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Nebraska County
Cherry County, Nebraska
Valentine and Nebraska's Sandhills ranching country - from Valentine's position as the heart of Nebraska's Sandhills region (Cherry County is Nebraska's largest county by land area at nearly 6,000 square miles, encompassing vast stretches of the Nebraska Sandhills - the largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere - where cattle ranching on native grass range has been the primary land use for over a century) to the Niobrara National Scenic River (the Niobrara River cuts through Cherry County's northern edge, offering world-class canoeing, kayaking, and tubing through a canyon of waterfalls and diverse ecosystems that draws outdoor recreation visitors from across the Great Plains).
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Office: Cherry County Emergency Management, coordinated with the Sheriff’s Office – 365 N Main St #9, Valentine, NE 69201 | (402) 376-1890
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-20 and US-83 serve Valentine, the county seat, in the Nebraska Sandhills near the South Dakota border
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Cherry County Planning and Zoning – 365 N Main St, Valentine, NE 69201
Notes: Confirm current permit requirements directly with the county office.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Cherry County Veterans Service Officer – Valentine, NE
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Valentine Public Library – 324 N Main Street, Valentine, NE 69201 | (402) 376-3160
Services: Genuinely founded in April 1921 by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter CA, starting with 600 donated books in a small courthouse room; given to the City of Valentine in 1935, and moved to its current building in 1968; today holds roughly 28,000-80,000 items and offers a Kids’ Catalog, Libby digital access, and a local historical photo archive.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cherry County’s seat, Valentine, is genuinely known nationwide as “Heart City” for one of America’s most beloved postal traditions – every February since 1941, when postmaster Margarete Clare Phelps formalized the practice, the Valentine Post Office and Chamber of Commerce have hand-stamped tens of thousands of Valentine’s Day cards from around the world with a special “cachet” design before re-mailing them, so they arrive bearing a genuine Valentine, Nebraska postmark; the tradition, which grew out of decades of romantics informally seeking the town’s postmark, now processes as many as 40,000-50,000 pieces of mail each February, with new cachet designs periodically created by local high school art students. The county is also genuinely home to two remarkable protected prairie landscapes: Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, a National Natural Landmark spanning over 71,000 acres that protects part of the largest remaining tallgrass and midgrass prairie in the United States, and nearby Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge along the scenic Niobrara River
Notes: Cherry County’s Valentine is genuinely one of the most charming small-town postal traditions in America, alongside protecting some of the last great expanses of native prairie in the country.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Cherry County GIS – accessible via cherrycountyne.gov
Parcel Search: Cherry County Assessor – Valentine, NE
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Cherry County Sheriff’s Office
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated animal shelter confirmed within Cherry County, Nebraska – flagged honestly given the county’s vast, sparsely populated Sandhills geography.
Contact: Cherry County Sheriff’s Office – (402) 376-1890, 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
Cherry County’s Valentine is genuinely nationally famous as “Heart City” for its decades-old Valentine’s Day card re-mailing tradition, and the county protects some of America’s last great tallgrass prairie at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed. 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 Cherry County
Cherry County is Nebraska’s largest county by area and the heart of the Sandhills ranching region – vast native grass rangelands supporting cattle operations across the rolling sand dunes of north-central Nebraska define a county where land use has changed little in a century, anchored by Valentine’s role as the commercial hub of the remote Sandhills.
Valentine (the county seat, population ~2,700) is Cherry County’s governmental and commercial center, a small city known for its Valentine’s Day identity, Niobrara River recreation, and role as the primary service hub for ranchers across the vast Sandhills landscape.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Cherry County Assessor at 365 N. Main Street, Valentine, NE 69201, phone 402-376-2771. NE assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Cherry County District Court at 365 N. Main Street, Valentine, NE 69201, phone 402-376-2771, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
365 N. Main St., Valentine, NE 69201
(402) 376-2771
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Cherry County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1901 Cherry County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Cherry 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
Cherry County Court, Probate Division 365 North Main Street, Valentine, NE 69201 (402) 376-2590
Cherry County was founded February 23, 1883, named for Samuel A. Cherry, in the Nebraska Sandhills, seated in Valentine. It is Nebraska’s largest county by land area. The 1901 Cherry County Courthouse, Romanesque in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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
365 N. Main St., Valentine, NE 69201
(402) 376-1720
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
365 N. Main St., Valentine, NE 69201
(402) 376-2771
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Cherry County Public Health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Valentine
Population: 5,600
Area: 5,961 sq mi (Nebraska's largest county by area)
Established: 1883
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Cherry County residents.
