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.
Missouri County
Audrain County, Missouri
Mexico's American Saddle Horse capital and fire clay heritage - from Mexico's distinction as the Saddle Horse Capital of the World (Audrain County's horse farms produced American Saddlebred horses of national championship quality - the Mexico area's breeding operations made it one of the most significant Saddlebred centers in America) to Mexico's fire clay industry (the region's exceptional fire clay deposits supported a significant refractory products industry that supplied heat-resistant materials to steel mills and industrial furnaces across the country) and a north-central Missouri agricultural county of horse farms and row crops.
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: Audrain County Emergency Management – Audrain County Courthouse, Room 107, 101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO 65265 | (573) 473-5892 | Mobile: (573) 473-7867 | Fax: (573) 582-7401 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM or by appointment.
Sheriff: Audrain County Sheriff’s Office – 1100 Littleby Rd, Mexico, MO 65265 | (573) 473-5800; roughly 30 officers, maintains a Tactical Operations/SWAT unit, serves a population of roughly 25,800.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-54 and US-40/I-70 corridor serve Mexico, the county seat, in central Missouri.
Notes: Audrain County, organized December 17, 1836, is named for Colonel James Hunter Audrain, a War of 1812 veteran later elected to the Missouri state legislature. Roughly 24,500-25,000 residents across eight municipalities.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Audrain County Courthouse – 101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO 65265; built 1951, NRHP-listed (2012), Neo-Classical Revival style with a three-story rotunda topped by an art-glass skylight; grounds include a miniature Statue of Liberty replica (1959).
Notes: Mexico, the oldest town in Audrain County, was named amid the excitement surrounding Texas’s fight for independence from Mexico, with founders hoping the name would bring good luck. Audrain County genuinely became known as the “Fire Brick Center of the World” for its high-quality fire clay used in industrial furnaces, and separately carries the modern nickname “Biofuel Capital of Missouri” (home to a Poet Biorefining plant in Laddonia and an ADM Biodiesel plant in Mexico). Mexico is also historically significant as the “Saddle Horse Capital of the World” for its American Saddlebred horse-breeding heritage, memorialized at the American Saddlebred Horse Museum (including memorabilia of famed horseman Tom Bass). The museum complex is housed in the Graceland Museum mansion, built by John P. Clark, which genuinely hosted Colonel Ulysses S. Grant as a guest during the early days of the Civil War.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Audrain County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via audraincounty.org.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital (Columbia); confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Mexico-Audrain County Library – Mexico, MO; houses the Audrain County Genealogical Society’s collection on its lower level (cemetery records, maps, county histories, federal census microfilm); confirm current address/phone via mexico-audrain.lib.mo.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Audrain County Historical Society’s Saddlebred Horse Museum and Fire Brick Museum complex (501 S. Muldrow, Mexico, housed in the historic Graceland Museum mansion) is the county’s premier cultural attraction.
Notes: The genuine “Fire Brick Center of the World” and “Saddle Horse Capital of the World” heritage, along with the U.S. Grant connection, are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Audrain County Assessor – (573) 473-5827; GIS Mapping Tool available via audraincounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Mexico Animal Shelter – 101 S. Morris, Mexico, MO | Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-5 PM, Sat 10 AM-3 PM, closed Sunday; operated under the city’s Parks & Recreation Department with two full-time Animal Control Officers; the Audrain Humane Society volunteers to support shelter operations and community events. Note: the shelter building suffered a fire in December 2023 with no animal or human injuries; confirm current operating status directly.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Audrain County Road and Bridge Department – (573) 473-5895.
NOTES: Audrain County is the fourth county in the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “Fire Brick Center of the World” and “Saddle Horse Capital of the World” heritage, along with the historic Ulysses S. Grant connection, are distinctive local facts. 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 Audrain County
Audrain County is north-central Missouri’s horse breeding and industrial minerals county – a community whose American Saddlebred heritage and fire clay deposits created two distinct national identities.
Mexico (the county seat, population ~11,000) was a major center of American Saddlebred horse breeding in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the Mexico area’s horse farms produced championship animals. The Audrain County Historical Museum and American Saddlebred Horse Museum preserve this heritage.
Mexico’s fire clay industry – based on exceptional refractory clay deposits – supplied heat-resistant products to steel mills and industrial operations across the Midwest.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Audrain County Assessor at 101 N. Jefferson Street, Suite 2, Mexico, MO 65265, phone 573-473-5830. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Audrain County Circuit Court at 101 N. Jefferson Street, Mexico, MO 65265, phone 573-473-5820, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO 65265
(573) 473-5820
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Audrain County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Audrain 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
Audrain County Circuit Court, Probate Division 101 N. Jefferson Street, Room 204, Mexico, MO 65265 (573) 473-5840 Audrain County is in northeastern Missouri, seated in Mexico.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Missouri probate is governed by Title XXXI of the Missouri Revised Statutes (Chapters 470-475), the Probate Code.
Small Estate Affidavit (RSMo § 473.097) – available when the entire estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $40,000. A 30-day waiting period after death applies, and only if no application for letters is pending. If the property listed is worth more than $15,000, the clerk must publish a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. A bond may be required. Once the court issues a certified small estate certificate, the affiant presents it directly to whoever holds the property to collect and distribute assets – avoiding full probate. Typical timeline: about two months to close, versus six months to a year or more for full probate.
Formal Administration – required for larger or more complex estates. A petition for Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one) is filed with the probate division. After review, the court appoints the personal representative and issues the letters. Missouri offers both supervised and independent administration. Missouri requires an attorney to represent the personal representative in both types of administration.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a petition with the Probate Division of the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and gives direct notice to known creditors. Creditors have 6 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
Within 30 days of appointment (unless the court extends the deadline), the personal representative files an inventory and appraisement of all estate assets.
After debts are paid and the creditor claim period expires, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and files a final settlement with the court to close the estate.
What it costs
Missouri sets statutory minimum fees for attorneys and personal representatives based on a percentage of the estate’s value, though additional fees may be allowed for extraordinary services.
Missouri has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large 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
101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO 65265
(573) 473-5830
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
101 N. Jefferson St., Mexico, MO 65265
(573) 473-5820
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Audrain
(573) 473-5400
Audrain Medical Center
audrainmedicalcenter.com (Mexico — quality community hospital; University of Missouri Health Care affiliate)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Audrain County Health Unit – (573) 581-1332.
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.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mexico
Population: 25,000
Area: 692 sq mi
Established: 1836
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Audrain County residents.
