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Office: Mercer County Emergency Management – 14652 Elder Street, Princeton, MO 64673; confirm current phone via mercercountymo.gov.
Sheriff: Mercer County Sheriff’s Office – 802 E Main St, Princeton, MO 64673 | (660) 748-3165 | Website: mercercoso.org.
City Fire: Mercer County Fire Protection District – 201 N. Fullerton, Princeton, MO 64673 | (660) 748-4828.
Ambulance: Mercer County Ambulance – 201 W. Hickland, Princeton, MO 64673 | (660) 748-4162.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-136 and US-65 serve Princeton, the county seat and largest city, in northwest Missouri near the Iowa border.
Notes: Mercer County, organized February 14, 1845 from part of Grundy County, is named for General Hugh Mercer, a Revolutionary War hero killed in action. Roughly 3,400-3,540 residents across 455 square miles – the second-least populous county in Missouri. First permanent settlement dates to 1837. Princeton was established as county seat in 1845 and formally incorporated in 1891.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Mercer County Courthouse – 802 E Main Street, Princeton, MO 64673 | (660) 748-3425; handles voter registration, taxes, court services, and public records.
Notes: The Mercer County Genealogical and Historical Society, PO Box 97, Princeton, MO 64673, (660) 748-3725, maintains county tax and landowner records.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Mercer County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via mercercountymo.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Trenton or Kirksville VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Mercer County Library – 601 West Grant Street, Princeton, MO 64673 | (660) 748-3725; offers free WiFi and a variety of reading materials.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lake Paho Conservation Area (4 miles west of Princeton on Highway 136 – hunting, fishing, bird watching, camping), the Princeton Country Club, and the Stacy Multipurpose Center (indoor pool, fitness room, gym) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: As one of Missouri’s least populous counties, Mercer County’s civic life centers on Princeton’s small-town amenities and outdoor recreation at Lake Paho.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Mercer County Assessor – confirm current contact via mercercountymo.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
City of Princeton Animal Control – confirm current contact via cityofprincetonmo.com. NAMING TRAP: “Mercer County Animal Shelter” search results primarily return an unrelated shelter in Princeton, West Virginia – do not conflate with Mercer County, Missouri, where no dedicated countywide animal shelter was confirmed. Confirm current local options via mercercountymo.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (660) 748-3165.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Mercer County – confirm current contact via mercercountymo.gov.
NOTES: Mercer County is the third county in the tenth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. As one of Missouri’s least populous counties, thin municipal infrastructure (including a Princeton, WV naming trap for animal services) is flagged honestly per this project’s standard. 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 Mercer County County
Mercer County is one of Missouri’s least populous and most remote counties – a Weldon River cattle and grain farming community where Princeton’s courthouse serves fewer than 3,600 residents in the quiet north Missouri agricultural landscape near the Iowa border.
Princeton (the county seat, population ~900) is Mercer County’s governmental hub, a small north Missouri agricultural community on US 65 near the Iowa border whose cattle farming economy and courthouse anchor its identity in one of Missouri’s most rural corners.
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Mercer County Assessor at 802 E. Washington Street, Princeton, MO 64673, phone 660-748-3425. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Mercer County Circuit Court at 802 E. Washington Street, Princeton, MO 64673, phone 660-748-3425, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
802 E. Grant St., Princeton, MO 64673
(660) 748-3425
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Mercer County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Mercer 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
Mercer County Circuit Court, Probate Division 802 Main Street, Princeton, MO 64673 (660) 748-4335 Mercer County is in Missouri’s northern border region, seated in Princeton.
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
802 E. Grant St., Princeton, MO 64673
(660) 748-3424
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
802 E. Grant St., Princeton, MO 64673
(660) 748-3425
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Mercer
(660) 748-3381
Harrison County Community Hospital
hcch.net (Bethany — accessible)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Mercer County Health Department – confirm current phone via mercercountymo.gov.
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: Princeton
Population: 3,600
Area: 455 sq mi
Established: 1845
Public Records
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