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California · San Joaquin Valley · #148 Most Populous County in the US
Tulare County, California
The San Joaquin Valley's agricultural powerhouse and home to the world's largest trees - from Visalia's regional center and Porterville's citrus heritage to the Giant Sequoias of Sequoia National Park and the Sierra Nevada foothills. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Tulare County residents.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Tulare County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Tulare County OES – (559) 733-6271 | co.tulare.ca.us/oes
Alert System: Tulare County Alert; CA Alert; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Multiple locations; Tulare County Fairgrounds (Tulare); contact OES; Red Cross
FEMA Region: Region 9
Notes: South-central San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada county; Visalia is county seat; Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis – Tulare County has among the highest rates in California); extreme heat; earthquake risk; wildfire risk (Sierra Nevada portion – Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs); flooding (Tule River, Kaweah River – 2023 atmospheric river flooding was catastrophic; Tulare Lake Basin refilled for the first time in 100 years, flooding farmland and displacing farmworkers); Kings River; Sequoia NP access
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Tulare County Public Works – (559) 733-6490
Transit: Tulare County Area Transit (TCAT) – (559) 623-0442; Visalia Transit; Porterville Transit; Amtrak San Joaquins (Hanford-Kings County and Tulare stations); very auto-dependent
Airport: Visalia Municipal Airport (VIS); Porterville Municipal Airport (general aviation); Fresno International most accessible for commercial flights (45 miles north)
Notes: Hwy 99 runs north-south through Tulare and Visalia; Hwy 198 runs east-west (Hanford to Sequoia NP via Visalia – the Kings Canyon/Sequoia gateway highway); Hwy 65 connects Tulare/Porterville corridor; Hwy 190 goes east to Porterville and into the Sierra; Porterville and Lindsay are significant communities; Sequoia NP access drives significant tourist traffic on Hwy 198 through Visalia
Services: County permits; Visalia (active, separate), Porterville, Tulare, Exeter, Lindsay, Dinuba, Woodlake, Farmersville, Springville, Strathmore have separate permits
Notes: Active building market driven by agricultural processing and residential growth; post-2023 flood rebuilding for farmworker communities; Visalia growing as Fresno alternative; Sequoia gateway tourism development; agricultural processing facility construction; cannabis cultivation increasing
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Tulare County Veterans Services – (559) 636-5080
VA Medical: VA Central California (Fresno) – approximately 45 miles north; accessible
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare; Fresno VA accessible; Visalia CBOC
Notes: Fresno VA accessible via Hwy 99; Visalia CBOC provides local access; significant veteran community in agricultural communities; active VSO chapters in Visalia and Porterville
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Tulare County Library – (559) 713-2750 | tularecountylibrary.org; 14 branches; Visalia Public Library (separate); Porterville Public Library (separate)
Services: Books, e-books, public computers, Wi-Fi, Spanish-language collections, children’s programs; bilingual programming; Sequoia heritage materials; farmworker community resources
Notes: Library system serves dispersed agricultural communities; bilingual Spanish essential given large Hispanic population; Springville branch serves the Sierra foothills community near Sequoia NP; Lindsay’s library serves a predominantly Latino agricultural community; internet access is critical in farming communities with limited broadband
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
State/Federal Parks: Sequoia National Park (the southern portion – General Sherman Tree (the world’s largest tree by volume – 52,500 cubic feet of wood; 2,100 years old; 274 feet tall); Giant Forest; Crystal Cave; Moro Rock; Tunnel Log; Foothills Visitor Center; access via Hwy 198 through Visalia – Generals Highway); Kings Canyon National Park (Highway 180 from Fresno connects; the Cedar Grove area is in Tulare County – the deep Kings Canyon is one of the deepest in North America, rivaling the Grand Canyon); Sequoia National Forest (Giant Sequoia National Monument); Tule Elk State Natural Reserve (Buttonwillow area – Kern County, but Tulare County access)
Other: Kaweah Oaks Preserve (The Nature Conservancy; Visalia – extremely rare valley oak riparian habitat; one of the finest remaining examples of Central Valley riparian woodland); Lake Kaweah (Army Corps reservoir on the Kaweah River; boating; camping); Lake Success (Porterville area)
Notable: The 2023 Tulare Lake Basin flooding (the Tulare Lake dried up in the early 20th century when it was drained for farmland – in 2023 the atmospheric rivers refilled the lake basin for the first time in 100 years, covering approximately 50,000 acres of farmland in up to 15 feet of water and displacing thousands of farmworkers)
Notes: Tulare County contains some of the world’s most extraordinary natural features; the General Sherman Tree is the world’s largest organism by volume – standing in the Giant Forest grove surrounded by other massive sequoias is one of the most humbling natural experiences on Earth; the 2023 Tulare Lake basin refilling was a sobering reminder that the lake (once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi – 2,200 square miles when full) was always there – the surrounding farmland was built on a lakebed; the lake’s return disrupted thousands of acres of agriculture and displaced primarily Latino farmworker communities; Kaweah Oaks Preserve is extraordinarily rare – valley oak riparian forest of the type that once lined the entire floor of the San Joaquin Valley is now reduced to a few hundred acres; the preserve’s great horned owls, valley elderberry longhorn beetle habitat, and native fish are irreplaceable
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Tulare County GIS – co.tulare.ca.us/rma; NPS Sequoia and Kings Canyon maps; CalFire maps; 2023 Tulare Lake flooding maps; Valley Fever distribution maps
Notes: County GIS; 2023 flooding maps (Tulare Lake basin inundation extent); Valley Fever soil spore distribution mapping; Sequoia NP trail and permit maps; Sierra Nevada wildfire hazard mapping; Kings Canyon geological mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Tulare County Animal Control – (559) 636-4050; Visalia Shelter; Porterville Shelter
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, owner surrenders, spay/neuter; wildlife management (black bears in Sierra foothills; mountain lions; San Joaquin kit fox – federally threatened)
Notes: 2023 Tulare Lake flooding required massive emergency animal rescue operations for livestock displaced by flooding; Sequoia NP bears are actively managed by NPS; mountain lion management in Sierra foothills communities; blunt-nosed leopard lizard (federally endangered) present in county; San Joaquin kit fox management; western pond turtle in Kaweah watershed
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Tulare County Resource Management – (559) 624-7440; Visalia city collection; county landfills
Air Quality: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) – Tulare County consistently has some of the worst air quality in the US; combination of agricultural emissions, vehicle traffic, topography trapping pollutants
Environmental: California SWRCB; Central Valley RWQCB; USBR (Friant-Kern Canal; Success Dam; Lake Kaweah Dam); NPS (Sequoia and Kings Canyon); USFS (Sequoia NF); CDFW; SGMA groundwater management (critical)
Notes: The 2023 Tulare Lake refilling was one of California’s most dramatic environmental events in recent memory; the lake’s return was caused by extreme atmospheric river precipitation that overwhelmed the valley’s drainage and irrigation systems; the flooding covered tens of thousands of acres, required emergency levee construction, and displaced primarily farmworker communities in Allensworth, Alpaugh, Corcoran, and other communities; the flooding also damaged or destroyed millions of dollars in crops; the lake’s return has prompted discussions about whether parts of the Tulare Lake Basin should be returned to wetland habitat (which would also provide water storage and reduce flood risk); Valley Fever is expanding – Tulare County’s combination of sandy soils, dry conditions, and agricultural soil disturbance creates ideal conditions for Coccidioides fungus proliferation; the SGMA groundwater management plan for Tulare County’s Kings River Watershed subbasin requires dramatic reduction in agricultural groundwater pumping – this will fallow thousands of acres of farmland and reshape the agricultural economy; Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPs face multiple environmental stressors from climate change including declining snowpack, warming temperatures, invasive species, and increasing fire risk to the sequoia groves themselves (2021 KNP Complex Fire killed thousands of mature sequoias – the first documented significant sequoia mortality from wildfire)
About Tulare County
Tulare County is California’s twenty-eighth most populous county and the 148th most populous in the United States, covering 4,839 square miles from the floor of the San Joaquin Valley east to the Sierra Nevada crest – encompassing both some of the most productive agricultural land in the world and some of the most spectacular wilderness in North America.
Visalia (population ~141,000, the county seat) is the San Joaquin Valley’s fifth largest city and the largest between Fresno and Bakersfield. It serves as the regional center for healthcare, retail, and government services for Tulare County and the surrounding area. Visalia’s downtown has benefited from revitalization investment, and the city’s position as the primary gateway to Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park gives it a modest tourism economy alongside its agricultural and commercial base.
Tulare (population ~68,000) is the county’s second city – a primarily agricultural community and the site of one of California’s most significant dairy and citrus processing operations. World Ag Expo – held annually in Tulare – is the world’s largest annual agricultural exposition, drawing over 100,000 attendees and exhibitors from across the globe.
Porterville (population ~62,000) anchors the county’s southern tier – a citrus and olive oil production center with a significant Latino population.
Sequoia National Park and the adjacent Giant Sequoia National Monument occupy the county’s eastern Sierra Nevada terrain – the General Sherman Tree (the world’s largest tree by volume, 274 feet tall and over 2,700 years old) stands in the Giant Forest section of Sequoia National Park entirely within Tulare County. The park draws over 1.2 million visitors annually to witness the groves of Giant Sequoias that exist nowhere else on earth.
Tulare County is the United States’ top dairy-producing county – the county’s dairies produce more milk than many entire states, making it foundational to California’s position as the nation’s top dairy state. Oranges, grapes, pistachios, and cotton are also major commodities.
The county’s demographics reflect the agricultural workforce that sustains this production – a majority-Hispanic population with significant farmworker communities in unincorporated areas and small cities throughout the valley floor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
California’s Proposition 13 limits annual assessed value increases to 2% until a change in ownership triggers reassessment at market value. Agricultural land in Tulare County is assessed under Williamson Act contracts – land enrolled in the Williamson Act is assessed at its agricultural productivity value rather than market value in exchange for a commitment to keep the land in agricultural use for at least 10 years.
The appeal process: File with the Tulare County Assessment Appeals Board at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, CA 93291, phone 559-636-5100. The general filing period is July 2 through November 30 each year (or within 60 days of a reassessment notice). California has no estate tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Tulare County Assessment Appeals Board: July 2–November 30. Williamson Act agricultural land assessed at productivity value. No CA estate tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Tulare County Assessment Appeals Board: July 2–November 30. Williamson Act agricultural land assessed at productivity value. No CA estate tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Superior Court (Probate): The Tulare County Superior Court at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, CA 93291, phone 559-730-5000, handles probate, estate administration, guardianships, conservatorships, and all civil and criminal matters.
County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor: The Tulare County Clerk-Recorder at 221 S. Mooney Blvd., Room 105, phone 559-636-5051, maintains all real property records and vital records. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Tulare County Area Agency on Aging serves the county’s senior population with in-home services, caregiver support, nutrition programs, and transportation coordination. Contact Tulare County Health and Human Services at 559-624-8000. Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia and Porterville Developmental Center provide significant services to the county’s elderly population.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Tulare County - from Visalia and Tulare to Porterville and the Sierra foothills communities.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK-RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses)
221 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, CA 93291
(559) 636-5051
County Clerk
(559) 624-7300
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Tulare County Superior Court, both locations (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Tulare County Genealogical Society, Visalia, CA
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
Tulare County has two probate-handling locations – file in whichever is more convenient.
Tulare County Superior Court, Probate Division – 221 South Mooney Blvd, Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291. (559) 730-5000, Ext. 1057. South County Justice Center, Probate Division – 300 East Olive, Porterville, CA 93257. (559) 782-3700. Hours (both): Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 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 Tulare County Superior Court, at either the Visalia or Porterville location.
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
832 S. Court St., Visalia, CA 93291
(559) 733-6218
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
(559) 624-8000
Social Services
(559) 624-8000
Medi-Cal
(800) 300-1506
Tribal Health
Tule River Indian Tribe
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency – (559) 624-8000 | co.tulare.ca.us/hhsa
Services: Comprehensive county health department; immunizations; WIC; STI/HIV testing; behavioral health; environmental health; restaurant inspections; Valley Fever surveillance and treatment; farmworker health; 2023 flood public health response
Hospital: Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia – county’s primary hospital; Level II trauma) – (559) 624-2000; Adventist Health Tulare; Sierra View Medical Center (Porterville); Kaweah Delta Health Care District
Notes: Kaweah Health is the county’s primary hospital; significant health disparities; Valley Fever is a serious and chronic public health concern in Tulare County; farmworker health challenges (pesticide exposure, heat illness, musculoskeletal injuries); the 2023 atmospheric river flooding created public health emergencies for farmworker communities near Tulare Lake; behavioral health services are in high demand; poverty-related health disparities
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