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.
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Boyd County Sheriff’s Office / Emergency Management – Butte, NE | Courthouse: (402) 775-2391
Services: Coordinates emergency preparedness for the county, bordered by the Missouri River to the northeast and the Niobrara River to the south.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Nebraska Highways 12 and 11 serve Butte, the county seat, in the far northeastern corner of Nebraska along the South Dakota border
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Boyd County Courthouse – 401 Thayer Street, Butte, NE 68722, (402) 775-2391 | Hours: Mon–Fri 8:15 AM–4 PM
Notes: Extremely small rural county; confirm current permit requirements directly with the County Clerk’s office.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Boyd County Veterans Service Officer – Butte, NE
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Davies Memorial Library – 612 Thayer St, Butte, NE 68722, (402) 775-2325. Also serving the county: Lynch Public Library, 423 W Hoffman, Lynch, NE 68746, (402) 569-3491; and Spencer Township Library, 110 W Main St, Spencer, NE 68777, (402) 589-1131.
Services: Boyd County is genuinely home to one of America’s most famous small libraries – Rudy’s Library in the village of Monowi, founded in 2005 by Elsie Eiler in honor of her late husband Rudy, stocked with roughly 5,000 of his books and operated on the honor system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Boyd County is genuinely home to Monowi, the least populous incorporated village in the entire United States – as of the 2010 census, Monowi had a population of exactly one: Elsie Eiler, who single-handedly serves as the village’s mayor, clerk, treasurer, secretary, tax collector, tavern keeper, and librarian; Monowi was once a bustling railroad town of roughly 150 residents in the 1930s, but declined over the decades until Eiler’s husband Rudy passed away in 2004, leaving her as the sole resident; she still runs the Monowi Tavern six days a week, serving burgers and drinks to a steady stream of curious visitors and area farmers, and each year she “elects” herself mayor and issues herself a liquor license. Boyd County is also genuinely the birthplace of Hall of Fame professional wrestler Gorgeous George (George Raymond Wagner), born in the village of Butte in 1915; widely regarded as the most influential showman in wrestling history, his flamboyant persona influenced figures including Muhammad Ali and James Brown, and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010
Notes: Boyd County’s Monowi is genuinely one of the most famous small towns in America, drawing international media attention as the nation’s only incorporated village with a single resident, making it one of the more remarkable counties found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Boyd County GIS – accessible via boydcounty.ne.gov
Parcel Search: Boyd County Assessor – Butte, NE
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Boyd County Sheriff’s Office
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Boyd County Animal Shelter – Butte, NE (confirm current contact details with the County Courthouse)
Services: A small county shelter serving Boyd County residents.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy – dee.nebraska.gov
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Boyd County is genuinely home to Monowi, the only incorporated village in the United States with a population of one, and is the birthplace of Hall of Fame wrestler Gorgeous George. All contact information above was sourced from official county, town, and library pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Boyd County County
Boyd County is north-central Nebraska’s Niobrara River and native grass ranch county – the National Scenic River’s spring-fed canyons forming the county’s southern border and the rolling Keya Paha River mixed-grass ranching define a community where Butte serves the county’s ranching families near South Dakota.
Butte (the county seat, population ~300) is Boyd County’s governmental hub on US 281, a north Nebraska ranching community whose Niobrara River access, native grass pastures, and courthouse anchor its identity near the South Dakota border.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Boyd County Assessor at 401 Thayer Street, Butte, NE 68722, phone 402-775-2391. NE assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Boyd County District Court at 401 Thayer Street, Butte, NE 68722, phone 402-775-2391, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
401 Thayer St., Butte, NE 68722
(402) 775-2391
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Boyd County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Boyd 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
Boyd County Court, Probate Division 401 Thayer Street (mail: P.O. Box 2), Butte, NE 68722 (402) 775-2391 Boyd County is in north-central Nebraska on the South Dakota border, seated in Butte.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Nebraska adopted the Uniform Probate Code, codified as the Nebraska Probate Code (Neb. Rev. Stat. Chapter 30). In Nebraska, the COUNTY COURT has exclusive original jurisdiction over probate matters.
Small Estate Affidavit (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-24,125 for personal property; § 30-24,129 for real property) – as of a July 2024 statutory amendment, available when personal property does not exceed $100,000 and real property does not exceed $100,000 (both thresholds raised from $50,000). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no application or petition for a personal representative may be pending. For personal property, the affiant presents a notarized affidavit directly to the institution holding the property along with a certified death certificate. For real property, the affidavit is filed with the register of deeds in the county where the property is located.
Informal Probate – the most common path for uncontested estates, handled by the county court registrar with minimal judicial involvement.
Formal Probate – required when there’s no will, when a will’s validity is contested, or when there’s disagreement over the personal representative or how assets should be distributed. Handled by a county judge.
Step 2: filing for formal or informal probate
File an application (informal) or petition (formal) with the County Court in the county where the decedent resided.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gives direct notice to known creditors, who have a limited window from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories the estate’s assets and completes the required Probate Inventory Worksheet.
The personal representative completes and files any required Nebraska inheritance tax paperwork before the estate can be closed.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid, the personal representative distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Nebraska does not set statutory percentage-based fees; personal representative and attorney fees are generally based on reasonable compensation for time and services.
UNIQUE TO NEBRASKA: Nebraska is one of only six states with an inheritance tax, collected at the COUNTY level. Transfers to a surviving spouse are exempt; close relatives get reduced rates; more distant relatives and unrelated beneficiaries are taxed at higher rates.
No separate state estate tax.
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
401 Thayer St., Butte, NE 68722
(402) 775-2321
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
401 Thayer St., Butte, NE 68722
(402) 775-2391
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Public health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
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: Butte
Population: 1,900
Area: 540 sq mi
Established: 1891
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Boyd County County residents.
