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Office: Baca County OEM – (719) 523-4372 | bacacountyco.gov
Alert System: CO-WARN; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Springfield school facilities; county fairgrounds; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: Southeastern Colorado high plains county; Springfield is county seat; tornado risk (one of Colorado’s highest tornado-risk areas – Baca County is on the Oklahoma panhandle border in a high-tornado corridor); severe thunderstorms and hail; drought (Baca County has experienced chronic drought – the Ogallala Aquifer depletion is a major long-term threat); dust storms (when drought conditions dry out fields, dust storms can reduce visibility to zero); very remote; Colorado’s southeastern corner touches New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas
Notes: US-287 (north-south through Springfield); SR-40 (east-west to Kansas border); US-160 connects to the west; Springfield is a very small agricultural town of about 1,300 people; La Junta is the nearest significant regional center (about 70 miles northwest); Pueblo is about 130 miles; very rural and isolated
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Baca County Building – (719) 523-4372
Services: Very basic county permits; Springfield, Two Buttes, Stonington, Vilas, Walsh small communities
Notes: Very limited development; dryland farming and cattle ranching infrastructure; wind energy development is increasing in southeastern Colorado; no significant residential or commercial development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Baca County Veterans Services – (719) 523-4372
VA Medical: VA Albuquerque; VA Colorado Springs; both very distant; telehealth critical
Services: Very basic benefits claims assistance; extremely remote
Notes: One of Colorado’s most remote counties for VA access; telehealth is essential; community health centers provide some services; very small veteran population
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Baca County Library District – (719) 523-6966
Branches: Springfield; Two Buttes
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; high plains heritage materials
Notes: Very small two-branch library system; important internet access point in an area with extremely limited broadband connectivity; Baca County’s high plains history (homesteading, Dust Bowl, dryland farming) is an important local heritage topic
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Comanche National Grassland (southeast Baca County – USFS managed; outstanding Colorado prairie ecosystem; two significant units – Timpas unit and Carrizo unit; Picket Wire Canyonlands in the Timpas unit – the largest dinosaur tracksite in North America; 1,300 footprints along the Purgatoire River; extraordinary and remote; Vogel Canyon with Ancestral Puebloan rock art; dinosaur tracks are one of the great paleontological treasures of Colorado); Two Buttes Reservoir (small state wildlife area; water recreation); Carrizo Canyon (sandstone canyon with excellent wildlife viewing)
Notes: Comanche National Grassland’s Picket Wire Canyonlands is one of Colorado’s most remarkable and least-known natural wonders; the 1,300 dinosaur tracks (sauropods and theropods) along the Purgatoire River represent the largest known dinosaur tracksite in North America; the canyon requires a long hike or 4WD vehicle to access, which keeps it appropriately uncrowded; the tracks include at least 100 individual dinosaurs walking together; the Comanche Grassland also protects one of the finest remaining examples of Colorado’s native shortgrass prairie ecosystem with burrowing owls, horned larks, mountain plovers, and pronghorn
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Baca County GIS – bacacountyco.gov; USFS Comanche National Grassland maps; USGS topographic maps; tornado risk maps (NOAA)
Notes: Very limited county GIS; Comanche National Grassland maintains maps through USFS; Picket Wire Canyonlands trail maps; tornado risk assessment maps; Ogallala Aquifer level monitoring maps
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Very basic; Baca County Sheriff animal control
Services: Livestock management; wildlife through Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Notes: Ranching county; cattle, horses, and sheep management; pronghorn antelope herds on the plains; burrowing owls in prairie dog colonies; lesser prairie chicken (federally threatened – southeastern Colorado high plains are critical habitat); golden eagles; rattlesnakes; CDPW manages hunting regulations
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Baca County – (719) 523-4372; very limited transfer station
Environmental: Colorado DPHE; Southeast Colorado Water Conservancy District; USFS (Comanche National Grassland); Ogallala Aquifer management; dryland farming erosion management; wind energy development
Notes: The Ogallala Aquifer depletion is the defining long-term environmental and economic threat to Baca County; the aquifer underlies much of the eastern plains and has been heavily drawn down for center-pivot irrigation over decades; at current rates of extraction the aquifer beneath southeastern Colorado will be economically exhausted within decades; this will end irrigation farming in the county and fundamentally transform the agricultural economy; some farmers are transitioning back to dryland farming; wind energy development is increasing in southeastern Colorado and Baca County – the flat plains and consistent winds make it ideal for wind farms; wind energy royalties provide some income for landowners and the county; lesser prairie chicken habitat protection under the ESA creates some land use restrictions on development in the eastern plains; Comanche National Grassland management focuses on native grass restoration and invasive species control
About Baca County County
Baca County is Colorado’s remote southeast shortgrass prairie and dinosaur tracksite county – the largest dinosaur footprint site in North America and the vast Comanche National Grassland define a county whose sparse population belies its extraordinary paleontological and ecological significance in Colorado’s far southeast corner near the Oklahoma and Kansas borders.
Springfield (the county seat, population ~1,300) is Baca County’s governmental hub, a small southeast Colorado plains town serving the county’s ranching and agricultural communities near the Oklahoma and Kansas borders.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Baca County Assessor at 741 Main Street, Springfield, CO 81073, phone 719-523-4372. CO assessed at percentage of actual value.
Courts & Legal
Baca County District Court at 741 Main Street, Springfield, CO 81073, phone 719-523-4243, 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, Elections)
741 Main St., Springfield, CO 81073
(719) 523-4372
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Baca County District Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Southeastern Colorado Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1407, Pueblo, CO 81002 – covers 11 southeastern Colorado counties including Baca, Bent, Crowley, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, and Pueblo. Meets 1st Saturday monthly at the Pueblo Heritage Museum, 201 W. B St., Pueblo, CO 81003.
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
Baca County Combined Court – District Court (Probate Division) 741 Main Street, Suite 5, Springfield, CO 81073 (719) 523-4555 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–Noon and 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Colorado follows the Uniform Probate Code, one of the more streamlined, less court-intensive systems in the country.
Small Estate Affidavit (personal property) – for estates where personal property totals less than roughly $86,000 (twice the “exempt property” amount under C.R.S. § 15-11-403, which adjusts annually for inflation – always confirm the current year’s figure with the court). Available starting 10 days after the death. No court filing required; present the affidavit (Form JDF 999) directly to whoever holds the property.
Summary Administration for small real property – a separate, roughly parallel threshold applies to real property equity. This route does require a court filing.
Informal Probate – the standard path for most estates with a will or clear heirs and no disputes. Handled largely by the court Registrar with minimal hearings.
Formal Probate – required for contested wills, disputed appointments, or complicated estates.
If using the small estate affidavit (personal property)
Wait at least 10 days after the death.
Confirm the fair market value of the decedent’s property (less liens) doesn’t exceed the current statutory threshold, and that no probate has already been opened.
Complete Form JDF 999, Collection of Personal Property by Affidavit.
Present it, along with a certified death certificate, to the bank or institution holding the property – no court filing needed.
If filing for informal or formal probate
File the appropriate application with the Baca County District Court: Form JDF 910 (with a will) or JDF 908 (without one). For formal probate, file JDF 920 or the intestate equivalent. Filing fee is $199.
The court (or Registrar, for informal cases) appoints a personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
In informal probate, the personal representative then manages the estate largely independently.
Creditors have 4 months from first publication of notice to file claims.
The estate closes once debts are paid and assets are distributed.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit: no court filing fee.
Informal or formal probate filing fee: $199.
Personal representative compensation: “reasonable compensation” – no fixed statutory percentage.
No Colorado 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
748 Main St., Springfield, CO 81073
(719) 523-6677
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
741 Main St., Springfield, CO 81073
(719) 523-4372
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Dept
(719) 523-6568
Human Services
(719) 523-6593
CO Benefits / PEAK
(800) 536-5298
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Southeast Colorado Health Department – (719) 523-6657 (regional health department serving multiple southeastern counties)
Services: Basic public health services; immunizations; vital records; WIC; behavioral health
Hospital: Southeast Health Group (Prowers Medical Center in Lamar – about 50 miles north); no local hospital; Springfield has a small clinic; helicopter evacuation for emergencies
Notes: No local hospital; very remote healthcare access; Southeast Colorado Health Department serves multiple counties from limited resources; behavioral health in isolated agricultural communities; drought-related agricultural depression affects mental health
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Springfield
Population: 3,500
Area: 2,589 sq mi
Established: 1889
Public Records
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