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Office: Prowers County OEM – (719) 336-8025 | prowerscounty.net
Alert System: CO-WARN; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Lamar school facilities; county fairgrounds; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: Southeastern Colorado Arkansas River county at the Kansas border; Lamar is county seat; tornado risk (significant – southeastern Colorado tornado corridor; 2007 Lamar tornado caused significant damage); severe thunderstorms; hail; drought; cattle ranching and feedlots; Arkansas River corridor; significant wind energy (Prowers County has one of the largest concentrations of wind energy in Colorado – the “Wind Corridor” of southeastern Colorado)
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Prowers County Roads – (719) 336-8025
Notes: US-50 (east-west through Lamar – the historic highway paralleling the Santa Fe Trail; Kansas border accessible via US-50); US-287 (north-south); SR-196 and other state highways; Lamar is about 90 miles east of Pueblo on US-50; the Kansas border is about 20 miles east; Denver is about 200 miles northwest; southeastern Colorado’s most significant city east of Pueblo
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Prowers County Planning – (719) 336-8025
Services: County permits; Lamar (separate), Granada, Wiley, Holly, Bristol separate
Notes: Agricultural and ranching county; wind energy tower and substation construction is significant; feedlot infrastructure; limited residential development; Lamar’s regional center function drives some commercial building
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Prowers County Veterans Services – (719) 336-8025
VA Medical: VA Pueblo (about 90 miles west on US-50)
Services: Benefits claims; VA Pueblo accessible via US-50
Notes: VA Pueblo accessible; Lamar is a regional hub for southeastern Colorado veterans; active American Legion and VFW posts
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lamar Community Library – (719) 336-4632
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Arkansas Valley and Trail heritage; Amache/Granada internment camp heritage (significant)
Notes: Library with important historical collections; the Granada Relocation Center (Amache) – the WWII Japanese American internment camp in Prowers County – is one of Colorado’s most historically significant sites; the library’s Amache collections honor this history; Arkansas River and Santa Fe Trail heritage are also documented
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Amache National Historic Site (Granada – formerly the Granada Relocation Center; one of ten WWII Japanese American internment camps; approximately 7,318 Japanese Americans were interned here from 1942-1945; Amache was recently designated a National Historic Site (2022) – one of Colorado’s newest NPS units; the Japanese American community’s garden, the guard towers, and the cemetery (272 internees died here) are preserved; the John Prowers Chapter of the JACL has maintained the site for decades; it is a profound and moving experience); John Martin Reservoir State Park (west of Lamar – boating; camping; excellent bald eagle concentration in winter; the Lamar Christmas Bird Count regularly records the largest numbers of raptors in Colorado); Purgatoire River wildlife area; Comanche National Grassland (accessible from Lamar); wind farm touring (Prowers County’s wind farms are among the largest in Colorado – the turbines create a dramatic industrial-natural landscape)
Notes: Amache/Granada is Prowers County’s most historically significant site – the internment of 7,318 Japanese Americans (two-thirds of whom were US citizens) in the southeastern Colorado desert was one of the most unjust episodes in American history; the site’s recent NPS designation brings long-overdue recognition; John Martin Reservoir’s bald eagle concentration in winter is one of Colorado’s finest (wintering eagle populations on the Arkansas River corridor are significant); the wind farms’ visual impact on the southeastern plains creates a distinctive contemporary landscape
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Prowers County GIS – prowerscounty.net; wind energy project maps; Arkansas River flood maps; Amache NHS maps; John Martin USACE maps
Notes: County GIS; wind energy project siting and transmission line maps; Arkansas River flood management; Amache NHS archaeological and historical mapping; John Martin Reservoir management maps
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Prowers County Animal Control – (719) 336-8025
Notes: Agricultural county; cattle and feedlots; pronghorn antelope (significant plains herds); John Martin Reservoir wildlife (wintering bald eagles, golden eagles; waterfowl); Arkansas River corridor wildlife; lesser prairie chicken management
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Prowers County – basic; Lamar city collection
Environmental: Colorado DPHE; Arkansas River Compact (Colorado-Kansas – critical for the Arkansas Valley’s irrigation water); Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District; COGCC (wind energy); USBR (John Martin Reservoir); Prowers County wind energy environmental compliance
Notes: Wind energy is Prowers County’s most significant economic growth sector and creates environmental management responsibilities; the “Wind Corridor” of southeastern Colorado runs through Prowers County – the consistent strong winds make this one of the most productive wind energy areas in the Mountain West; wind turbine noise and visual impacts are managed through county zoning; bird and bat mortality at wind turbines is monitored; the Arkansas River Compact’s water management creates ongoing tensions between Colorado’s agricultural needs and Kansas’s downstream rights; Prowers County’s agricultural water supply has been declining; feedlot waste management creates water quality and air quality management challenges; Amache/Granada NHS’s environmental management focuses on preserving the historically significant landscape
About Prowers County County
Prowers County is southeast Colorado’s Amache internment heritage and sandhill crane migration county – the National Historic Landmark that preserves one of World War II’s gravest civil liberties violations and the spectacular crane migration that fills the Arkansas River wetlands each spring define a county of profound historical and natural significance on the southeastern plains.
Lamar (the county seat, population ~7,500) is Prowers County’s governmental hub on US 50, a southeast Colorado Arkansas River city whose Amache heritage, crane migration, and agricultural service role anchor its community identity near the Kansas border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Prowers County Assessor at 301 S. Main Street, Lamar, CO 81052, phone 719-336-8011. CO assessed at percentage of actual value.
Courts & Legal
Prowers County District Court at 301 S. Main Street, Lamar, CO 81052, phone 719-336-7416, 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)
301 S. Main St., Lamar, CO 81052
(719) 336-8000
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Prowers 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 – also covers Prowers County as one of 11 SE Colorado counties.
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
Prowers County Combined Court – District Court (Probate Division) 301 S. Main Street, Suite 300, Lamar, CO 81052 (719) 336-7424 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.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 Prowers 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
Lamar, CO 81052
(719) 336-7551
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
301 S. Main St., Lamar, CO 81052
(719) 336-8000
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Dept
(719) 336-8721
Human Services
(719) 336-7453
CO Benefits / PEAK
(800) 536-5298
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Southeast Colorado Health Department (regional) – (719) 336-8179
Services: Immunizations, WIC, STI testing, environmental health, vital records; behavioral health; agricultural worker health; wind energy worker health
Hospital: Prowers Medical Center (Lamar – Banner Health) – (719) 336-4343; regional community hospital for southeastern Colorado
Notes: Prowers Medical Center serves a very large rural region; agricultural worker health (feedlot workers, seasonal farmworkers); behavioral health in isolated rural community; wind energy worker safety (tower maintenance – height-related injuries); Granada’s WWII Japanese American internment camp history creates a unique public health equity legacy
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lamar
Population: 12,000
Area: 1,643 sq mi
Established: 1889
Public Records
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