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Missouri County
Stone County, Missouri
Table Rock Lake's northern shore and the James River float country - from Table Rock Lake's Stone County shoreline (the crystal-clear reservoir's northern arms provide exceptional bass fishing, waterfront development, and resort recreation in a scenic Ozarks setting) to the James River's scenic Ozarks float fishing (the upper James River above Table Rock is one of the Ozarks' finest smallmouth bass float streams, with clear water and limestone gravel bars attracting canoeists and anglers) and Kimberling City's lake resort community.
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Office: Stone County Emergency Management Agency – 105 Stonebridge Pkwy, Branson West, MO 65737 | (417) 339-3377 | Fax: (417) 339-2452 | Email: [email protected].
Dispatch: Stone County Emergency Services (E-911) – the county’s sole Public Safety Answering Point since 2000, created by voter approval in the late 1990s; staffed by 17 dispatchers under a seven-member board, serving over 12 agencies countywide.
Sheriff: Stone County Sheriff’s Office – 110 S. Maple Street, PO Box 245, Galena, MO 65656 | 24-hour (417) 357-6116 | Fax: (417) 357-6079 | Email: [email protected].
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MO-13 serves Galena, the county seat, and Kimberling City, one of the county’s largest towns, both near Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri.
Notes: Stone County, organized February 10, 1851, is named for William Stone, an early Missouri settler and Taney County judge. Roughly 30,000-32,200 residents across 511 square miles (464 sq mi land, 47 sq mi water), part of the Branson Micropolitan Statistical Area within the larger Springfield-Branson Combined Statistical Area. Kimberling City was founded in 1959 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons and incorporated in 1973, named for the Kimberling family who once operated a ferry there.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Stone County Courthouse – 107 West Fifth Street, Galena, MO 65656.
Notes: Table Rock Lake, impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1958, is one of the county’s most significant recreational and economic resources, driving substantial tourism and retiree-driven growth alongside neighboring Branson. Table Rock State Park, spanning both Stone and Taney Counties along the lake’s southern Branson shoreline, offers a marina, campgrounds, and trails.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Stone County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via stonecountygov.com.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Springfield VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Galena Branch, Stone County Library – Galena, MO 65656; confirm current address/phone via stonecountylibrary.org.
Kimberling Area Library – Kimberling City, MO 65686; confirm current contact via local listings.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Table Rock Lake, Table Rock State Park, and the small lakeside communities of Kimberling City and Branson West are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The county’s tourism-driven identity around Table Rock Lake, alongside its rural, close-knit character, is a defining local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Stone County Assessor – confirm current contact via stonecountygov.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Tri-Lakes Humane Society – serves the Table Rock Lake / Stone and Taney County region; a recipient of Neighbors and Friends of Table Rock Lake grant funding; confirm current address/phone via local listings.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Stone County – confirm current contact via stonecountygov.com.
NOTES: Stone County is the second county in the fifteenth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The county’s identity as a Table Rock Lake tourism and retiree destination near Branson is a defining 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 Stone County
Stone County is southwestern Missouri’s Table Rock Lake and Ozarks float stream county – a recreational community whose clear waters and scenic landscape draw visitors from across the region.
Galena (the county seat, population ~500) is one of Missouri’s smallest county seats – a tiny courthouse community on the James River serving a county whose population is spread along the Table Rock Lake shoreline.
Kimberling City (population ~2,500) is the county’s most visible community – a Table Rock Lake resort town with marinas, vacation homes, and water recreation businesses.
The James River – flowing into Table Rock Lake from the north – provides some of the Ozarks’ finest smallmouth bass fishing on clear gravel-bottom runs through the limestone hills.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Stone County Assessor at 108 E. 4th Street, Galena, MO 65656, phone 417-357-6198. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Stone County Circuit Court at 108 E. 4th Street, Galena, MO 65656, phone 417-357-6127, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
108 E. 4th St., Galena, MO 65656
(417) 357-6127
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Stone County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1920 Stone County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Stone 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
Stone County Circuit Court, Probate Division 110-F South Maple Street (mail: P.O. Box 18), Galena, MO 65656 (417) 357-6115
Stone County was founded February 10, 1851, named for William Stone, an English pioneer and early Maryland settler, in southwestern Missouri, seated in Galena (though Kimberling City is the county’s largest city). The 1920 Stone County Courthouse, Classical 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
108 E. 4th St., Galena, MO 65656
(417) 357-6116
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
108 E. 4th St., Galena, MO 65656
(417) 357-6127
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Stone
(417) 357-6388
Mercy Hospital Berryville (AR)
mercy.net (accessible just across AR border)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Stone County Health Department – confirm current phone via stonecountygov.com. Faith Community Health serves the region.
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