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Missouri County
Howell County, Missouri
West Plains' Ozark regional hub and Harlin Music's country legacy - from West Plains' role as the commercial center for the Missouri-Arkansas Ozarks border region to the late Boxer Ricky Hatton connection and West Plains' most celebrated native - country music producer and entrepreneur Harlin Music's influence on the Nashville sound, and a south-central Missouri Ozarks county of springs, caves, and traditional Appalachian-influenced mountain culture.
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Office: Howell County Emergency Management Agency – 35 Court Square, Suite 203, West Plains, MO 65775 | (417) 255-0515.
Dispatch: Howell County 911 – 35 Court Sq, Suite #1, West Plains, MO 65775; dispatches for the Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Mountain View Police/Fire, South Howell County Ambulance, West Plains Police, and multiple volunteer fire departments.
Sheriff: Howell County Sheriff’s Office – 1106 Missouri Avenue, West Plains, MO 65775 | Non-emergency (417) 256-2544 | Email: [email protected].
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Howell County sits on the edge of the New Madrid fault line and in a tornado-prone region.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-63 and US-160 serve West Plains, the county seat, in the south-central Ozarks near the Arkansas border, known as the “Heart of the Ozarks.”
Notes: Howell County offices are centered around 35 Court Square, West Plains, MO 65775. The first train reached West Plains on Christmas Day 1883, spurring rapid population growth (from 350 residents in 1880 to over 2,000 by 1890) as the town became a regional economic hub for shipping and fruit orchards.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Howell County Courthouse – West Plains, MO 65775.
Notes: West Plains carries a somber but historically significant chapter: on the night of April 13, 1928, a still-unexplained explosion destroyed the Bond Dance Hall on East Main Street during a weekly gathering, killing 37-39 people and injuring more than 20 – one of the deadliest disasters in Missouri history. The blast, felt for miles, also structurally damaged the nearby Howell County Courthouse so severely it was condemned and eventually demolished in 1933. Twenty of the victims were never identified and are memorialized at Oak Lawn Cemetery’s “Rock of Ages” monument, erected in 1929; the event was later the subject of a folk song and inspired the fictionalized novella “The Maid’s Version” by Ozarks author Daniel Woodrell. On a lighter historical note, the 1893 Catron Opera House, built during the town’s railroad-era prosperity, remains a local landmark.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Howell County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via howellcountymo.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a West Plains VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
West Plains Public Library – West Plains, MO 65775; operated by the City of West Plains; confirm current address/phone via westplains.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The 1893 Catron Opera House, Oak Lawn Cemetery’s historic sections (including the Rock of Ages monument and the Langston family plot), and downtown West Plains’ Court Square are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The 1928 Bond Dance Hall explosion is handled factually as a significant, well-documented local tragedy; the county’s more recent history and recreational offerings are covered without dwelling on the disaster’s details.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Howell County Assessor – confirm current contact via howellcountymo.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
West Plains Regional Animal Shelter – 1102 Saint Louis Street (also listed at 1438/1486 Route BB), West Plains, MO 65775 | (417) 256-8438 | Hours: Tue-Fri 9 AM-4:30 PM, Sat 10 AM-3 PM, closed Sun/Mon; a tri-county, 100% volunteer-run, no-kill shelter funded by memberships, donations, and its “Out of Harm’s Way” thrift shop.
West Plains Animal Control – (417) 255-1860, or West Plains Police Department, (417) 256-2244.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Howell County – confirm current contact via howellcountymo.gov.
NOTES: Howell County is the fifth county in the seventh batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The 1928 Bond Dance Hall explosion, one of Missouri’s deadliest historical disasters, is presented factually and respectfully. 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 Howell County
Howell County is south-central Missouri’s Ozarks border county – a White River watershed community serving as the regional hub for the Missouri-Arkansas Ozarks.
West Plains (the county seat, population ~12,000) is the commercial, healthcare, and educational center for a broad rural region spanning southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. Missouri State University-West Plains provides higher education, and Ozarks Medical Center serves regional healthcare needs.
The Eleven Point River – a National Scenic River – flows through Howell County’s eastern edge, providing exceptional clear-water canoeing and fishing in a remote Ozarks setting. The river’s spring-fed clarity and scenic limestone bluffs make it one of Missouri’s finest float streams.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Howell County Assessor at 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 1, West Plains, MO 65775, phone 417-256-1900. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Howell County Circuit Court at 1 Courthouse Square, West Plains, MO 65775, phone 417-256-3783, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
2 Court Square, West Plains, MO 65775
(417) 256-2591
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Howell County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Howell 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
Howell County Circuit Court, Probate Division 106 Courthouse (mail: P.O. Box 967), West Plains, MO 65775 (417) 256-3741 Howell County is in south-central Missouri, seated in West Plains.
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
2 Court Square, West Plains, MO 65775
(417) 256-7622
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
2 Court Square, West Plains, MO 65775
(417) 256-2591
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Howell
(417) 256-3186
Ozarks Healthcare
ozarkshealthcare.com (West Plains — quality regional hospital; major south-central Missouri anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Howell County Health Department – confirm current phone via howellcountymo.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: West Plains
Population: 40,000
Area: 922 sq mi
Established: 1857
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Howell County residents.
