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Office: Gentry County Emergency Management – 106 E Clay St, Albany, MO 64402 | (660) 726-3935; Director Derek Brown.
Sheriff: Gentry County Sheriff’s Office – 104 N Polk, PO Box 37, Albany, MO 64402 | (660) 726-3721 | Fax: (660) 726-3665; Sheriff Nicholas J. Tompkins.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-6 and MO-148 serve Albany, the county seat and only substantial city, in northwest Missouri.
Notes: Gentry County, organized February 14, 1841, is named for General Richard Gentry of Boone County, who died in the Seminole War in 1837. Roughly 6,200-6,400 residents across 492 square miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Gentry County Courthouse – 200 W. Clay, Albany, MO 64402 | (660) 726-3525 | Fax: (660) 726-4478; NRHP-listed, built 1884-1885 in Late Victorian/Ruskinian Gothic style by architects Eckel & Mann.
Notes: Albany’s charming local landmarks include the Albany Carnegie Public Library, the historic Gentry County Courthouse with its distinctive clock tower, the Albany Depot/Historical Museum, and the whimsically named “Silas Lee’s Crazy Animal Park.” The Gentry County Historical Society Museum, 207 S. Main Street, preserves local pioneer history.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Gentry County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via gentrycounty.net.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the Kansas City VA Medical Center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Albany Carnegie Public Library – Albany, MO 64402; confirm current phone/hours via gentrycounty.net or the Missouri State Library’s Missouri Digital Heritage portal.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Gentry County Courthouse historic district, the Albany Depot/Historical Museum, Silas Lee’s Crazy Animal Park, and Smith Street Park (host to community events like the Albany Rhythm N Roots Festival and Square Farmers Market) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The historic 1884-1885 courthouse and Carnegie library reflect the county’s civic architecture heritage.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Gentry County Assessor – 200 W. Clay, Albany, MO 64402 | (660) 726-5289 | Fax: (660) 726-5810.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Albany Animal Shelter (City of Albany) – 106 East Clay St, Albany, MO 64402 | (660) 254-4434; adoptions by appointment, applicants must be 18+, adoption fees $25-$75, all animals spayed/neutered and vaccinated prior to adoption; Albany residents must also license their dog with the city ($2 fee).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Gentry County – confirm current contact via gentrycounty.net.
NOTES: Gentry County is the fourth county in the sixth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The county’s historic 1884-1885 courthouse and Carnegie library are notable local landmarks. 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 Gentry County County
Gentry County is northwest Missouri’s Grand River headwaters and cattle country – the source of one of north Missouri’s major river systems and the rolling beef cattle and grain farming landscape define a small community where Albany serves the surrounding agricultural population in the quiet northwest Missouri interior near Iowa.
Albany (the county seat, population ~1,700) is Gentry County’s governmental hub, a small northwest Missouri agricultural community on US 136 whose farming economy, Grand River headwaters, and county courthouse anchor its identity.
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Gentry County Assessor at 200 W. Clay Street, Albany, MO 64402, phone 660-726-3618. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Gentry County Circuit Court at 200 W. Clay Street, Albany, MO 64402, phone 660-726-3618, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
200 W. Clay St., Albany, MO 64402
(660) 726-3618
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Gentry County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Gentry 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
Gentry County Circuit Court, Probate Division 200 West Clay Street, Suite 101, Albany, MO 64402 (660) 726-3618 Gentry County is in northwestern Missouri, seated in Albany.
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
200 W. Clay St., Albany, MO 64402
(660) 726-3618
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
200 W. Clay St., Albany, MO 64402
(660) 726-3618
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Gentry
(660) 726-3941
Mosaic Life Care — St. Joseph
mosaiclifecare.org (accessible)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Gentry County Health Department – confirm current phone via gentrycounty.net.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Albany
Population: 6,500
Area: 492 sq mi
Established: 1845
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Gentry County County residents.
