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Office: Dade County Emergency Management – Greenfield, MO 65661 | (417) 637-0270 | Email: [email protected].
911 Dispatch: Dade County MO 911 – non-emergency/controlled burn reporting (417) 637-1911.
Sheriff: Dade County Sheriff’s Office – 201 E Water St / 105 S Grand St, Greenfield, MO 65661 | (417) 637-2312; Sheriff Ryan Robison.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-39 and MO-96 serve Greenfield, the county seat, in southwest Missouri.
Notes: Dade County, organized January 29, 1841, is named for Major Francis L. Dade of Virginia, killed in the Second Seminole War in 1835. Roughly 7,600-7,800 residents across 506 square miles. Greenfield was established when pioneers Matthias and Mary Ann Allison donated 51 acres for the county seat; the town was historically called the “Gate City of the Grotto.”
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Dade County Courthouse – 300 E. Water Street / 300 W Water St, Greenfield, MO 65661 | (417) 637-2724.
Notes: Greenfield’s town square is lined with brick buildings dating to the 1880s, built using bricks from the local Greenfield Brickyard. The Opera House, opened in 1888, was known as the “Jewel of the Square.” Greenfield High School, opened in 1889, is the oldest high school in southwest Missouri. Stockton Lake, one of Missouri’s premier lakes, lies just outside Greenfield, offering recreational access to Dade County residents.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Dade County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via dadecountymo.gov. A local Veterans Memorial stands on Allison Street in Greenfield.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Springfield VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Dade County Library – 209 South Main Street, Greenfield, MO 65661 | (417) 637-2532; housed in the historic Rubenstein House, donated by Ruth Rubenstein and opened as the library in December 1980 (the library was previously located in the courthouse basement since 1954); also home to the Dade County Genealogical Society’s research materials.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Greenfield City Park, the Dade County Courthouse Square historic district, Hulston Mill Park, and nearby Stockton Lake are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine history of the Rubenstein House library and the historic 1880s courthouse square are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Dade County Assessor – confirm current contact via dadecountymo.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Dade County, Missouri animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. NAMING TRAP: “Greenfield/Hancock County Animal Management Department” refers to Greenfield, Indiana, not Greenfield, Missouri – do not conflate the two. Confirm current local options via dadecountymo.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (417) 637-2312.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Dade County – confirm current contact via dadecountymo.gov.
NOTES: Dade County is the second county in the fifth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The Greenfield, IN vs. Greenfield, MO naming trap for animal services is flagged for accuracy. 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 Dade County County
Dade County is southwest Missouri’s quiet agricultural border county – rolling terrain transitioning from the Ozark Plateau to the prairie, centered on Greenfield along the Cedar Creek corridor. The county sits between Cedar and Barton counties with access to Stockton Lake to the north in Cedar County, drawing fishing and outdoor recreation visitors to the region.
Greenfield (county seat, population ~1,300) serves Dade County’s farming families on US 160, a small southwest Missouri community whose courthouse square and agricultural economy define a rural Ozark border identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Dade County Assessor at 300 Water Street, Greenfield, MO 65661, phone 417-637-2271. Missouri property assessed at 19% of true value for residential, 32% for commercial and agricultural land.
Courts & Legal
Dade County Circuit Court at 300 Water Street, Greenfield, MO 65661, handles probate and civil matters for Dade County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
300 Water St., Greenfield, MO 65661
(417) 637-2724
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dade County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Dade 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
Dade County Circuit Court, Probate Division 300 W. Water Street, Greenfield, MO 65661 (417) 637-2271 Dade County is in southwestern Missouri, seated in Greenfield.
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
300 Water St., Greenfield, MO 65661
(417) 637-5326
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
300 Water St., Greenfield, MO 65661
(417) 637-2724
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Dade
(417) 637-5491
Citizens Memorial Hospital — Bolivar
citizensmemorial.com (accessible)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Dade County Health Department – confirm current phone via dadecountymo.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Greenfield
Population: 7,500
Area: 490 sq mi
Established: 1841
Public Records
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