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Missouri County
Howard County, Missouri
Cradle of Missouri and Central Methodist University - from Howard County's distinction as the Cradle of Missouri (Howard County was one of the earliest and most politically influential counties in Missouri - the county produced more US senators and governors in the 19th century than any other Missouri county, earning it the Cradle of Missouri designation for its outsized role in shaping early state politics and culture) to Central Methodist University (the small liberal arts university in Fayette has anchored the community's educational identity since 1854, making Fayette one of Missouri's oldest college towns in the Missouri River valley).
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Office: Howard County Emergency Management / 911 – 600 W Morrison St, Fayette, MO 65248 | (660) 248-2340 | Fax: (660) 248-2741; also known as Howard County Ambulance Service.
Sheriff: Howard County Sheriff’s Office – 100 N. Mulberry, Fayette, MO 65248 | (660) 248-2477 | Fax: (660) 248-1444 | Jail: (660) 248-2490; Sheriff Jeff Oswald.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-24 and MO-5 serve Fayette, the county seat, with the Missouri River forming the county’s southern border.
Notes: Howard County, organized January 23, 1816 (five years before Missouri statehood), is named for Benjamin Howard, the first Governor of the Missouri Territory. Roughly 10,100-10,200 residents across 472 square miles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Howard County Courthouse – 1 Courthouse Square, Fayette, MO 65248 | (660) 248-2193.
Notes: Howard County is genuinely known as the “Mother of Counties”: at its 1816 organization it comprised nearly one-third of the land that now makes up the state of Missouri, and its original boundaries have since been split into more than 40 present-day counties, including several in Iowa. Fayette is home to Central Methodist University, founded in 1854 (originally Central College), a private United Methodist-affiliated liberal arts university with over 1,000 students on its historic main campus – the Central Methodist College Campus Historic District is NRHP-listed. The 1864 Civil War Battle of Fayette began south of the courthouse square and ended on the north end of the university campus. A large number of Fayette’s homes, many dating to the early 1800s, are also individually NRHP-listed, concentrated along South Main Street.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Howard County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via mocounties.com/howard-county.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital (Columbia); confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Howard County Public Library – Fayette, MO 65248; one of 33 Missouri public libraries originally endowed by the Carnegie Foundation, which granted $10,000 toward its construction; confirm current phone/hours via mocounties.com/howard-county.
Smiley Memorial Library (Central Methodist University) – 411 Central Methodist Square, Fayette, MO 65248 | (660) 248-6271 | Email: [email protected] (primarily serves CMU students/faculty).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Central Methodist University’s historic campus (including the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art and the Stephens Museum’s taxidermy collection), Fayette’s Carnegie library, and the South Main Street historic homes district are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Mother of Counties” heritage and Central Methodist University’s 1854 founding are among the most historically notable local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Howard County Assessor – confirm current contact via mocounties.com/howard-county.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Howard County animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. Confirm current options via mocounties.com/howard-county or the Sheriff’s Office, (660) 248-2477.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Howard County – confirm current contact via mocounties.com/howard-county.
NOTES: Howard County is the fourth county in the seventh batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “Mother of Counties” heritage – with more than 40 modern-day counties carved from its original territory – is one of the most historically notable 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 Howard County
Howard County is the Cradle of Missouri – the county’s extraordinary early political influence producing governors and senators and Central Methodist University’s presence in Fayette define a Missouri River valley community whose historical significance in shaping the Show-Me State far exceeds its modest contemporary population.
Fayette (the county seat, population ~2,700) is Howard County’s governmental and academic hub, a Missouri River valley town whose antebellum courthouse, CMU campus, and 19th-century heritage anchor the county’s identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Howard County Assessor at 1 Courthouse Square, Fayette, MO 65248, phone 660-248-2284. MO assessed at percentage of true value.
Courts & Legal
Howard County Circuit Court at 1 Courthouse Square, Fayette, MO 65248, phone 660-248-2284, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1 Courthouse Square, Fayette, MO 65248
(660) 248-2284
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Howard County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Howard 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
Howard County Circuit Court, Probate Division 1 Courthouse Square, Fayette, MO 65248 (660) 248-2194 Howard County is in central Missouri, seated in Fayette.
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
1 Courthouse Square, Fayette, MO 65248
(660) 248-5531
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1 Courthouse Square, Fayette, MO 65248
(660) 248-2284
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Howard County Health Department – confirm current phone via mocounties.com/howard-county.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fayette
Population: 10,000
Area: 466 sq mi
Established: 1816
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Howard County residents.
