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Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Sullivan County Emergency Management Agency – confirm current phone via sullivancomo.com.
Dispatch: Sullivan County 911 Coordinator Office – Main St, Milan, MO 63556 | (660) 265-5144.
Sheriff: Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office – North Main Street, Milan, MO 63556 | Non-emergency (660) 265-3313.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-63 and MO-6 serve Milan (pronounced MY-lun), the county seat and largest city, in north-central Missouri near the Iowa border.
Notes: Sullivan County was created in 1843 and organized February 14, 1845, named for Major General John Sullivan of the American Revolutionary War. Roughly 5,700-6,000 residents across 652 square miles of rolling prairie farmland. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, claimed the broader territory west of the Mississippi River (including present-day Sullivan County) for France in 1682; the U.S. acquired the region under the Louisiana Purchase, effective July 4, 1803.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Sullivan County Courthouse – Milan, MO 63556.
Notes: Dr. Jacob Holland, a Black Hawk War veteran and herbal medicine practitioner, and his son Robert arrived in 1836 as the county’s first permanent white settlers, staking claims near a place called Scottsville along Main Locust Creek. Several county landmarks are NRHP-listed, including the Milan Railroad Depot, the Quincy, Omaha and Kansas City Railroad Office Building, the Green City Presbyterian Church, and the Green City Railroad Depot. The Sullivan County Museum, on the historic Milan courthouse square, displays pioneer artifacts, military memorabilia, and a restored one-room schoolhouse.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Sullivan County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via sullivancomo.com.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Kirksville VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Sullivan County Public Library – 109 E. Second Street, Milan, MO 63556 | (660) 265-3911 | Hours: Tue/Wed/Fri 9 AM-5 PM, Thu 9 AM-8 PM, Sat 9 AM-3 PM; offers genealogy research support alongside the Sullivan County Historical Society.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The historic Milan courthouse square, the Sullivan County Museum (with its restored one-room schoolhouse), and the local dirt-track racing venue are the county’s primary points of local interest.
Notes: The county’s rural, close-knit character near the Iowa border is a defining local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Sullivan County Assessor – confirm current contact via sullivancomo.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Sullivan County animal shelter was confirmed – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. Green Hills Animal Shelter, based in nearby Trenton, MO (Grundy County), (660) 359-2700, may serve as a regional option for Sullivan County residents; confirm current service area. Confirm additional local options via sullivancomo.com or the Sheriff’s Office, (660) 265-3313.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Sullivan County – confirm current contact via sullivancomo.com.
NOTES: Sullivan County is the third county in the fifteenth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. 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 Sullivan County County
Sullivan County is north-central Missouri’s Chariton River headwaters and cattle country – the upper watershed that feeds one of north Missouri’s major river systems and the rolling grain and beef cattle farming landscape define a small community where Milan serves the surrounding agricultural population in the quiet north Missouri interior.
Milan (the county seat, population ~1,700) is Sullivan County’s governmental hub on US 65, a small north-central Missouri agricultural community whose cattle economy, Chariton River watershed, and courthouse anchor its identity between Kirksville and Chillicothe.
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Sullivan County Assessor at 109 N. Main Street, Milan, MO 63556, phone 660-265-3786. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Sullivan County Circuit Court at 109 N. Main Street, Milan, MO 63556, phone 660-265-3786, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
109 N. Main St., Milan, MO 63556
(660) 265-3786
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Sullivan County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Sullivan 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
Sullivan County Circuit Court, Probate Division 109 North Main Street, Milan, MO 63556 (660) 265-4717 Sullivan County is in northern Missouri, seated in Milan.
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
109 N. Main St., Milan, MO 63556
(660) 265-4144
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
109 N. Main St., Milan, MO 63556
(660) 265-3786
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Sullivan County Health Department – confirm current phone via sullivancomo.com.
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: Milan
Population: 6,000
Area: 651 sq mi
Established: 1845
Public Records
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