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Office: Kiowa County OEM – (719) 438-5531 | kiowacountyco.gov
Alert System: CO-WARN; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Eads school facilities; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: Southeastern Colorado high plains county; Eads is county seat; tornado risk (extremely high – Kiowa County is in one of Colorado’s most active tornado corridors; multiple F3 and F4 tornadoes have struck the county over the decades); severe thunderstorms and hail; drought; Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site (one of the most important and tragic sites in American history – 1864); very remote
Notes: US-287 (north-south through Eads – connects to Lamar east and Limon north); SR-96 and SR-40 (east-west connections); Kiowa County is in the heart of the eastern Colorado plains; La Junta (40 miles south) is the nearest regional center; Pueblo is about 90 miles west; extremely remote and isolated
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Kiowa County Building – (719) 438-5531
Services: Very basic; Eads only significant community
Notes: Very limited development; dryland farming and cattle ranching infrastructure; wind energy development increasing; very limited activity overall
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Kiowa County Veterans Services – (719) 438-5531
VA Medical: VA Albuquerque; VA Pueblo; both very distant; telehealth critical
Notes: Extremely remote; VA access very challenging; small veteran community; Sand Creek Massacre heritage has complex tribal veteran dynamics
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Kiowa County Public Library – (719) 438-5334
Address: Eads
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Sand Creek Massacre heritage; high plains agricultural history
Notes: Single library serving an extremely remote community; Sand Creek Massacre historical materials are an important local collection given the site’s proximity
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site (NPS – (719) 438-5916; one of the most historically significant and morally important sites in the American West; the site of the November 29, 1864 massacre of approximately 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people – two-thirds of them women, children, and elderly – by Colorado militia under Colonel John Chivington; one of the defining events of the Plains Indian Wars and one of the most shameful acts in Colorado history; the site was established as an NPS unit in 2007 after decades of advocacy by the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes; the landscape is preserved essentially as it was; the site is remote but deeply moving; an important reckoning with American history); Big Sandy Creek (wildlife; occasional recreation); two small reservoirs; wind farm viewing; Kiowa County is primarily working agricultural landscape
Notes: Sand Creek Massacre NHS is one of the most historically significant and emotionally weighty sites in Colorado; the 1864 massacre – in which the 3rd Colorado Cavalry attacked a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho who were flying a US flag and a white flag – killed approximately 230 people; the survivors fled north and the massacre is credited with triggering the collapse of peace negotiations with the Plains tribes; the site’s establishment as an NPS unit represents a significant step in acknowledging this history; the landscape is eerily preserved – the cottonwood-lined creek, the bluffs, and the silence are powerful
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; Colorado GIS; USGS maps; Sand Creek NHS maps; tornado risk maps
Notes: Minimal county GIS; NPS maintains Sand Creek Massacre NHS maps; tornado risk zone mapping from NOAA
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Very basic; Kiowa County Sheriff animal control
Solid Waste: Kiowa County – very limited; transfer station
Environmental: Colorado DPHE; Sand Creek watershed; Big Sandy Creek; Ogallala Aquifer management; wind energy development; USFWS (lesser prairie chicken management)
Notes: The Ogallala Aquifer depletion threatens long-term agricultural viability; Kiowa County is primarily dryland farming (not irrigation-dependent) so the aquifer threat is less acute than for irrigation-dependent counties, but drought is still the primary long-term environmental challenge; wind energy development on the flat eastern plains provides some economic diversification; lesser prairie chicken habitat protection creates land use restrictions; the Sand Creek Massacre NHS’s cultural landscape protection requires maintaining the undeveloped character of the site – no development is appropriate in or adjacent to the NHS; Sand Creek’s water quality is important for the site’s wildlife values
About Kiowa County County
Kiowa County is the site of the Sand Creek Massacre – one of the most solemn and historically significant locations in Colorado, where the 1864 militia attack on peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho people stands as a defining tragedy of the American West. The national historic site that honors the victims anchors a remote shortgrass prairie county where Eads serves one of Colorado’s smallest populations.
Eads (the county seat, population ~600) is Kiowa County’s governmental hub, a small southeastern Colorado plains town whose Sand Creek Massacre proximity and agricultural service role define its quiet community character.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Kiowa County Assessor at 1305 Goff Street, Eads, CO 81036, phone 719-438-5421. CO assessed at percentage of actual value.
Courts & Legal
Kiowa County District Court at 1305 Goff Street, Eads, CO 81036, phone 719-438-5531, 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)
1305 Goff St., Eads, CO 81036
(719) 438-5521
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Kiowa County District Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
No dedicated Kiowa 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
Kiowa County Combined Court – District Court (Probate Division) 1305 Goff Street, P.O. Box 353, Eads, CO 81036 (719) 931-6010 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 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 Kiowa 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
Eads, CO 81036
(719) 438-5411
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
1305 Goff St., Eads, CO 81036
(719) 438-5521
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health/Human Services
Eads, CO 81036
(719) 438-5521
CO Benefits / PEAK
(800) 536-5298
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Kiowa County Health (Southeast Colorado health system)
Services: Basic public health; immunizations; vital records
Hospital: No local hospital; Southeast Health Group (Prowers Medical – Lamar) and Lincoln Community Hospital (Hugo) serve the area; very limited local services
Notes: No local hospital; extremely limited healthcare access; behavioral health in isolated rural communities; agricultural stress and depopulation affect mental health; tornado trauma and disaster-related mental health needs
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Eads
Population: 1,400
Area: 1,786 sq mi
Established: 1889
Public Records
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