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Indiana County
Sullivan County, Indiana
Sullivan and west Indiana coal country - from Sullivan County's significant coal mining heritage (the county sits atop the Illinois Basin coalfield, and coal mining shaped the county's economy and communities for over a century, leaving behind a cultural identity tied to industrial labor history) to the county's Wabash River lowland agriculture (the flat to gently rolling terrain supports corn, soybean, and some specialty crop production while the reclaimed strip mine areas have been converted to recreational lakes and wildlife habitat).
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Office: Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office – 100 Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN 47882. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM. Confirm current phone via sullivancounty.in.gov.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-41 serves Sullivan, the county seat. Carlisle, the county’s oldest town (one of the oldest American settlements in Indiana), was near the site of the “Dudley Mack” incident during the War of 1812, in which many local soldiers served.
Notes: The county seat moved twice in its early history – first to Merom, then permanently located in Sullivan in 1843 after considerable local difficulty. Early courts were reportedly held under a large beech tree.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Sullivan County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN.
Notes: Sullivan County holds genuinely significant Indiana coal-mining heritage. Bituminous coal deposits, discovered and developed after 1850, transformed the county’s economy from agriculture to resource extraction; the Evansville & Terre Haute rail line, completed in 1854, enabled shipping coal to markets as far as Chicago. Early mining began around 1855 with operations like the Hanchett & Kelly mine, and production reached tens of thousands of tons annually by the 1880s. Coal mining towns across the county – Jackson Hill, Glendora, Hamilton (Mohawk), Baker, St. Clair, Hocking, Wilfred, Eagle, and Phoenix – grew up around individual mines, many now vanished or greatly diminished. The Sullivan County Historical Society and the Dugger Coal Museum preserve extensive photographic and documentary records of this mining heritage, including images of underground miners at work.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Sullivan County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via sullivancounty.in.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Sullivan County Public Library (Sullivan) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Dugger Coal Museum, the Sullivan County Historical Society (110 S. Court Street, Sullivan), and sites of former coal mining towns are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, deeply documented coal-mining heritage of Sullivan County, once one of Indiana’s most important coal-producing areas, is among the standout local industrial histories covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Sullivan County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via sullivancounty.in.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Sullivan County Humane Society – confirm current contact via sullivancounty.in.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Sullivan County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via sullivancounty.in.gov.
NOTES: Sullivan County is the seventy-eighth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, deeply documented coal-mining heritage of Sullivan County is among the standout local industrial histories 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 Sullivan County
Sullivan County is west-central Indiana’s coal heritage and agricultural county – a century of coal mining defined the county’s working-class character while today’s economy blends row crop agriculture, light manufacturing, and the outdoor recreation opportunities created by reclaimed mining lands converted to lakes and wildlife areas.
Sullivan (the county seat, population ~4,200) is Sullivan County’s governmental and commercial hub, providing services to county residents in west-central Indiana between Terre Haute and Vincennes.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Sullivan County Assessor at 100 Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN 47882, phone 812-268-4491. IN assessed at market value.
Courts & Legal
Sullivan County Circuit Court at 100 Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN 47882, phone 812-268-4657, 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)
100 Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN 47882
(812) 268-4657
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN 47882
(812) 268-4657
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Sullivan County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The county’s coal-mining heritage is a significant local historical resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Sullivan 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
Sullivan County Circuit Court 100 Courthouse Square, Room 304, Sullivan, IN 47882 (812) 268-4411 / (812) 268-4657 Sullivan County is in southwestern Indiana, historically tied to coal mining.
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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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
100 Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN 47882
(812) 268-4308
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 Courthouse Square, Sullivan, IN 47882
(812) 268-4657
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Sullivan County Health Department – confirm current contact via sullivancounty.in.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Sullivan
Population: 20,000
Area: 450 sq mi
Established: 1817
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Sullivan County residents.
