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Missouri County
Bollinger County, Missouri
Marble Hill and Ozarks-Bootheel transition terrain - from Marble Hill's position as the governmental hub of Bollinger County to the county's unique geographic position at the transition between the Ozark hills and the Mississippi River lowlands (Bollinger County occupies the fascinating ecological and topographic boundary where the rocky Ozark uplands give way to the flat alluvial plains of the Bootheel - this transition creates diverse farming and forest land supporting timber, cattle, and some row crop agriculture across a landscape that straddles two of Missouri's most distinctive natural regions).
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Office: Bollinger County Emergency Management – PO Box 20, Marble Hill, MO 63764 | (573) 208-0131; Kevin S. Cooper.
Sheriff: Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office – 202 High Street, Marble Hill, MO 63764 | Non-emergency (573) 238-2633; also manages the county jail. Local police departments in Marble Hill, Lutesville, and Zalma work alongside the Sheriff’s Office within their respective jurisdictions.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-34 and MO-51 serve Marble Hill, the county seat and only incorporated city in the county, in southeast Missouri.
Notes: Bollinger County, organized March 1, 1851 from parts of Cape Girardeau, Madison, Stoddard, and Wayne Counties, is named for George Frederick Bollinger, leader of a group of Swiss-German pioneers who settled the area from North Carolina around 1800. Roughly 10,500-10,650 residents across 618-621 square miles of Ozark Highlands, historically home to the Shawnee, Delaware, and Osage peoples. Marble Hill was originally platted as “New California” before adopting its current name.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bollinger County Courthouse – 204 High Street, Marble Hill, MO 63764 | (573) 238-2126.
Notes: Bollinger County is genuinely the site of Missouri’s most significant dinosaur discovery. In 1942, the Chronister family, while digging a well near Glen Allen, unearthed unusual bones roughly 8 feet deep – the first dinosaur remains ever reported in Missouri. Geologist Dan Stewart (“Dinosaur Dan”) of the Missouri Geological Survey collected the specimens, and the Smithsonian Institution purchased thirteen tail vertebrae from the family for $50 (reportedly later used to buy a cow). Originally misclassified as a sauropod, the species was later correctly identified as a duck-billed hadrosaur and named Hypsibema missouriensis; on July 9, 2004, it became Missouri’s official state dinosaur, the sixth state to designate one. The Chronister Dinosaur Site remains the only location on Earth where this species has ever been found. The Bollinger County Museum of Natural History in Marble Hill displays fossils and a reconstruction of the dinosaur, which local schoolchildren nicknamed “Dyna MO.”
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bollinger County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via mocounties.com/bollinger-county.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center (Poplar Bluff); confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bollinger County Library – 207 Mayfield Drive, PO Box 919, Marble Hill, MO 63764 | (573) 238-2713 | Fax: (573) 238-2879; roughly 63,800-volume collection, 22 public computers, genealogy resources, and a Missouri Reference Shelf; also serves as a designated heating/cooling center during extreme temperatures.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Bollinger County Museum of Natural History (dinosaur fossils and exhibits), the Chronister Dinosaur Site, and Marble Hill’s annual cooking competition are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine story of Missouri’s official state dinosaur discovery is one of the most distinctive and charming local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bollinger County Assessor – 204 High Street, Marble Hill, MO 63764.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control arrangements via mocounties.com/bollinger-county or the Sheriff’s Office, (573) 238-2633.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Bollinger County – confirm current contact via mocounties.com/bollinger-county.
NOTES: Bollinger County is the ninth county in the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine 1942 discovery of Missouri’s official state dinosaur, Hypsibema missouriensis, at the Chronister Dinosaur Site is one of the most distinctive 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 Bollinger County
Bollinger County is southeast Missouri’s Ozarks-to-Bootheel transition county – the unique boundary where rocky Ozark hills meet the flat alluvial lowlands creates a diverse landscape supporting timber, cattle, and some row crop agriculture while Marble Hill provides governmental services to the county’s rural communities between Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff.
Marble Hill (the county seat, population ~1,600) is Bollinger County’s governmental hub, a southeast Missouri county seat serving the surrounding Ozarks transition zone communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Bollinger County Assessor at 204 High Street, Marble Hill, MO 63764, phone 573-238-2991. MO assessed at percentage of true value.
Courts & Legal
Bollinger County Circuit Court at 204 High Street, Marble Hill, MO 63764, phone 573-238-2991, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
204 High St., Marble Hill, MO 63764
(573) 238-2126
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bollinger County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bollinger 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
Bollinger County Circuit Court, Probate Division 204 High Street, Suite 6, Marble Hill, MO 63764 (573) 238-1900 ext. 6 Bollinger County is in southeastern Missouri, seated in Marble Hill.
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
204 High St., Marble Hill, MO 63764
(573) 238-1406
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
204 High St., Marble Hill, MO 63764
(573) 238-2126
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Bollinger
(573) 238-3700
Southeast Hospital — Cape Girardeau
sehealth.org (accessible — major regional hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Bollinger County Health Department – confirm current phone via mocounties.com/bollinger-county.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Marble Hill
Population: 12,000
Area: 621 sq mi
Established: 1851
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Bollinger County residents.
