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Indiana County
Starke County, Indiana
The Kankakee River and the Great Kankakee Swamp drainage - from the Great Kankakee Swamp's drainage legacy (Starke County was once part of the vast Kankakee Swamp - one of the largest freshwater marshes in North America, covering over a million acres of northwest Indiana - the 19th-century drainage projects that converted the swamp to farmland transformed the landscape but eliminated one of the most productive wildlife habitats in the Midwest, and ongoing restoration efforts are attempting to reclaim portions of the wetland) to Bass Lake (one of northwest Indiana's premier fishing and recreation lakes in Starke County).
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Office: Starke County Sheriff’s Office – 5435 E. State Road 8, Knox, IN 46534 | (574) 772-3771; Sheriff Jack Rosa, Chief Deputy Wayne James, Operations Commander Jack Hudgens.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-35 and SR-8/10 serve Knox, the county seat, along the Yellow River.
Notes: Starke County was authorized February 7, 1835 and organized in 1850, named for General John Stark, a Revolutionary War officer. Knox was founded in 1851, named for General Henry Knox; its post office has operated since 1820.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Starke County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Knox, IN (built 1897-1898 at a cost of $130,000, Richardsonian Romanesque, architectural firm Wing & Mahurin of Fort Wayne, built by Caldwell & Drake; National Register of Historic Places since 1986; the county’s third courthouse and oldest surviving civic building, replacing an original 1850 wooden structure and an 1858 brick building). The interior features ornamental iron balusters, marble steps, a patriotic ceiling painting of Liberty, and Ionic capitals with polychrome gilding, eagle, and shield motifs.
Notes: Starke County has genuine pre-Columbian archaeological significance: it was home to mound-building cultures including the Hopewell and Mississippian peoples, with numerous mounds documented and mapped by early settlers, including many shown on an 1876 map around Knox and between Eagle Creek and the Yellow River.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Starke County Veterans Affairs – 53 E. Mound Street, Knox, IN 46534.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Starke County Public Library (Knox) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Starke County Courthouse (Richardsonian Romanesque, National Register of Historic Places) and documented pre-Columbian mound sites near Knox are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine pre-Columbian mound-builder heritage documented near Knox is among the standout local archaeological facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Starke County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via starke.in.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Starke County Humane Society – confirm current contact via starke.in.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Starke County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via starke.in.gov.
NOTES: Starke County is the seventy-sixth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine pre-Columbian mound-builder heritage documented near Knox is among the standout local archaeological facts covered 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 Starke County
Starke County is northwest Indiana’s former Great Kankakee Swamp county – the drainage of one of North America’s largest freshwater marshes transformed Starke County’s landscape from wildlife paradise to productive farmland, and ongoing restoration efforts are attempting to reclaim portions of this lost ecosystem.
Knox (the county seat, population ~3,600) serves the county’s agricultural and lake recreation communities in the former swamp landscape.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Starke County Assessor at 53 E. Mound Street, Suite 7, Knox, IN 46534, phone 574-772-9268. IN residential deductions reduce assessed value.
Courts & Legal
Starke County Circuit Court at 53 E. Mound Street, Knox, IN 46534, phone 574-772-9128, 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)
53 E. Mound St., Knox, IN 46534
(574) 772-9141
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
53 E. Mound St., Knox, IN 46534
(574) 772-9141
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Starke County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Starke 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
Starke County Circuit Court 53 East Washington Street, Knox, IN 46534 (574) 772-9100 Starke County is a small, rural county in north-central Indiana.
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 Starke 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 Starke 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
53 E. Mound St., Knox, IN 46534
(574) 772-3771
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
53 E. Mound St., Knox, IN 46534
(574) 772-9141
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Starke County Health Department – confirm current contact via starke.in.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Knox
Population: 22,000
Area: 309 sq mi
Established: 1835
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Starke County residents.
