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Missouri County
Texas County, Missouri
Missouri's largest county and the Current River's headwaters - from Texas County's distinction as Missouri's largest county by land area (1,179 square miles - larger than Rhode Island) to the Current River's headwaters in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways (the Current River - fed by enormous springs including Big Spring, one of the largest springs in the United States - flows through some of Missouri's most pristine Ozarks landscape, and its headwater tributaries rise in Texas County's forested hills) and a remote south-central Missouri county of timber, cattle, and Ozarks culture.
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Office: Texas County Office of Emergency Management – Houston, MO 65483; responds to natural disasters (including New Madrid Fault earthquake risk) and manmade/technological emergencies.
Dispatch: Texas County 911 – PO Box 494, Houston, MO 65483 | Business office (417) 967-5309.
Sheriff: Texas County Sheriff’s Office – 519 N Grand Ave, Suite 101, Houston, MO 65483 | Non-emergency (417) 967-4165; Sheriff Scott Lindsey, Chief Deputy Rowdy Douglas, 10 full-time deputies; operates the Texas County Justice Center, a 72-bed jail with 15 full-time and 3 part-time jailers.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Texas County spans over 1,000 miles of county-maintained gravel roads alone, making rural patrol a significant operational challenge.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-63 and MO-17 intersect at Houston, the county seat; Cabool, roughly 15 miles southwest, is the county’s largest city.
Notes: Texas County is genuinely the largest of Missouri’s 114 counties, comprising 1,179 square miles of Ozark Highland – larger in area than the entire state of Rhode Island. Originally organized in 1843 as Ashley County (for Missouri’s first lieutenant governor, William H. Ashley), it was renamed Texas County upon formal organization on February 14, 1845, honoring the Republic of Texas. Roughly 24,500-26,000 residents. Remarkably, the 2010 U.S. Census determined that Texas County was the geographic center of the entire United States population.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Texas County Courthouse – Houston, MO 65483; built 1932 (the county’s sixth courthouse), remodeled 1977 and 2007; the Texas County Justice Center was built 2007-08.
Notes: Native American habitation in the region is documented back to at least 1826, evidenced by numerous mounds and rock-bluff paintings; the area was part of the 1808 Osage Indian land cession. Pioneers from Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Carolinas settled the county in the 1820s, establishing sawmills along the Big Piney River. During the Civil War, the courthouse served as a Union Army headquarters and Houston was strategically important on the route between federal headquarters in Springfield and Rolla; Confederate forces burned much of the town, but not before county records were secretly hidden in a cave on Arthurs Creek and later safely returned.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Texas County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via texascountymissouri.gov.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Rolla or West Plains VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Texas County Library (Houston headquarters) – 191 N. First Street, Houston, MO 65483 | (417) 967-2258 | Fax: (417) 967-2262 | Toll-free (888) 609-4469 | Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-5 PM, Sat 9 AM-1 PM; additional branches in Cabool, Licking, and Summersville.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Big Piney River, historic Native American rock art bluffs, and the Ozark Highland landscape are the county’s primary points of local interest.
Notes: The genuine distinction of being Missouri’s largest county – and the 2010 geographic center of the entire U.S. population – is one of the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Texas County Assessor – confirm current contact via texascountymissouri.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
The Animal Shelter of Texas County (TASTC) – 6931 Highway 17, Houston, MO 65483; confirm current phone/hours via local listings.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Texas County – confirm current contact via texascountymissouri.gov.
NOTES: Texas County is the fifth county in the fifteenth batch of the Missouri v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine distinction of being Missouri’s largest county – and the 2010 geographic center of the entire U.S. population – is one of the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project. 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 Texas County
Texas County is Missouri’s largest county by land area – a vast south-central Ozarks community of forested hills, beef cattle operations, and Current River headwaters.
Houston (the county seat, population ~2,000) is the county’s governmental hub – a small Ozarks courthouse community serving a dispersed rural population across 1,179 square miles.
The Current River’s headwaters – fed by springs rising in Texas County’s karst limestone terrain – provide the clear, cold water that makes the Ozark National Scenic Riverways one of the finest float and fishing destinations in the Midwest.
Texas County’s vast Mark Twain National Forest holdings provide hunting, timber production, and recreation across much of the county’s interior.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Texas County Assessor at 210 N. Grand Avenue, Suite 2, Houston, MO 65483, phone 417-967-2165. MO residential assessed at 19% of true value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Texas County Circuit Court at 210 N. Grand Avenue, Houston, MO 65483, phone 417-967-3742, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
210 N. Grand Ave., Houston, MO 65483
(417) 967-3742
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Texas County Circuit Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Texas County is Missouri’s largest county by land area.
Local societies
No dedicated Texas 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
Texas County Circuit Court, Probate Division Texas County Justice Center, 210 N. Grand Avenue, Houston, MO 65483 (417) 967-3742 Texas County is in south-central Missouri, the state’s largest county by area, seated in Houston.
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
210 N. Grand Ave., Houston, MO 65483
(417) 967-3348
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
210 N. Grand Ave., Houston, MO 65483
(417) 967-3742
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MO Dept of Social Services — Texas
(417) 967-4537
Ozarks Medical Center
ozarksmedicalcenter.com (West Plains — accessible — major regional hospital)
Texas County Memorial Hospital
texascountymemorial.com (Houston — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Texas County Health Department – confirm current phone via texascountymissouri.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Houston
Population: 25,000
Area: 1,179 sq mi (Missouri's largest county by area)
