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Missouri · Kansas City Metro South · #461
Cass County, Missouri
South of Kansas City on the Missouri-Kansas border, Cass County has grown into one of the metro's most active suburban fringe counties - and carries the distinction of having been nearly depopulated by Union General Order No. 11 in 1863, one of the most severe acts of forced removal in the Civil War.
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Office: Cass County Emergency Management – 2501 West Mechanic Street, Harrisonville, MO 64701 | (816) 380-8584 | Fax: (816) 380-8334 | Email: [email protected]; Director Justin Crane. Offers a free Everbridge-based Emergency Notification System with targeted weather-warning phone alerts.
Sheriff: Cass County Sheriff’s Office – 2501 W. Mechanic St., Suite 100, Harrisonville, MO 64701 | Non-emergency (816) 380-5200 | Sheriff’s line (816) 380-8320 | Fax: (816) 380-8558 | Email: [email protected].
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-71/I-49 and MO-2 serve Harrisonville, the county seat, part of the Kansas City metropolitan area (the county also contains a portion of Kansas City, Missouri itself).
Notes: Cass County, organized in 1835 as “Van Buren County” and renamed in 1849 for U.S. Senator and Secretary of War Lewis Cass, has grown rapidly as part of the KC metro – population climbed from roughly 107,800 (2020) to an estimated 115,900 (2025) across 702 square miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Cass County Courthouse – Harrisonville, MO 64701; confirm current phone via casscounty.com. The Harrisonville Courthouse Square Historic District is centered downtown.
Notes: Harrisonville was founded in 1837 on land Congress donated to Cass County, and named for U.S. Representative Albert G. Harrison, who helped secure the land grant. During the Civil War, Cass County was one of the counties (along with Bates and Jackson, and part of Vernon) subjected to Union General Thomas Ewing’s 1863 General Order No. 11, which ordered mass civilian depopulation of the region – but Harrisonville itself was one of a small number of towns specifically exempted from the order. This history is presented here as a factual matter of local record.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Cass County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via casscounty.com.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the Kansas City VA Medical Center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Cass County Public Library (Harrisonville branch) – 400 E Mechanic St, Harrisonville, MO 64701 | (816) 884-3483 | Hours: Mon-Thu 9 AM-8 PM, Fri 9 AM-6 PM, Sat 9 AM-5 PM; part of a system with additional branches in Archie, Belton, Drexel, and Garden City.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Harrisonville Courthouse Square Historic District and the county’s numerous parks serving its fast-growing Kansas City-suburb communities are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Civil War-era Order No. 11 history, and Harrisonville’s specific exemption from it, is a notable local fact handled factually per this project’s evenhanded standard.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Cass County Assessor – confirm current contact via casscounty.com; also supports the county’s emergency notification address database.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Harrisonville Animal Shelter (City of Harrisonville Animal Control & Shelter) – 1300 Clearwater Drive, Harrisonville, MO 64701; provides a clean, safe space for stray, abandoned, and surrendered animals; confirm current hours/phone via ci.harrisonville.mo.us.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Cass County – confirm current contact via casscounty.com.
NOTES: Cass County is the fifth county in the third batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine Civil War-era Order No. 11 history and Harrisonville’s specific exemption from it are notable local facts, handled factually per this project’s evenhanded standard. 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 Cass County
Cass County’s Civil War history is among the darkest in Missouri. General Order No. 11, issued by Union Brigadier General Thomas Ewing Jr. in August 1863, forcibly evacuated virtually the entire civilian population of Cass County (and parts of three neighboring counties) – approximately 20,000 people – within fifteen days, as punishment for Confederate guerrilla activity in the region. Their homes and crops were burned. The depopulation was so complete that the area was called the “Burnt District” for years afterward. The George Caleb Bingham painting “Order No. 11” is one of the most powerful protest paintings in American history, depicting the forced removal’s brutality in unflinching detail.
The county’s modern story is Kansas City suburban growth. Belton, Raymore, and Peculiar (a Missouri town name that is genuinely difficult to explain with a straight face) have developed into active suburban communities accessible via I-49, drawing families seeking larger lots and lower prices than Johnson County, Kansas or the Kansas City Missouri suburbs offer. The county seat of Harrisonville remains a small city with a traditional courthouse square. Agricultural land – cattle, row crops – persists in the county’s rural southern townships. Cass County’s trajectory is solidly suburban: population growth, school expansion pressures, and the gradual development of commercial corridors along the I-49 spine.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Missouri assesses residential property at 19% of true value. Property owners may appeal to the County Board of Equalization. Missouri offers a Senior Citizens Property Tax Credit for qualifying residents 65 or older (or 100% disabled) with income below $30,000 (renters) or $34,000 (owners). Missouri has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Area Agency on Aging – Southwest Missouri / Mid-America Regional Council
600 Broadway, Suite 200, Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone: (816) 474-4240
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Cass County residents.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging – Southwest Missouri / Mid-America Regional Council
600 Broadway, Suite 200, Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone: (816) 474-4240
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Cass County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
102 E. Wall St., Harrisonville, MO 64701
(816) 380-8105
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Cass County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Cass 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
Cass County Circuit Court, Probate Division 2501 W. Mechanic Street, 1st Floor, Harrisonville, MO 64701 (816) 380-8227 Cass County is in western Missouri, part of the Kansas City metro area, seated in Harrisonville.
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
102 E. Wall St., Harrisonville, MO 64701
(816) 380-5200
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
102 E. Wall St., Harrisonville, MO 64701
(816) 380-8108
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Cass County Health Department – confirm current phone via casscounty.com.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Harrisonville
Population: 105,000
Area: 700 sq mi
Established: 1835
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Cass County facilities via Amazon.
