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Missouri County
Grundy County, Missouri
Trenton and Grand River north Missouri agriculture - from North Central Missouri College (the community college in Trenton anchors the county's educational identity and provides workforce training and academic programs for the north Missouri region between Chillicothe and the Iowa border) to Grundy County's Grand River grain farming (corn, soybean, and cattle operations across the county's rolling north Missouri terrain define a classic Grand River watershed agricultural community - Trenton's position on US 65 makes it a regional commercial hub for the surrounding rural counties).
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Office: Grundy County Emergency Management Agency – 700 Main Street, Trenton, MO 64683 | (660) 359-4040.
Sheriff: Grundy County Sheriff’s Office – 610 Main St, Trenton, MO 64683 | (660) 359-2828 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Rodney Herring. The Sheriff’s Office also offers a mobile app for non-emergency tips and public safety updates (not for reporting emergencies – always call 911).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-65 and MO-6 serve Trenton, the county seat, in the “Green Hills” region of north-central Missouri.
Notes: Grundy County, organized January 2, 1841 from part of Livingston County, is named for U.S. Attorney General Felix Grundy. Roughly 9,700-9,800 residents across 438 square miles. Trenton, incorporated 1857, had roughly 5,600 residents as of 2020.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Grundy County Courthouse – 700 Main Street, Trenton, MO 64683.
Notes: Trenton is genuinely notable as having been the world’s largest producer of Vienna sausages at its largest employer, a ConAgra Grocery Foods plant later acquired by Nestlé. The county’s most striking civic landmark is the Jewett Norris Library, a Romanesque Revival building constructed in 1891 with funds donated by pioneer and Missouri state senator Jewett Norris (1809-1891), who arrived in the area in 1835 and served on Grundy County’s first county court; the library was formally dedicated in October 1891, just months after Norris’s death, and remains NRHP-listed today. Nearby Daviess County’s octagonal 1881 rotating-cell jail (one of only three such jails nationwide) is a popular regional attraction referenced in Trenton’s own visitor guides. Missouri’s largest Amish settlement is located 15 minutes southwest of Trenton.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Grundy County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via grundycountymo.com.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the Kansas City VA Medical Center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Grundy County Jewett Norris Library – 1331 Main St, Trenton, MO 64683; NRHP-listed, built 1891, dedicated by pioneer benefactor Jewett Norris; Hours: Mon 8:30 AM-7 PM, Tue-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM, Sat 8:30 AM onward; offers free access to a digital newspaper archive spanning 1851-2018 (over 370,000 pages).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Jewett Norris Library, the Grundy County Historical Society & Museum (including a preserved one-room schoolhouse and Trenton’s last surviving brick street), and the nearby Amish settlement are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “world’s largest Vienna sausage producer” history and the historic Jewett Norris Library are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Grundy County Assessor – confirm current contact via grundycountymo.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Green Hills Animal Shelter – 3041 East 10th Street, Trenton, MO 64683 | (660) 359-2700 | Hours: Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat 1-3 PM, closed Thu/Sun (other times by appointment only); the only regional animal shelter within 75 miles of Trenton, serving Trenton and surrounding counties. IMPORTANT for InmateAid readers: Green Hills Animal Shelter is a Missouri Department of Corrections “Puppies for Parole” program partner, working with correctional facilities to place program dogs for adoption.
City of Trenton Animal Control – 610 Main Street, Trenton, MO 64683.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Grundy County – confirm current contact via grundycountymo.com.
NOTES: Grundy County is the sixth county in the sixth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The Green Hills Animal Shelter’s participation in Missouri’s “Puppies for Parole” program is directly InmateAid-relevant. 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 Grundy County
Grundy County is north-central Missouri’s Grand River agricultural and community college county – North Central Missouri College and the county’s productive grain farming define a community where Trenton provides regional services to north Missouri agricultural communities along US 65.
Trenton (the county seat, population ~5,500) is Grundy County’s governmental and commercial hub, a north Missouri city whose college, courthouse, and agricultural services anchor the county’s identity.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Grundy County Assessor at 700 Main Street, Trenton, MO 64683, phone 660-359-4040. MO assessed at percentage of true value.
Courts & Legal
Grundy County Circuit Court at 700 Main Street, Trenton, MO 64683, phone 660-359-4040, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
700 Main St., Trenton, MO 64683
(660) 359-6605
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Grundy County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Grundy 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
Grundy County Circuit Court, Probate Division 700 Main Street, Trenton, MO 64683 (660) 359-4040 Grundy County is in northern Missouri, seated in Trenton.
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
700 Main St., Trenton, MO 64683
(660) 359-2828
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
700 Main St., Trenton, MO 64683
(660) 359-6605
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Grundy
(660) 359-4631
Wright Memorial Hospital
wrightmemorial.com (Trenton — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Grundy County Health Department – confirm current phone via grundycountymo.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Trenton
Population: 10,000
Area: 435 sq mi
Established: 1839
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Grundy County residents.
