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Office: San Juan County OEM – (970) 387-5766 | sanjuancountyco.gov
Alert System: CO-WARN; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Silverton school facilities; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: Southwestern Colorado San Juan Mountains county; Silverton is county seat (only incorporated municipality in the county); Colorado’s smallest county by population (~700 permanent residents); avalanche risk (EXTREME – San Juan County has some of the most extreme and frequently active avalanche terrain in North America; Silverton is surrounded by peaks that regularly produce massive avalanches; snowpack can exceed 500 inches; the San Juan Mountains are legendary in the global avalanche community; several fatal avalanche accidents occur each year near Silverton; the Million Dollar Highway between Silverton and Ouray has extraordinary avalanche risk; Silverton Mountain Ski Area is the most extreme in-bounds ski terrain in North America); wildfire risk; flooding (Animas River headwaters); 2015 Gold King Mine spill
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: San Juan County Roads – (970) 387-5766
Transit: None; completely auto-dependent; seasonal and avalanche-dependent road access
Notes: US-550 (the Million Dollar Highway – between Silverton and Ouray (north) and between Silverton and Durango (south); the entire highway is subject to avalanche closure in winter; Silverton can be completely isolated by avalanche closures for days); SR-110 (to Engineer Mountain and Alpine Loop 4WD); Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (seasonal – summer only) provides the most famous alternative access; Silverton is the most isolated incorporated municipality in Colorado
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: San Juan County Planning – (970) 387-5766
Services: Very basic county permits; Silverton only significant community
Notes: Very limited development; tourism infrastructure (hotels, restaurants, rafting outfitters); Silverton Mountain Ski Area construction; mining-related remediation construction; vacation rental development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: San Juan County Veterans Services – (970) 387-5766
VA Medical: VA Albuquerque; VA Grand Junction; Durango VA CBOC most accessible
Services: Very basic benefits claims; telehealth critical; extremely remote
Notes: Among Colorado’s most isolated counties from VA services; Durango CBOC is the most accessible; telehealth essential; very small veteran population
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: San Juan County Library – (970) 387-5770
Address: Silverton
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Colorado mining heritage; San Juan Mountain history; 2015 Gold King Mine spill history
Notes: Single small library; critical internet access point in one of Colorado’s most isolated communities; Silver mining heritage (Silverton’s silver mining history 1870s-1991) documented in collections; 2015 Gold King Mine spill history; D&SNG Railroad connection to Durango
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Silverton Mountain Ski Area (Silverton – the most extreme in-bounds skiing in North America; all terrain is expert; a guide is required for all skiers; the terrain includes runs up to 65° pitch; up to 3,000 acres of expert and super-expert terrain; the mountain regularly receives over 400 inches of snowfall; Silverton Mountain is a pilgrimage destination for the world’s best extreme skiers and skiers seeking the most challenging in-bounds terrain in the US; helmet required; no novice terrain whatsoever); Million Dollar Highway (US-550 – the Silverton-to-Ouray section; the most dramatic 23 miles of highway in Colorado; sheer drops, no guardrails, avalanche chutes, spectacular views of the San Juan Mountains); Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (seasonal train to Durango – one of the finest train experiences in the US); Ouray County Alpine Loop 4WD connection (Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass – connecting to Lake City and Ouray); Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run (Silverton – one of the world’s most grueling ultramarathons; 100 miles through the San Juan Mountains with 33,000+ feet of elevation gain; the world’s most prestigious 100-mile ultramarathon); Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour (Silverton – excellent underground gold mine tour); Animas River (headwaters – fishing; the Gold King Mine spill contaminated the upper Animas in 2015 but the fishery has largely recovered)
Notes: Silverton is one of Colorado’s most extraordinary communities – a perfectly preserved 1880s silver mining boomtown completely surrounded by 13,000-14,000 ft peaks, accessible only by road or the narrow gauge railroad, and still functioning as a genuine community; the combination of world-class extreme skiing, the D&SNG Railroad, the Hardrock 100 (one of the most prestigious ultramarathons in the world), and the dramatic alpine setting makes Silverton uniquely compelling; Silverton Mountain’s extreme terrain attracts the world’s finest extreme skiers; the Hardrock 100’s course through some of the most remote and high-altitude terrain in the contiguous US is genuinely extraordinary
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Very limited; USGS detailed topographic maps essential; Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC – extensive avalanche forecast and terrain mapping; San Juan Mountains is one of CAIC’s most actively forecast zones); US-550 avalanche closure mapping; Gold King Mine plume mapping; USFS Uncompahgre and San Juan NF maps
Notes: CAIC avalanche forecasting is the single most important GIS resource for San Juan County; the avalanche terrain classification maps (used by Silverton Mountain and backcountry skiers) are essential; Gold King Mine water quality monitoring maps; 4WD route maps for the Alpine Loop
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Very basic; San Juan County Sheriff animal control
Notes: Very small remote county; wildlife (mountain goats – extremely active in the San Juan Mountains above Silverton; bighorn sheep; elk; mule deer; black bears; mountain lions); the mountain goats near Silverton Mountain are remarkably bold and will approach skiers
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: San Juan County – very limited; transfer station
Environmental: Colorado DPHE; San Juan Mountains Association; USFS (Uncompahgre and San Juan NFs); EPA (Gold King Mine – 2015 Animas River spill; ongoing Superfund remediation); DRMS (historical mining reclamation – San Juan County has dozens of abandoned mine sites draining heavy metals into the Animas River watershed); Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety
Notes: San Juan County’s 150 years of silver and gold mining has left an environmental legacy that defines the county’s water quality challenges; the Animas River above Silverton is chronically impacted by acid mine drainage from hundreds of abandoned mines; the 2015 Gold King Mine spill was the most dramatic single event but it was an intensification of an existing chronic problem; the mines in the upper Animas watershed continuously drain heavy metals (arsenic, zinc, cadmium, lead) into the river; the EPA Superfund designation (Bonita Peak Mining District) encompasses 48 mine sites and requires billions in long-term remediation; the remediation is one of the most complex and expensive abandoned mine cleanups in the US; paradoxically, the avalanche terrain that makes Silverton famous is deeply connected to the terrain that made mining possible – the same steep San Juan Mountain slopes that produce massive avalanche debris slides made ore extraction from vertical veins feasible
About San Juan County County
San Juan County is Colorado’s least populous county and its most dramatically situated – Silverton’s Victorian mining town boxed in by 13,000-foot peaks and the legendary Durango & Silverton steam train that has run through the Animas canyon since 1882 define a county of incomparable mountain grandeur and historic authenticity in the heart of the San Juan wilderness.
Silverton (the county seat, population ~550) is San Juan County’s governmental hub and Colorado’s highest incorporated town on a state highway, a Victorian silver mining town at 9,318 feet whose D&SNG terminus, Alpine Loop access, and San Juan Mountain setting make it one of the most visited small communities in Colorado.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
San Juan County Assessor at 1557 Greene Street, Silverton, CO 81433, phone 970-387-5671. CO assessed at percentage of actual value.
Courts & Legal
San Juan County District Court at 1557 Greene Street, Silverton, CO 81433, phone 970-387-5790, 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)
1557 Greene St., Silverton, CO 81433
(970) 387-5766
Genealogy
County-level record sources
San Juan County District Court (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Southwest Colorado Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3928, Durango, CO 81302 – regional resource covering San Juan County.
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
San Juan County Courthouse – District Court (Probate Division) 1557 Greene Street, P.O. Box 900, Silverton, CO 81433 (970) 387-5790 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
San Juan is Colorado’s least populous county – expect a small, personal courthouse.
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 San Juan 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
Silverton, CO 81433
(970) 387-5531
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK & RECORDER (Deeds, Marriage Licenses, Elections)
1557 Greene St., Silverton, CO 81433
(970) 387-5766
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health/Human Services
Silverton, CO 81433
(970) 387-5766
CO Benefits / PEAK
(800) 536-5298
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Limited; San Juan Basin Public Health regional (Durango) serves some functions
Services: Very basic; vital records; limited services
Hospital: No local hospital; Mercy Regional Medical Center (Durango – 50 miles south via US-550; accessible only when the highway is open); helicopter evacuation when US-550 is closed by avalanche
Notes: No local hospital and Silverton can be avalanche-isolated from all road access; helicopter evacuation is the only option during highway closures; this creates an extraordinarily challenging emergency medical situation; the community’s small permanent population and self-reliance culture partially mitigates this challenge
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Silverton
Population: 700
Area: 387 sq mi (Colorado's smallest county by area)
Established: 1876
Public Records
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