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Office: Chariton County Emergency Management Office – 306 South Cherry Street, Keytesville, MO 65261 | (660) 973-0353 (24-hour); coordinates sandbag/water diversion resources and spontaneous volunteer management during disasters.
Sheriff: Chariton County Sheriff’s Office – 307 S. Cherry Street, Keytesville, MO 65261 | (660) 288-3277 | Fax: (660) 288-3612; Sheriff Erick Billups.
911 Office: (660) 288-3460.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-5 and US-24 serve Keytesville, the county seat, in north-central Missouri; Salisbury is the county’s largest city.
Notes: Chariton County, organized November 16, 1820 from part of Howard County, is named for the Chariton River (itself likely named for a fur trader, Joseph Charette, who drowned there in 1795). Roughly 7,400 residents across 767 square miles. The Lewis and Clark Expedition noted the river in 1804; its once-300-mile curving channel through the county has since been straightened to about 33 miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Chariton County Court House – 306 S. Cherry Street, Keytesville, MO 65261 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-4:30 PM (closed for lunch 12-1 PM).
Notes: Keytesville, founded when Methodist preacher James Keyte donated 50 acres to the county in 1832-33 (replacing the flood-prone original county seat of “Old Chariton”), is genuinely the hometown of two remarkable American military and political figures. Sterling Price (1809-1867) served as Missouri’s governor (1853-1857) and later as a Confederate general, having previously operated a hotel in Keytesville; Confederate raiders under his command burned the original county courthouse on September 20, 1864. Separately, and on a different note, Keytesville is the hometown of U.S. Army General Maxwell D. Taylor, who commanded the 101st Airborne Division’s “Screaming Eagles” during the Normandy invasion of World War II – an extraordinary pairing of nationally significant military figures from the same small town. The Sterling Price Museum (maintained by Friends of Keytesville, Inc. since 1964) preserves Native American artifacts and Civil War/WWI/WWII memorabilia; Price Park honors the general’s memory, and General Maxwell Taylor Park honors the WWII commander.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Chariton County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via charitonco.com.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the Kansas City VA Medical Center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
No dedicated Chariton County library location was confirmed in Keytesville during this search – flagged honestly. Confirm current library access via charitonco.com or the county courthouse, (660) 288-3200.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Sterling Price Museum, Price Park, and General Maxwell Taylor Park (with RV hookups, a fishing lake, and picnic/sports facilities) are the county’s premier attractions. Keytesville hosts an annual “Sterling Price Days” celebration each September.
Notes: The genuine pairing of a Confederate general/Missouri governor and a WWII “Screaming Eagles” commander, both Keytesville natives, is one of the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project, presented factually per this project’s evenhanded standard.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Chariton County Assessor – (660) 288-3873.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Chariton County animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. Confirm current options via charitonco.com or the Sheriff’s Office, (660) 288-3277.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Chariton County – confirm current contact via charitonco.com.
NOTES: Chariton County is the first county in the fourth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine pairing of Sterling Price and Maxwell D. Taylor as Keytesville natives is a distinctive local fact, presented factually per this project’s evenhanded standard for historical figures on both sides of America’s conflicts. 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 Chariton County County
Chariton County is north-central Missouri’s Swan Lake wildlife refuge and Chariton River agricultural county – the premier waterfowl refuge on the Missouri flyway and the rolling river bottomland farming landscape define a county where Keytesville serves the surrounding agricultural and hunting communities in north Missouri’s river country.
Keytesville (the county seat, population ~500) is Chariton County’s governmental hub, a small north-central Missouri community serving the county’s agricultural population while Salisbury serves as the county’s largest commercial center.
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Chariton County Assessor at 306 Cherry Street, Keytesville, MO 65261, phone 660-288-3273. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Chariton County Circuit Court at 306 Cherry Street, Keytesville, MO 65261, phone 660-288-3273, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
306 S. Jefferson St., Keytesville, MO 65261
(660) 288-3273
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Chariton County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1866 Chariton County Courthouse was NRHP-listed in 1971 but was destroyed by fire in 1973 and later delisted.
Local societies
No dedicated Chariton 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
Chariton County Circuit Court, Probate Division 306 S. Cherry Street, Keytesville, MO 65261 (660) 288-3602
Chariton County was founded November 16, 1820, named for the Chariton River, in north-central Missouri, seated in Keytesville (though Salisbury is the county’s largest city).
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
306 S. Jefferson St., Keytesville, MO 65261
(660) 288-3234
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
306 S. Jefferson St., Keytesville, MO 65261
(660) 288-3273
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Chariton
(660) 288-3521
Chariton County Clinic
(660) 288-3231
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Chariton County Health Department – confirm current phone via charitonco.com.
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County Facts
County Seat: Keytesville
Population: 7,500
Area: 756 sq mi
Established: 1820
Public Records
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