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.
Indiana County
Brown County, Indiana
Nashville arts colony and Brown County State Park - from Nashville's nationally recognized arts colony (Brown County has been an artist destination since the early 1900s when painters discovered the area's scenic hills and autumn color, and today Nashville's galleries, studios, and craft shops draw visitors year-round as one of the Midwest's premier arts destinations) to Brown County State Park (Indiana's largest state park, featuring nearly 16,000 acres of forested hills, bridle trails, and spectacular autumn foliage that makes Brown County the undisputed fall color capital of Indiana).
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: Brown County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via browncounty-in.gov.
Sheriff: Brown County Sheriff’s Office – confirm current contact via browncounty-in.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-46 and SR-135 serve Nashville, the county seat, about an hour south of Indianapolis. No interstate passes through the county.
Notes: Brown County retains a rural, forested character shaped by its rugged, unglaciated terrain.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Brown County Courthouse – Nashville, IN.
Notes: Brown County is genuinely known as the “Art Colony of the Midwest.” Painter T.C. Steele moved to the area in 1907, building a home and studio he called “House of the Singing Winds” on 211 acres near Belmont; the property is preserved today as the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, a National Register site and Indiana State Historic Site essentially unchanged from his era. Steele’s prominence and the area’s scenic hills drew other Chicago-based and regional artists, and an art association incorporated in 1926 (with Carl Graf as first president) split in 1954 into the Brown County Art Gallery and Museum and the Brown County Art Guild, both still operating galleries in Nashville today.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Brown County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via browncounty-in.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Brown County Public Library (Nashville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Brown County State Park (established 1924, Indiana’s largest at roughly 16,000 acres, nicknamed the “Little Smokies” for its resemblance to the Great Smoky Mountains; listed on the National Register of Historic Places; features the historic Abe Martin Lodge, a 90-foot fire tower, a rare state-endangered Yellowwood tree, and a historic covered bridge at its north entrance), the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Yellowwood State Forest, and the Brown County Art Gallery/Art Guild are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, century-old status of Brown County as a nationally recognized art colony, alongside Indiana’s largest state park, makes this among the most culturally and scenically distinctive counties covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Brown County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via browncounty-in.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Brown County Humane Society – 812-988-7362 (per Indiana animal-welfare directory); serves Brown County, Nashville.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Brown County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via browncounty-in.gov.
NOTES: Brown County is the seventh county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, century-old status of Brown County as America’s “Art Colony of the Midwest” is among the most distinctive local cultural 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 Brown County
Brown County is south-central Indiana’s arts and outdoor recreation county – the scenic hills, hardwood forests, and Brown County State Park create a tourism economy anchored by Nashville’s thriving arts colony, making the county one of Indiana’s most visited rural destinations despite having one of the state’s smallest populations.
Nashville (the county seat, population ~900) belies its small size with an outsized cultural presence – the village’s galleries, restaurants, shops, and festival calendar draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the Brown County hills.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Brown County Assessor at 201 Locust Lane, Nashville, IN 47448, phone 812-988-5490. IN assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Brown County Circuit Court at 201 Locust Lane, Nashville, IN 47448, phone 812-988-5510, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
1 E. Main St., Nashville, IN 47448
(812) 988-5510
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1 E. Main St., Nashville, IN 47448
(812) 988-5510
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Brown County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Brown County Art Gallery, Nashville – significant regional cultural history resource tied to the county’s long artists’ colony heritage.
Local societies
No dedicated Brown 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
Brown County Circuit Court 20 East Main Street (also 101 East Washington Street), Nashville, IN 47448 (812) 988-7557
Brown County is renowned for its scenic hills and forests, home to Brown County State Park, and known as a longtime artists’ colony.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Indiana has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – probate is governed by Indiana Code Title 29. Indiana offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the gross probate estate (less liens, encumbrances, and funeral expenses) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after death. The affidavit must be signed and recorded with the county recorder’s office before a personal representative is appointed. No court filing is required.
Devolution of Real Estate Affidavit – a separate affidavit specifically for transferring real property, available 7 months after death, with no value limit on the real estate, recorded with the county recorder.
Unsupervised Administration – a simplified probate track available when the estate is solvent and all inheritors agree; fewer court appearances and filings than supervised administration.
Supervised Administration – full court oversight, used for contested, complex, or insolvent estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and for Issuance of Letters (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Personal Representative (if intestate) with the Brown County Circuit Court.
The court reviews the will for compliance with Indiana Code § 29-1-5-3 (in writing, signed by the testator, witnessed by at least 2 credible witnesses).
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly 3 months from first publication) to file claims.
The personal representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes the estate.
File a closing statement or final accounting to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Indiana does not have a state estate or inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the Brown County Circuit Court.
Indiana has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit – a minimum 45-day wait; Unsupervised Administration – roughly 6-9 months if uncontested; Supervised Administration – 9-12+ months.
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
90 E. Gould St., Nashville, IN 47448
(812) 988-6655
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
1 E. Main St., Nashville, IN 47448
(812) 988-5510
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Brown County Health Dept
(812) 988-2255
IN FSSA — South Central Region
(800) 403-0864
IN Medicaid
(800) 403-0864
IU Health Morgan (Martinsville)
iuhealth.org/morgan
Ascension St. Vincent Jennings (North Vernon)
ascension.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Brown County Health Department – confirm current contact via browncounty-in.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.
