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California County
Glenn County, California
Sacramento Valley's olive oil capital and the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge - from Orland's artisan olive oil production (Glenn County's Mediterranean climate and volcanic soils have made it one of California's most significant olive oil producing regions, with groves dating to the 1890s) to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge's spectacular winter waterfowl concentrations on the Pacific Flyway, Black Butte Lake's recreation, and one of California's most consistently productive agricultural counties where rice, almonds, olives, and row crops define a flat valley landscape that has changed little over a century.
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Office: Glenn County OES – (530) 934-6522 | countyofglenn.net
Alert System: Glenn County Alert; CA Alert; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Glenn County Fairgrounds (Orland); school facilities; contact OES
FEMA Region: Region 9
Notes: Northern Sacramento Valley agricultural county; Willows is county seat; Sacramento River flooding (significant – Glenn County sits along the Sacramento River’s western bank; Stony Creek also floods); wildfire risk (Coast Range foothills west); earthquake risk; Mendocino National Forest to the west; rice farming and wetland management; very rural
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Glenn County Public Works – (530) 934-6522
Transit: Glenn Transit Service – (530) 934-6522; very limited demand-response; completely auto-dependent for most
Notes: I-5 runs north-south through Orland (Glenn County’s largest city); Hwy 162 goes west to Orland/Willows area and east to Butte County; Hwy 45 runs along the Sacramento River; the county is very rural and auto-dependent; Sacramento about 100 miles south; Chico about 35 miles east
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Glenn County Planning – (530) 934-6530
Services: County permits; Orland and Willows have separate permits
Notes: Very limited development; agricultural county; rice processing facilities; I-5 corridor commercial development in Orland; very limited residential development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Glenn County Veterans Services – (530) 934-6522
VA Medical: VA Northern California (Mather) – Sacramento; Chico VA CBOC accessible (~35 miles east)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare; Chico CBOC is the nearest outpatient facility
Notes: Rural agricultural county; Chico VA CBOC makes some services accessible; Sacramento VA requires significant travel
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Glenn County Library – (530) 934-6958 | countyofglenn.net/library
Branches: Willows, Orland, Elk Creek, Hamilton City
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, Spanish-language materials, children’s programs
Notes: Small four-branch library system; bilingual Spanish programming serves the farmworker community; important community resource in rural county
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Sacramento NWR (Glenn County unit – outstanding winter waterfowl; part of the Sacramento NWR Complex); Black Butte Lake (Army Corps of Engineers; Orland area – boating; camping; fishing; one of Glenn County’s primary recreation assets); Stony Gorge Reservoir; Mendocino National Forest access; Sacramento River (fishing; wildlife watching); Glenn County Fairgrounds; hunting and waterfowl shooting in the rice fields
Notes: The Sacramento NWR units in Glenn County host spectacular winter waterfowl populations – up to 1 million birds; the Pacific Flyway funnels enormous waterfowl migrations through this valley; Black Butte Lake provides water recreation in a county otherwise lacking in lakes; Mendocino National Forest’s East Side provides hiking, hunting, and off-road vehicle recreation; the Sacramento River fishing (striped bass, salmon) is productive in season
Notes: Small rural county; state and federal GIS resources primary; Sacramento River flood management maps; NWR habitat management mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Glenn County Animal Control – (530) 934-6522
Services: Basic animal control; livestock management important
Notes: Rural agricultural county; livestock (cattle, sheep) management important; waterfowl and deer hunting through CDFW; minimal formal animal shelter resources
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Glenn County Public Works – (530) 934-6522
Recycling: Limited rural programs; drop-off sites
Environmental: California SWRCB; Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority; Sacramento River management (DWR); Sacramento NWR (USFWS); Mendocino National Forest; rice farming water management; Stony Creek watershed; agricultural pesticide and herbicide use
Notes: Rice farming in Glenn County creates important environmental dynamics – flooded rice fields serve as critical waterfowl habitat in winter (compensating for 95%+ loss of California wetlands); rice harvest timing and water management directly affect wildlife; pesticide and herbicide use in rice production is monitored by CDFA and the Regional Water Board; Sacramento River water quality critical for fisheries (spring-run Chinook salmon are federally listed); Mendocino National Forest management includes watershed protection for streams flowing east into the Sacramento Valley
About Glenn County
Glenn County is one of California’s most purely agricultural counties – a Sacramento Valley community of rice paddies, almond orchards, olive groves, and row crops between the Coast Ranges and the Sacramento River.
Willows (the county seat, population ~6,000) is a compact agricultural service city – the Glenn County Courthouse, grain elevators, and farm supply businesses define a small city whose economy revolves entirely around the surrounding farmland.
Orland (population ~7,000) is the county’s largest city and olive oil center – the Orland Buttes Olive Oil Company and several artisan producers draw from groves first planted in the 1890s. The Mediterranean climate of the upper Sacramento Valley – hot dry summers, mild wet winters – is ideal for olive production.
The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge – shared with Colusa County to the south – hosts winter waterfowl concentrations that rank among the most spectacular in North America. Snow geese, Ross’s geese, and tundra swans arrive in numbers that can darken the sky at dawn and dusk flights during peak winter migration.
Black Butte Lake – a Corps of Engineers reservoir on Stony Creek – provides fishing, camping, and water sports in an otherwise flat agricultural landscape.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
The Glenn County Assessor at 526 W. Sycamore Street, Willows, CA 95988, phone 530-934-6402, assesses under Proposition 13 rules. No CA estate tax.
Courts & Legal
Glenn County Superior Court at 526 W. Sycamore Street, Willows, CA 95988, phone 530-934-6446, 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)
526 W. Sycamore St., Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-6412
County Clerk
(530) 934-6412
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Glenn County Superior Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
No dedicated Glenn County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories. The neighboring Colusi County Historical Society, P.O. Box 643, Willows, CA 95988, covers the shared Colusa/Glenn historical region (Glenn County was formed from Colusa County in 1891).
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
Glenn County Superior Court 526 West Sycamore Street, Willows, CA 95988 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Because of Glenn County’s small population, the Superior Court operates with just two judges – expect a smaller, more personal office than in larger counties.
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 Glenn 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
543 W. Oak St., Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-6048
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
(530) 934-6588
Medi-Cal
(800) 300-1506
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Glenn County Health and Human Services – (530) 934-6582
Services: Immunizations, WIC, STI testing, environmental health, vital records; behavioral health; farmworker health
Hospital: Orchard Hospital (Orland) – (530) 865-9941; small critical access hospital; specialty care in Chico or Sacramento
Notes: Small critical access hospital; significant agricultural worker population (seasonal farmworkers) creates occupational health demands; pesticide exposure monitoring; heat illness prevention critical; Sacramento hospitals for specialty care
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