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Idaho County
Owyhee County, Idaho
The Owyhee Canyonlands - one of America's last true wildernesses - from the Owyhee Canyonlands (the vast plateau of southwest Idaho - cut by the Owyhee, Bruneau, and Jarbidge rivers into dramatic 1,000-foot basalt canyons - is one of the most remote and least-visited landscapes in the contiguous United States, a roadless expanse of sagebrush plateau, slot canyons, hot springs, and wild rivers where bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and sage grouse thrive far from any town) and Murphy's status as one of the smallest county seats in America (Murphy, Idaho has a population of about 100 people - the county seat serves a county of 12,000 people spread across 4,900 square miles of some of the most rugged terrain in the West).
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Office: Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office – State Highway 78, Murphy, ID 83650 | P.O. Box 128 | (208) 495-1154; Sheriff appointed 2023.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-78 serves Murphy, the county seat – genuinely one of the smallest county seats in the entire country, with a population of just 63-97 residents.
Notes: Owyhee County was established December 31, 1863, genuinely the very first county created by the newly formed Idaho Territory. “Owyhee” is an early phonetic spelling of “Hawaii”: in 1819, three Hawaiian fur trappers on an expedition were sent to fish a stream flowing into the Snake River and never returned; an investigation found one had been killed and the others vanished without a trace, and the creek – and later the county – was named in their memory. Owyhee County is Idaho’s second-largest county today, with a land area bigger than the state of New Jersey.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Owyhee County Courthouse – 20381 State Highway 78, Murphy, ID (built 1936, Art Deco, architects Tourtellotte & Hummel; National Register of Historic Places since 1982) | (208) 495-2806.
Notes: Owyhee County’s seat has moved twice through genuinely dramatic mining-boom history: Ruby City (1863-1867), then Silver City (1867-1934), before finally settling in Murphy – though the Idaho Legislature did not formally ratify the Murphy move in state law until 1999, 65 years after the local vote. Silver City, founded in 1864 after silver was discovered on War Eagle Mountain, grew at its peak to 75 businesses, 12 ore-processing mills, over 250 active mines, and roughly 2,500 residents, with an estimated $60 million worth of precious metals extracted (in early 1900s prices) – the second-highest-producing mining district in the country at the time; its well-preserved buildings remain standing today as the Silver City Historic District (National Register of Historic Places). Murphy itself developed around a 1899 railhead of the Boise, Nampa, and Owyhee Railroad, likely named for railroad crew chief Cornelius “Con” Murphy; the line closed in 1947. The first large cattle drive into Idaho arrived in the Bruneau Valley here in fall 1869, taking nearly a year to bring 1,400 head of Texas cattle up from the Brazos.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Owyhee County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via owyheecounty.net.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Owyhee County Library District – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Silver City Historic District (National Register of Historic Places, well-preserved mining ghost town), the Owyhee County Museum, and the Owyhee Desert and mountains are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, richly preserved mining-boom history at Silver City, alongside Owyhee County’s origin as Idaho Territory’s very first county, is among the most historically significant local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Owyhee County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via owyheecounty.net.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via owyheecounty.net; Owyhee County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Owyhee County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via owyheecounty.net.
NOTES: Owyhee County is the thirty-eighth county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, richly preserved mining-boom history at Silver City, alongside Owyhee County’s status as Idaho Territory’s first county, 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 Owyhee County
Owyhee County is Idaho’s true wilderness – the Owyhee Canyonlands’ 1,000-foot basalt river canyons and roadless sagebrush plateau covering nearly 5,000 square miles is one of the most remote and least-visited landscapes in the lower 48 states, and Murphy’s 100-person population makes it one of America’s smallest county seats.
Homedale (population ~2,800) and Marsing (population ~1,000) serve the county’s Snake River agriculture and vineyards near Boise. Murphy (the county seat, population ~100) barely qualifies as a town.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Owyhee County Assessor at 20381 State Highway 78, Murphy, ID 83650, phone 208-495-1183. ID homeowner’s exemption up to $125,000.
Courts & Legal
Owyhee County District Court at 20381 State Highway 78, Murphy, ID 83650, phone 208-495-1160, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
20381 ID-78, Murphy, ID 83650
(208) 495-2421
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
20381 ID-78, Murphy, ID 83650
(208) 495-1119
ELECTIONS / CLERK
20381 ID-78, Murphy, ID 83650
(208) 495-2421
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Owyhee County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Owyhee 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
Owyhee County Magistrate Court 20381 State Highway 78, P.O. Box 128, Murphy, ID 83650 (208) 495-2806
A satellite location also operates in Homedale: Homedale Magistrate Court, 31 West Wyoming, Homedale, ID 83628, (208) 337-4540. Owyhee County was Idaho Territory’s first county, organized December 1863, and is one of Idaho’s largest by land area.
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 Owyhee 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 Owyhee 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
20381 ID-78, Murphy, ID 83650
(208) 495-1154
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
20381 ID-78, Murphy, ID 83650
(208) 495-2421
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — Southwest
(208) 334-5500
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
St. Luke's Nampa / St. Alphonsus (nearest hospitals)
stlukesonline.org saintalphonsus.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Southwest District Health (serving Owyhee County) – confirm current contact via phd3.idaho.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Murphy
Population: 11,500
Area: 7,677 sq mi (one of the largest counties in the lower 48 by area)
Established: 1863
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Owyhee County residents.
