Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – 111 W. B Street, Shoshone, ID 83352 | Sheriff appointed 2019, elected 2021.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-93/SR-75 serve Shoshone, the county seat and largest city, named for the local Shoshone tribe.
Notes: Lincoln County lies in Idaho’s high desert lava country in the southern part of the state.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lincoln County Courthouse – Shoshone, ID.
Notes: Lincoln County genuinely boasts one of Idaho’s quirkiest natural attractions: the Shoshone Ice Caves, a lava tube that holds ice year-round even in summer heat, formed when water was trapped and frozen inside a volcanic tube thousands of years ago; figure-skating pioneer Sonja Henie reportedly once skated inside it, and the site now includes a small museum, though the caves are currently closed pending repair of an aging internal walkway. Nearby, Idaho’s Mammoth Cave (eight miles north of Shoshone) is the largest volcanic cave in the world open to the public, and was notably used by the U.S. government as a Cold War-era civil defense shelter; visitor-carved names on its walls and ancient bones discovered inside attest to generations of use. Lincoln County is also home to a distinctive concentration of historic lava rock homes – thick-walled buildings hand-built from unshapeable native lava stone by skilled freehand masons, a rare, largely lost building tradition still visible throughout Shoshone today.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lincoln County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via lincolncountyid.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Shoshone Public Library (Shoshone) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Shoshone Ice Caves, Idaho’s Mammoth Cave & Bird Museum, Mary L. Gooding Memorial Park, Black Magic Canyon, and the historic lava rock homes of Shoshone are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, quirky natural wonders of the Shoshone Ice Caves and Idaho’s Mammoth Cave, alongside the county’s rare lava-rock building tradition, are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lincoln County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via lincolncountyid.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via lincolncountyid.gov; Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Lincoln County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via lincolncountyid.gov.
NOTES: Lincoln County is the thirty-second county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, quirky natural wonders of the Shoshone Ice Caves and Idaho’s Mammoth Cave are among the most distinctive 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 Lincoln County County
Lincoln County is south-central Idaho’s Shoshone Ice Cave and high desert plain county – the year-round frozen lava tube cave and the Little Wood River’s irrigation agriculture on the high desert Snake River Plain define a county where Shoshone serves the surrounding dairy, hay, and potato farming communities between Sun Valley and Twin Falls.
Shoshone (the county seat, population ~1,600) is Lincoln County’s governmental hub on US 26, a south-central Idaho high desert community whose Shoshone Ice Cave, Little Wood River access, and agricultural economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Lincoln County Assessor at 111 W. B Street, Shoshone, ID 83352, phone 208-886-7641. ID assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Lincoln County District Court at 111 W. B Street, Shoshone, ID 83352, phone 208-886-7641, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
111 W. B St., Shoshone, ID 83352
(208) 886-7641
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
111 W. B St., Shoshone, ID 83352
(208) 886-7641
ELECTIONS / CLERK
111 W. B St., Shoshone, ID 83352
(208) 886-7641
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lincoln County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Wood River Center Grange No. 87 (1914, near Shoshone) – a National Register of Historic Places site tied to local social history.
Local societies
No dedicated Lincoln 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
Lincoln County Magistrate Court 111 West B Street, Suite C, Shoshone, ID 83352
Magistrate Judge: Hon. Mark A. Ingram. Lincoln County is in south-central Idaho’s Magic Valley region; the Wood River Center Grange No. 87 (1914, National Register of Historic Places) was once the social hub of rural Lincoln County.
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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
111 W. B St., Shoshone, ID 83352
(208) 886-2220
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
111 W. B St., Shoshone, ID 83352
(208) 886-7641
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — South Central
(208) 736-3072
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
St. Luke's Magic Valley (Twin Falls)
stlukesonline.org/magic-valley (nearest major hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: South Central Public Health District (serving Lincoln County) – confirm current contact via phd5.idaho.gov.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Shoshone
Population: 5,400
Area: 1,206 sq mi
Established: 1895
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Lincoln County County residents.
