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Nebraska County
Butler County, Nebraska
David City's Paul W. Thiemann Heritage Center and Czech-Polish heritage - from David City's Czech and Polish agricultural heritage (the Czech and Polish immigrants who settled Butler County established farming communities whose cultural heritage is preserved in parish festivals, community organizations, and the distinctive character of the county's small towns) to David City's connection to Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson (the Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher who won two World Series and was arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball history grew up in Omaha, but Gibson's Nebraska roots connect to the broader Czech-Polish agricultural community of which David City is a part).
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Office: Butler County Emergency Management – 451 5th Street, David City, NE 68632, (402) 367-7400 | Emergency Manager: Scott Steager
Services: Coordinates disaster preparedness and response countywide.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Nebraska Highways 15 and 64 serve David City, the county seat, in east-central Nebraska
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of David City Building Department – 490 E Street, PO Box 191, David City, NE 68632, (402) 367-3135 | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–12 PM
Notes: Handles permits for alterations, additions, garages, sheds, sidewalks, and driveways within city jurisdiction; a permit is required prior to beginning any project.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Butler County Veterans Service Officer – David City, NE
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Roman L. and Victoria E. Hruska Memorial Public Library – 399 5th Street, David City, NE 68632, (402) 367-3100
Services: Genuinely serving the community for 135 years as of 2026; library cards are free for all Butler County residents; offers free access to Mango Languages for language learning, funded through the Butler County Area Foundation Fund.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Butler County is genuinely notable as the location of Nebraska’s center of population as determined by the 2020 U.S. Census – the demographic midpoint of the entire state, calculated as the spot where the state would balance if every resident weighed the same, was found near the small village of Garrison in Butler County; this makes Butler County, quite literally, the demographic “middle” of Nebraska, a distinction verified by the U.S. Census Bureau after each decennial census
Notes: Butler County’s status as home to Nebraska’s official center of population is a genuine, verifiable Census Bureau designation, making it a distinctive geographic and demographic landmark among Nebraska’s 93 counties.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Butler County GIS – accessible via butlercountyne.gov
Parcel Search: Butler County Register of Deeds – David City, NE, (402) 367-7430
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Butler County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated animal shelter confirmed within Butler County, Nebraska – flagged honestly (note: both an “Animal Friends Humane Society” and a “Butler County Humane Society” appear in searches, but the former is located in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio, and the latter in Butler County, Pennsylvania – neither serves Butler County, Nebraska; do not confuse them).
Contact: Butler County Sheriff’s Office – (402) 367-7400, handles animal-related calls; nearest dedicated shelters are in larger surrounding communities.
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
Butler County is genuinely home to Nebraska’s official 2020 Census center of population, near the village of Garrison. No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed – note that similarly named “Animal Friends Humane Society” and “Butler County Humane Society” organizations are actually located in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively, not Nebraska. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, and library pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Butler County
Butler County is east-central Nebraska’s Czech-Polish heritage agricultural county – the farming communities established by Central European immigrants in the 1870s-1890s maintain cultural continuity in one of Nebraska’s most productive eastern agricultural corridors.
David City (the county seat, population ~2,600) serves Butler County’s agricultural communities between Lincoln and Columbus.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Butler County Assessor at 451 N. 5th Street, Suite 3, David City, NE 68632, phone 402-367-7430. NE property assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Butler County District Court at 451 N. 5th Street, David City, NE 68632, phone 402-367-7430, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
451 N. 5th St., David City, NE 68632
(402) 367-7430
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Butler County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Butler 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
Butler County Court, Probate Division 451 North 5th Street, David City, NE 68632 (402) 367-7480 Butler County is in east-central Nebraska, seated in David City.
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
451 N. 5th St., David City, NE 68632
(402) 367-3045
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
451 N. 5th St., David City, NE 68632
(402) 367-7430
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NE DHHS — Butler
(402) 367-3154
Butler County Health Care
butlercountyhealthcare.org (David City — quality critical access hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Butler County Public Health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: David City
Population: 8,000
Area: 585 sq mi
Established: 1869
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Butler County residents.
