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Indiana · Northwest Indiana · Indiana Dunes · #350 Most Populous County in the US
Porter County, Indiana
Valparaiso, Portage, and the Indiana Dunes National Park - the dramatic lake dunes that took 80 years to become a national park, the Calumet River corridor, and a county that offers Chicago-area quality of life at Indiana prices. The newest national park in the Midwest anchors one of northwest Indiana's most desirable residential counties. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Porter County residents.
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Office: Porter County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via porterco.org.
Sheriff: Porter County Sheriff’s Office – 2755 State Road 49, Valparaiso, IN 46304 | (219) 477-3000 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Jeffrey A. Balon. The office traces back to the county’s earliest days, with 42 sheriffs having served since the first, Benjamin Saylor, in 1836.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Indiana Dunes National Park, in northern Porter County, is administered by the National Park Service under federal jurisdiction, separate from county governance.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-94, I-80/90 (Indiana Toll Road), and US-30/6 serve Valparaiso, the county seat; Portage is the county’s largest city. The historic South Shore Line (originally the Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend Railroad, built through north Porter County in 1907) remains one of the few interurban electric railways still operating in America, having been reorganized in 1925 by Chicago businessman Samuel Insull.
Notes: Porter County was established in 1837, named for Commodore David Porter. Its official motto is “Front Porch of the Dunes.”
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Porter County Courthouse – Valparaiso, IN.
Notes: Porter County is home to Indiana Dunes State Park, formally established by the Indiana state legislature in 1923, and the adjacent federally administered Indiana Dunes National Park. The historic Porter County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence (built 1871, 153 Franklin Street, Valparaiso; National Register of Historic Places since 1976) housed the Porter County Museum from 1975 to 2020 before the museum moved to its current home at 20 Indiana Avenue; the museum, founded 1916 by the Porter County Historical Society, is the oldest institution devoted to Porter County history and culture. Joseph Bailly, an early fur trader, was the first European-American settler of northwestern Indiana in what’s now Porter County.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Porter County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via porterco.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Valparaiso Public Library (Valparaiso) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Indiana Dunes State Park and the adjacent Indiana Dunes National Park, the Porter County Museum, and the historic Porter County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, nationally significant Indiana Dunes – one of Indiana’s most visited natural landmarks, spanning both state and national park designations – is among the standout local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Porter County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via porterco.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Humane Society Calumet Area / Porter County Animal Shelter – confirm current contact via porterco.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Porter County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via porterco.org.
NOTES: Porter County is the sixty-fifth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, nationally significant Indiana Dunes – spanning both state and national park designations – is among the standout 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 Porter County
Porter County sits in Indiana’s industrial lakeshore region – the steel corridor that runs from Gary through East Chicago into Porter County’s Portage and Burns Harbor, where ArcelorMittal (now Cleveland-Cliffs) and Bethlehem Steel’s former Burns Harbor plant have produced steel from Lake Michigan iron ore for decades. The juxtaposition of heavy industry and the Indiana Dunes National Park – designated America’s 61st national park in 2019, immediately adjacent to the steel mills – is one of the more striking contrasts in American landscape geography.
Valparaiso, the county seat, is a genuine small city with Valparaiso University (a Lutheran institution of about 4,000 students), a vibrant downtown, and the character of a northwest Indiana community that has maintained its own identity despite its Chicago suburban fringe position. The county’s lakefront properties are among Indiana’s most valuable, and the dunes’ geological significance – their diversity of plant communities in a compressed ecological gradient from lake to upland represents one of the original arguments for national park designation – is genuine.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Indiana assesses property at 100% of market value-in-use. Property owners may appeal to the PTABOA within 45 days of notice. The homestead deduction reduces assessed value for owner-occupied primary residences. Indiana has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Senior Services of Porter County
3715 Willowcreek Road, Portage, IN 46368
Phone: (219) 759-2207
Senior Services
Senior Services of Porter County
3715 Willowcreek Road, Portage, IN 46368
Phone: (219) 759-2207
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)
16 E. Lincoln Way, Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 465-3440
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
155 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 465-3440
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Porter County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Indiana Dunes National Park, straddling Porter County’s Lake Michigan shoreline, is a major regional natural landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Porter 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
Porter County Circuit Court 16 Lincolnway, Valparaiso, IN 46383 (219) 465-3425
Porter County is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, home to the Indiana Dunes National Park along Lake Michigan.
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 Porter 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 Porter 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
2755 Old Porter Rd., Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 477-3000
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
155 Indiana Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219) 465-3440
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Porter County Health Department – confirm current contact via porterco.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Valparaiso
Population: 170,000
Area: 418 mi²
Established: 1836
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Porter County facilities via Amazon.
