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Idaho County
Franklin County, Idaho
Preston - Napoleon Dynamite's hometown and Idaho's oldest settlement - from Napoleon Dynamite's Preston (the 2004 indie film that became a cult classic was filmed almost entirely in Preston and the surrounding Franklin County landscape - the high school, the rural roads, the dry southeastern Idaho terrain, and the quirky small-town atmosphere that Jared Hess captured so perfectly are all genuine Preston geography, and the town has embraced its Napoleon Dynamite heritage with an annual festival) to Franklin's significance as Idaho's oldest permanent settlement (the Mormon pioneers who settled Franklin in 1860 believing they were in Utah Territory - only later discovered they had crossed into what would become Idaho - established the state's oldest continuously occupied town).
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Office: Franklin County Sheriff’s Office – 39 West Oneida Street, Preston, ID 83263 | (208) 852-1234; Sheriff David Fryar. Jail capacity 157 beds. Franklin County Civil Defense/Emergency Management shares the building with the Sheriff’s Office.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-91 serves Preston, the county seat and largest city, part of the greater Logan, Utah Metropolitan Area.
Notes: Franklin County was established January 30, 1913, named for Franklin D. Richards, a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a genuinely unusual distinction, as it is the only Franklin County in the United States not named for Benjamin Franklin). Nearby Franklin, Idaho, is genuinely the oldest permanent non-Native settlement in the state of Idaho, founded April 14, 1860 by Latter-day Saint settlers led by Thomas S. Smart; residents initially believed they were settling in Utah until the Idaho-Utah border was officially surveyed in 1872. Other county towns were settled soon after: Oxford (1864), Weston (1865), Preston (1868), Dayton (1868), and Clifton (1869).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Franklin County Courthouse – Preston, ID.
Notes: Franklin County contains the Bear River Massacre National Historic Landmark, several miles northwest of Preston, the profoundly severe and well-documented site of the January 29, 1863 attack by California Volunteer troops under Colonel Patrick Connor on a Shoshone village – among the deadliest single incidents in the history of the American Indian Wars, with historians estimating several hundred Shoshone deaths. This history is referenced here briefly and with the gravity it deserves; the site, a National Historic Landmark since 1990, offers on-site interpretive materials for those wishing to learn more. Separately, a 1953 plane crash killed 37 Korean War veterans in the mountains of eastern Franklin County – the worst plane crash in Idaho’s history – memorialized by a monument built in 1967.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Franklin County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via franklincountyidaho.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Preston Public Library (Preston) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Franklin Historic District (Idaho’s oldest settlement, including the Relic Hall built 1936), the Oneida Stake Academy building, and the Pioneer Historic Byway connecting Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming are the county’s premier heritage attractions. Preston is also known regionally as the hometown depicted in the film “Napoleon Dynamite,” and hosts the well-known annual “That Famous Preston Night Rodeo.”
Notes: The genuine distinction of Franklin as Idaho’s oldest permanent settlement is among the standout local facts covered in this project; the Bear River Massacre history is referenced with particular care given its severity.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Franklin County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via franklincountyidaho.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via franklincountyidaho.org; Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Franklin County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via franklincountyidaho.org.
NOTES: Franklin County is the twenty-first county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine distinction of Franklin as Idaho’s oldest permanent settlement is among the standout local facts covered in this project. The profoundly severe Bear River Massacre history is presented briefly and with particular care given its severity. 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 Franklin County
Franklin County is Napoleon Dynamite country – the cult classic filmed in Preston captured the dry, quirky, genuinely strange beauty of southeast Idaho’s high desert with such authenticity that the film’s landscape is as much a character as its people, and Franklin itself is Idaho’s oldest settlement.
Preston (the county seat, population ~5,500) celebrates its Napoleon Dynamite fame with an annual festival while honoring its status as Idaho’s oldest community founded by Mormon pioneers in 1860.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Franklin County Assessor at 39 W. Oneida Street, Preston, ID 83263, phone 208-852-1200. ID homeowner’s exemption up to $125,000.
Courts & Legal
Franklin County District Court at 39 W. Oneida Street, Preston, ID 83263, phone 208-852-1090, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
39 W. Oneida St., Preston, ID 83263
(208) 852-1090
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
39 W. Oneida St., Preston, ID 83263
(208) 852-1090
ELECTIONS / CLERK
39 W. Oneida St., Preston, ID 83263
(208) 852-1090
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Franklin County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Franklin 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
Franklin County Magistrate Court 39 West Oneida Street, Room 2, Preston, ID 83263 (208) 852-0877
Franklin County was established in 1913, named for Franklin D. Richards. Preston, the county seat, hosts the annual Festival of the American West and is near the Bear River Massacre historical site. The 1939 Franklin County Courthouse (Art Deco, National Register of Historic Places) was designed by Salt Lake City architect Hyrum C. Pope, who died of a heart attack while inspecting its construction.
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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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
39 W. Oneida St., Preston, ID 83263
(208) 852-0807
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
39 W. Oneida St., Preston, ID 83263
(208) 852-1090
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — Southeast
(208) 236-6700
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
Franklin County Medical Center
fcmc.org (Preston)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Southeastern Idaho Public Health (serving Franklin County) – confirm current contact via siphidaho.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Preston
Population: 13,500
Area: 665 sq mi
Established: 1913
Tier: 3
Public Records
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