learning of the death (Prob. Code § 8200).
File a Petition for Probate (Form DE-111) to admit the will and request appointment as personal representative.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (Form DE-150) or Letters of Administration.
If Independent Administration authority is granted, the personal representative can act on most matters without separate court hearings.
Notice to creditors and an inventory/appraisal (with a probate referee) follow, along with payment of debts and taxes.
The estate closes with a final petition for distribution.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit / real property affidavits: no court filing fee for the personal-property affidavit; filing fees apply to the DE-310 primary-residence petition and DE-305 small real property affidavit.
Formal probate filing fee: several hundred dollars, varying somewhat by county.
Personal representative and attorney compensation: statutory fee schedule based on estate size (Prob. Code §§ 10800–10810) – a percentage that declines as the estate grows.
No California state estate tax or inheritance tax.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
177 E. Washington Blvd., Crescent City, CA 95531
(707) 464-4191
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CA Voter Registration
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Dept
(707) 464-3191
Medi-Cal
(800) 300-1506
Tribal Health
Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation; Yurok Tribe
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Del Norte County Public Health – (707) 464-3191
Hospital: Sutter Coast Hospital (Crescent City) – (707) 464-8511; small community hospital; Eureka hospitals for specialty care
Notes: Sutter Coast serves the county; behavioral health challenges are significant in this isolated community; poverty rates are among California’s highest in Del Norte; Pelican Bay Prison healthcare managed by CDCR; mental health challenges in isolated rural communities; Native American health through Wechec-Yurok and other tribal health programs; Crescent City’s tsunami history creates unique public health preparedness needs
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Crescent City
Population: 27,000
Area: 1,230 sq mi
Established: 1857
Tier: 3
Public Records
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