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Idaho County
Clearwater County, Idaho
Dworshak Dam and the Clearwater River steelhead - from Dworshak Dam (the highest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere - rising 717 feet above the North Fork of the Clearwater River - Dworshak Dam created the 54-mile-long Dworshak Reservoir, one of the most remote major reservoirs in the United States, and the facility's fish hatchery is one of the largest steelhead hatcheries in the world) and the Clearwater River's legendary steelhead fishery (the Clearwater River and its tributaries are among the most significant steelhead salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest, drawing fly fishermen from across the world to the north Idaho canyon country).
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Office: Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office – 150 Michigan Avenue, P.O. Box 724, Orofino, ID 83544 | (208) 476-4521 | Fax (208) 476-7835 | Tip Hotline (208) 476-3673; Sheriff John Smith, elected 2008. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-12 serves Orofino, the county seat and largest city, on the Clearwater River.
Notes: Clearwater County was established February 27, 1911, named for the Clearwater River. The county is home to Dworshak Dam, the third-highest dam in the United States, along with Dworshak Reservoir, Dworshak State Park, and the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clearwater County Courthouse – 150 Michigan Avenue, Orofino, ID | (208) 476-5596.
Notes: Clearwater County holds genuinely momentous significance in American exploration history. The Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Corps of Discovery, widely regarded as the first white and Black men to enter Idaho, arrived at Weippe Prairie on September 20, 1805, after nearly starving crossing the Bitterroot Mountains via the Lolo Trail. There, Captain William Clark and an advance party met Nez Perce tribal members for the first time in recorded history – a documented, pivotal encounter in which the Nez Perce fed the exhausted expedition camas roots, dried salmon, and berries, establishing a friendly relationship that lasted decades. The Nez Perce later helped the expedition build dugout canoes at a site on the Clearwater River known as Canoe Camp, using fire-hollowing techniques. Weippe Prairie, still a traditional Nez Perce root-gathering ground where wild camas blooms so thickly in spring it resembles a lake from a distance, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and is now part of Nez Perce National Historical Park. Clearwater County is also known as the birthplace of Idaho’s 1860 gold rush.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Clearwater County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via clearwatercounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Orofino Public Library (Orofino) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Weippe Prairie (National Historic Landmark, Nez Perce National Historical Park), Canoe Camp, Dworshak Dam and Reservoir, Dworshak State Park, and the Bald Mountain ski area are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, historically pivotal first meeting between Lewis and Clark and the Nez Perce Nation at Weippe Prairie is among the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Clearwater County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via clearwatercounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via clearwatercounty.org; Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Clearwater County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via clearwatercounty.org.
NOTES: Clearwater County is the eighteenth county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, historically pivotal first meeting between Lewis and Clark and the Nez Perce Nation at Weippe Prairie is among the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Clearwater County
Clearwater County is the Clearwater River steelhead and Dworshak Dam country – the highest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere creates the remote Dworshak Reservoir, and the Clearwater’s legendary steelhead runs draw fly fishermen from across the world to the north Idaho canyon landscape.
Orofino (the county seat, population ~3,100) is the Clearwater River gateway – the state hospital, the dam, and the steelhead fishing define the county’s economy.
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Clearwater County Assessor at 150 Michigan Avenue, Orofino, ID 83544, phone 208-476-5533. ID homeowner’s exemption up to $125,000.
Courts & Legal
Clearwater County District Court at 150 Michigan Avenue, Orofino, ID 83544, phone 208-476-5615, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
150 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544
(208) 476-5615
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
150 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544
(208) 476-5041
ELECTIONS / CLERK
150 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544
(208) 476-5615
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clearwater County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Nez Perce National Historical Park (Kamiah unit) and Weippe Prairie – both on the National Register of Historic Places within Clearwater County, tied to Nez Perce Tribe history.
Local societies
No dedicated Clearwater 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
Clearwater County Magistrate Court 150 Michigan Avenue, P.O. Box 586, Orofino, ID 83544
Clearwater County was established in 1911, named for the Clearwater River. Orofino’s name means “fine gold” in Spanish, reflecting the area’s mining history.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Idaho has adopted the Uniform Probate Code (Idaho Code Title 15). Idaho is also a community property state. Idaho recognizes four main paths:
Small Estate Affidavit – a non-court process for estates with a total value of $100,000 or less (excluding liens and encumbrances) and no real property. Available 30 days after death. No court filing required (Idaho Code § 15-3-1201).
Summary Administration – available when the value of all the decedent’s property is less than the homestead allowance, exempt property, and last-illness medical expenses combined, or when a surviving spouse is sole beneficiary (Idaho Code §§ 15-3-1203, 15-3-1205).
Informal Probate – the most common track for uncontested estates, handled through the court registrar.
Formal Probate – court-supervised proceedings required when disputes arise or the will is contested.
Step 2: filing
For informal probate with a will, file an Application for Informal Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative with the Magistrate Division.
For formal probate, file a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative (or the equivalent for intestate estates).
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be reasonable given the services rendered and complexity.
If formal or informal probate is needed
Determine whether small estate affidavit, summary administration, or full probate applies.
File the appropriate application or petition with the Clearwater County Magistrate Court.
Under informal proceedings, the registrar reviews the application without a hearing. Under formal proceedings, a judge holds a hearing.
The personal representative accepts the appointment and may need to post a bond.
Once appointed, the court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Obtain several certified copies.
Publish notice to creditors as required.
Mail notice to all heirs, beneficiaries, and interested parties.
Marshal assets, obtain an EIN, open an estate account, pay valid debts and expenses, and prepare any required inventory.
Distribute remaining assets per the will or Idaho’s intestacy statutes, then close the estate.
What it costs
Idaho does not impose its own state estate or inheritance tax.
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives.
Court filing fees and publication costs are separate – confirm current amounts with the Clearwater County Magistrate Court.
Probate in Idaho typically takes 6-12 months for uncontested estates.
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
150 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544
(208) 476-4521
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
150 Michigan Ave., Orofino, ID 83544
(208) 476-5615
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — North Central
(208) 799-4400
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
Clearwater Valley Hospital
smh-cvh.org (Orofino)
State Hospital North
(Idaho Department of Health & Welfare psychiatric facility — Orofino)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: North Central Public Health District (serving Clearwater County) – confirm current contact via nicetho.idaho.gov / phd2.idaho.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Orofino
Population: 8,600
Area: 2,462 sq mi
Established: 1911
Tier: 3
Public Records
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