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Missouri County
Ralls County, Missouri
Mark Twain Lake and Salt River country - from Mark Twain Lake (the 18,600-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Salt River borders Ralls County, providing fishing, camping, and boating access in the northeast Missouri agricultural landscape that was the boyhood world of Samuel Clemens - the lake and surrounding Mark Twain State Park honor the author whose imagination was shaped by the Mississippi and Salt River country of northeast Missouri) to Ralls County's northeast Missouri grain farming (corn, soybean, and cattle operations across the county's rolling terrain define a classic northeast Missouri agricultural community between Hannibal and Moberly).
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Office: Ralls County Emergency Management – Ralls County Courthouse, 311 S. Main Street, New London, MO 63459 | (217) 779-0370 | Email: [email protected].
Sheriff: Ralls County Sheriff’s Office – 209 E. 4th Street, New London, MO 63459 | Non-emergency (573) 985-5611 | Crime Tips Hotline (573) 985-5611; jurisdiction spans roughly 484 square miles between the Mississippi River and Mark Twain Lake, serving New London, Center, Perry, Saverton, and multiple unincorporated communities including parts of Hannibal.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-24 and MO-19 serve New London, the county seat; Hannibal, adjacent in neighboring Marion County, is the county’s largest nearby city and Ralls County is part of the Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Notes: Ralls County, organized November 16, 1820, is named for Daniel Ralls, a Missouri state legislator. Roughly 10,350-10,450 residents across 484 square miles. New London was founded in 1819 by William Jameson and named after London, England; it became county seat in 1820.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Ralls County Courthouse – 311 S Main Street, New London, MO 63459 | (573) 985-7111.
Notes: The Ralls County Courthouse, built in 1858 and NRHP-listed (1972), is genuinely the oldest operating courthouse in Missouri – a two-story Greek Revival limestone building with a distinctively tall cupola; a WWI cannon stands in the courthouse front yard. The attached Jail-Sheriff’s House shares the same NRHP listing. Ralls County has a genuinely colorful Civil War-era figure in Absalom Grimes, a riverboat pilot, mail carrier, and Confederate spy buried in New London’s Barkley Cemetery, whose story is preserved and periodically presented by the Ralls County Historical Society. The county also hosts the Missouri Mule Museum, recently recognized by Missouri Humanities’ “The Story of US” initiative celebrating the connection between mules and American history.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ralls County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via rallscountymo.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Hannibal VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Ralls County Library (Center branch) – confirm current address/phone via rallscountymo.gov; regularly partners with the Ralls County Historical Society on local-history programming.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The 1858 Ralls County Courthouse (Missouri’s oldest operating courthouse), the Missouri Mule Museum, and Mark Twain Lake (shared with neighboring Monroe County) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine distinction of hosting Missouri’s oldest operating courthouse is a distinctive local fact.
No dedicated Ralls County animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. The Northeast Missouri Humane Society, based in Hannibal (Marion County), also serves Ralls County residents – see the Marion County file for details. Confirm current local options via rallscountymo.gov or the Sheriff’s Office, (573) 985-5611.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Ralls County – confirm current contact via rallscountymo.gov.
NOTES: Ralls County is the fourth county in the thirteenth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine distinction of hosting Missouri’s oldest operating courthouse (1858) is a notable local fact. 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 Ralls County
Ralls County is northeast Missouri’s Mark Twain Lake and Salt River grain farming county – the reservoir honoring America’s greatest regional author and the county’s productive northeast Missouri farmland define a community where New London provides governmental services between Hannibal and Moberly.
New London (the county seat, population ~960) is Ralls County’s governmental hub on the Salt River, a small northeast Missouri county seat serving surrounding farming and lake communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Ralls County Assessor at 311 S. Main Street, New London, MO 63459, phone 573-985-5671. MO assessed at percentage of true value.
Courts & Legal
Ralls County Circuit Court at 311 S. Main Street, New London, MO 63459, phone 573-985-5671, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
311 Main St., New London, MO 63459
(573) 985-5671
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ralls County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1858 Ralls County Courthouse and Jail-Sheriff’s House, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Ralls 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
Ralls County Circuit Court, Probate Division 311 South Main Street (mail: P.O. Box 466), New London, MO 63459 (573) 985-5641
Ralls County was founded November 16, 1820, named for Missouri state legislator Daniel Ralls, in northeastern Missouri, seated in New London (though Hannibal is the county’s largest city). The 1858 Ralls County Courthouse, Greek Revival in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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
311 Main St., New London, MO 63459
(573) 985-3633
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
311 Main St., New London, MO 63459
(573) 985-5671
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Ralls
(573) 985-5221
Hannibal Regional Hospital
hannibalregional.org (accessible — major regional hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Ralls County Health Department – (573) 985-7121.
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