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Missouri County
Camden County, Missouri
Lake of the Ozarks and Missouri's premier inland resort - from the Lake of the Ozarks (created by Bagnell Dam in 1931, the lake's 1,150 miles of shoreline make it one of the longest shorelines of any lake in the United States - more than the entire California coastline - and its resort communities draw millions of visitors annually for boating, fishing, and water recreation) to Camdenton's Ha Ha Tonka State Park (a dramatic Ozark landscape of castle ruins, natural bridge, and sinkholes atop 250-foot bluffs above the lake) and Missouri's most concentrated lake resort economy.
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Office: Camden County Emergency Management Agency – 12 VFW Rd., Camdenton, MO 65020 | (573) 346-7108 | Email: [email protected]; also runs a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer program.
Sheriff: Camden County Sheriff’s Office – 1 Court Circle NW, Suite 13, Camdenton, MO 65020 | Non-emergency (573) 346-2243 | Jail (573) 317-0981; Sheriff Chris Edgar. Divided into Administration (dispatch, records, civil process, E-911/mapping), Operations (patrol, Horseshoe Bend COPS District, detectives, community resource officers, and Animal Control), and Corrections (jail/court security); Special Operations include SWAT, K9, and an Emergency Response Unit.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-54 and MO-5 serve Camdenton, the county seat, nicknamed “the Hub City of the Ozarks.”
Notes: Camden County, formed in 1841 from parts of Benton, Morgan, and Pulaski Counties, sits in the Missouri Ozarks. County offices are centered at 1 Ct Cir NW, Camdenton, MO 65020, (573) 346-4440.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Camden County – 1 Ct Cir NW, Camdenton, MO 65020.
Notes: Camden County is genuinely home to the Lake of the Ozarks, created by the construction of Bagnell Dam (built 1929-1931 by Union Electric Co. at a cost of over $30 million) – at the time of completion, the largest man-made lake in the United States, with a surface area of roughly 54,000-95 square miles and approximately 1,150-1,300 miles of shoreline, genuinely more shoreline than the entire state of California. The lake’s creation flooded the original county seat, Old Linn Creek, forcing its relocation; Camdenton was founded in 1930-31 specifically to become the new county seat, making it a rare 20th-century-founded Ozarks town with distinctive Art Deco architecture (including the county courthouse) rather than 19th-century Victorian buildings typical of the region. The county draws over 5 million visitors annually and includes attractions like Bridal Cave, Ha Ha Tonka State Park (featuring a ruined stone “castle” overlooking the lake), and the historic Bagnell Dam Strip with its Ozark roadside “muffler man” statues.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Camden County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via camdencountymo.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital (Columbia) or Lake Ozark VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Camden County Library District – Camdenton branch: 89 Rodeo Rd., Camdenton, MO 65020 | (573) 346-5954 | Fax: (573) 346-1263; serving the lake area since 1933, with five additional branches at Climax Springs, Macks Creek, Osage Beach, Stoutland, and Sunrise Beach; features a “Creation Station” with 3D printers, a CNC machine, and video/music equipment for public use.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Lake of the Ozarks, Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Bridal Cave, and the historic Bagnell Dam Strip are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine scale of Bagnell Dam and the Lake of the Ozarks, along with Camdenton’s unusual 20th-century founding story, are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
E-911/Mapping and Addressing – handled through the Sheriff’s Office Administration Division; confirm current contact via camdencountymosheriff.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Animal Control is handled directly by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office (Operations Division), (573) 346-2243.
NOTES: Camden County is the first county in the third batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine scale of the Lake of the Ozarks and Bagnell Dam, and Camdenton’s unusual founding story, 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 Camden County
Camden County is Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks resort county – a community whose 1,150-mile shoreline and recreational economy make it one of the most visited inland lake destinations in the United States.
The Lake of the Ozarks – created by Bagnell Dam’s 1931 impoundment of the Osage River – has 1,150 miles of shoreline, more than the California coastline. The lake’s sprawling arms and coves support an enormous concentration of marinas, resorts, vacation homes, and water recreation businesses.
Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton preserves the dramatic ruins of a Kansas City businessman’s early 20th-century castle on a 250-foot bluff above the lake – collapsed by a 1942 fire, the ruins alongside the natural bridge, sinkholes, and Ozark springs create one of Missouri’s most scenic state parks.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Camden County Assessor at 1 Court Circle, Suite 4, Camdenton, MO 65020, phone 573-346-4440. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Camden County Circuit Court at 1 Court Circle, Camdenton, MO 65020, phone 573-346-4440, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1 Court Circle Dr., Camdenton, MO 65020
(573) 346-4440
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Camden County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Camden County sits at the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, a major regional recreation area.
Local societies
No dedicated Camden 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
Camden County Circuit Court, Probate Division 1 Court Circle, Suite 8, Camdenton, MO 65020 (573) 346-4440 Camden County is in central Missouri at the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, seated in Camdenton.
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
1 Court Circle Dr., Camdenton, MO 65020
(573) 346-2243
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1 Court Circle Dr., Camdenton, MO 65020
(573) 346-4440
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Camden
(573) 346-5521
Lake Regional Health System
lakeregional.com (Osage Beach — quality regional hospital; major Lake of the Ozarks anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Camden County Health Department – confirm current phone via camdencountymo.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Camdenton
Population: 45,000
Area: 656 sq mi
Established: 1841
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Camden County residents.
