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Missouri County
Miller County, Missouri
Lake of the Ozarks' eastern shore and Missouri's small courthouse towns - from Miller County's Lake of the Ozarks shoreline (the eastern arms of Missouri's premier resort lake provide boating, fishing, and waterfront development for Miller County residents and visitors) to Tuscumbia's distinction as one of Missouri's smallest and most charming county seats and Eldon's commercial role serving the lake economy.
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Office: Miller County Emergency Management – 1999 Hwy 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082 | (573) 369-2341.
Sheriff: Miller County Sheriff’s Office – 1999 Hwy 52 / PO Box 131, Tuscumbia, MO 65082 | Non-emergency (573) 369-2341 | Jail Ext. 711; Sheriff Wayne Easley, Chief Deputy Paul Nall; maintains a 112-bed jail and patrols 24/7, providing law enforcement to 13 cities, 9 of which have no municipal police of their own.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-52 and US-54 serve Tuscumbia, the county seat, in the northern Ozarks; Eldon is the county’s largest city.
Notes: Miller County, organized February 6, 1837, is named for John Miller, a former U.S. Representative and Governor of Missouri. Roughly 24,700-25,800 permanent residents across 600 square miles, swelling considerably in summer with Lake of the Ozarks tourists and seasonal residents. Tuscumbia, founded 1837 along with the Sheriff’s Office, is named for a Chickasaw chieftain – pronounced “Tash-Ka-Ambi,” reportedly meaning “warrior that kills.”
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Miller County Courthouse – Tuscumbia, MO 65082.
Notes: The Miller County Historical Society Museum, housed in the old Anchor Mill Building on West Highway 52 in Tuscumbia (open mid-May through mid-September/October, Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat 10 AM-4 PM), spans 12,000 square feet across two floors, with reproductions of a barber shop, general store, chapel, doctor’s office, schoolhouse, and dog-trot cabin, plus 500 time-ordered photographs documenting the construction of Bagnell Dam. The museum grounds include an 1860s log cabin built by Peter Lupardus and a preserved slave cabin associated with Esther Williams, presented factually as part of the county’s pre-Civil War history. Tuscumbia was historically a steamboat port on the Osage River. Nearby Aurora Springs was a noted 1800s health spa, and Stark Caverns and Wilson’s Cave are regional natural landmarks; Lake of the Ozarks State Park (founded 1935) spans both Miller and Camden Counties.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Miller County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via millercountymissouri.org.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jefferson City or Lake Ozark VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Miller County library branch address/phone via millercountymissouri.org; the Miller County Historical Society also maintains a mail-based genealogical research library at PO Box 57, Tuscumbia, MO 65082, holding family histories, census, marriage, and cemetery records.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Miller County Historical Society Museum, Bagnell Dam and Lake of the Ozarks, Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Stark Caverns, and Aurora Springs are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine steamboat-port history of Tuscumbia on the Osage River and the county’s deep Lake of the Ozarks tourism ties are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Miller County Assessor – confirm current contact via millercountymissouri.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Friends of Animals (Eldon) – a nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal shelter serving Miller County and the surrounding area, funded entirely through its Thrift Shoppe, memberships, and donations; confirm current address/phone via their Facebook page.
Eldon Animal Control Center – 1000 Hwy Y, Eldon, MO 65026 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM (closed for lunch 12-1 PM; adoptions/viewing open at 1 PM or by appointment); serves the city of Eldon.
Eldon Spay and Neuter Clinic – Eldon, MO.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Miller County – confirm current contact via millercountymissouri.org.
NOTES: Miller County is the fourth county in the tenth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine steamboat-port history of Tuscumbia and the county’s deep Lake of the Ozarks tourism ties are distinctive local facts. 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 Miller County
Miller County is south-central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks eastern shore county – a community whose lake access and small-town character attract retirees and vacationers to a quieter alternative to the busier lake communities to the west.
Tuscumbia (the county seat, population ~200) is one of Missouri’s tiniest county seats – a courthouse community of remarkable quietude on the Osage River serving a dispersed rural population.
Eldon (population ~4,500) is the county’s largest community and commercial hub – businesses serving the Lake of the Ozarks visitor economy and local agricultural community make Eldon the practical center of county life.
The Lake of the Ozarks’ Miller County arms provide access to the reservoir’s recreational resources with a somewhat less developed and crowded character than the Camden County sections.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Miller County Assessor at 2001 Highway 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082, phone 573-369-1960. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Miller County Circuit Court at 2001 Highway 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082, phone 573-369-1900, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
2001 Highway 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082
(573) 369-1900
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Miller County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Miller 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
Miller County Circuit Court, Probate Division 2001 Highway 52 (mail: P.O. Box 11), Tuscumbia, MO 65082 (573) 369-1980 Miller County is in central Missouri, seated in Tuscumbia.
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
2001 Highway 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082
(573) 369-2341
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
2001 Highway 52, Tuscumbia, MO 65082
(573) 369-1900
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Miller
(573) 369-2211
Lake Regional Health System
lakeregional.com (Osage Beach — accessible major regional hospital)
Office: Miller County Health Department – confirm current phone via millercountymissouri.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Tuscumbia
Population: 25,000
Area: 593 sq mi
Established: 1837
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Miller County residents.
