Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Missouri County
Hickory County, Missouri
Pomme de Terre Lake and Ozark cattle country - from Pomme de Terre Lake (the Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Pomme de Terre River is one of southwest Missouri's popular recreational lakes, known for its muskie fishing - the lake supports a significant trophy muskie fishery that draws serious anglers to Hickory County from across the region) to Hickory County's cattle ranching heritage (the county's rocky Ozark terrain supports beef cattle operations across the rolling hills between the Lake of the Ozarks and the Springfield metro, with ranching defining the county's rural agricultural character).
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Hickory County Emergency Management – PO Box 3, Hermitage, MO 65668.
Sheriff: Hickory County Sheriff’s Office – 18682 Jackson St., Hermitage, MO 65668 | (417) 745-6415 | Fax: (417) 745-6205; Sheriff Greg Burke.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-254 serves Hermitage, the county seat, near Pomme de Terre Lake in the Ozark Highlands.
Notes: Hickory County, organized February 14, 1845, is named for President Andrew Jackson, known as “Old Hickory.” Roughly 8,300-8,500 residents across 399 square miles. From 1819 to 1832, a Kickapoo Indian reservation was located west of the Pomme de Terre River within the county; French trappers knew the area even earlier, and the county sits within the Osage land cession of 1808. Hermitage itself was laid out 1846-1847 and named for Andrew Jackson’s Tennessee home.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hickory County Courthouse – 1 Court Square, Hermitage, MO 65668.
Notes: A genuinely remarkable paleontological discovery occurred at Bone Spring near Avery, Hickory County, in the late 1830s and early 1840s: numerous mastodon bones were unearthed, and one full skeleton, assembled by St. Louis naturalist Albert Koch, was sold in 1844 to the British Museum, where related specimens remain today. Indian quarries, mounds, and campsites have also been documented throughout the county. The Hickory County Historical Society operates a museum and research room in the John Siddles Williams House on Museum Street in Hermitage.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Hickory County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via hickorycomo.net.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Springfield VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Hickory County Library – Hwy. 54, Hermitage, MO 65668; confirm current phone/hours via hickorycomo.net.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Pomme de Terre Lake and Pomme de Terre State Park (roughly 700 acres split between the Pittsburg and Hermitage sections, with 128 campsites each, public beaches, and hiking trails) are the county’s premier attractions, drawing over 250,000 visitors in 2023. The lake is especially well known among anglers for muskellunge (muskie), stocked since 1966, with one of the best catch ratios in the country.
Notes: The genuine 1844 mastodon-skeleton sale to the British Museum is one of the most unusual local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Hickory County Assessor – confirm current contact via hickorycomo.net.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Hickory County animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. Confirm current options via hickorycomo.net or the Sheriff’s Office, (417) 745-6415.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Hickory County – confirm current contact via hickorycomo.net.
NOTES: Hickory County is the second county in the seventh batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine 1844 mastodon-skeleton sale to the British Museum from Bone Spring is one of the most unusual local facts covered anywhere in this project. 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 Hickory County
Hickory County is south-central Missouri’s Pomme de Terre Lake muskie fishing and Ozark cattle county – the trophy muskie reservoir and the county’s cattle ranching tradition across the rocky Ozark hills define a small community where Hermitage serves the surrounding rural population between the Lake of the Ozarks and Springfield.
Hermitage (the county seat, population ~480) is Hickory County’s governmental hub, a small Ozarks county seat serving the surrounding cattle and lake communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Hickory County Assessor at 900 Court Street, Hermitage, MO 65668, phone 417-745-6421. MO assessed at percentage of true value.
Courts & Legal
Hickory County Circuit Court at 900 Court Street, Hermitage, MO 65668, phone 417-745-6421, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
225 Main St., Hermitage, MO 65668
(417) 745-6421
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hickory County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The Hickory County Museum, housed in the c. 1855 John Siddle Williams House (NRHP-listed), holds local historical materials.
Local societies
No dedicated Hickory County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories, though the Hickory County Museum supports local historical research.
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
Hickory County Circuit Court, Probate Division 100 West Polk Street (mail: P.O. Box 345), Hermitage, MO 65668 (417) 745-6421
Hickory County was founded February 14, 1845, named for President Andrew Jackson, nicknamed “Old Hickory,” in west-central Missouri, seated in Hermitage on the Pomme de Terre River.
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
225 Main St., Hermitage, MO 65668
(417) 745-2031
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
225 Main St., Hermitage, MO 65668
(417) 745-6421
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Hickory
(417) 745-6901
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hickory County Health Department – confirm current phone via hickorycomo.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
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hermitage
Population: 9,500
Area: 397 sq mi
Established: 1845
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Hickory County residents.
