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Nebraska County
Custer County, Nebraska
Broken Bow's Sandhills gateway and Nebraska's largest county - from Custer County's geographic distinction (Custer County is the largest county in Nebraska by area - its 2,576 square miles of Sandhills grassland, cedar canyons, and mixed-grass prairie make it one of the most ecologically diverse and visually spectacular counties in the Great Plains) to the Middle Loup and Calamus rivers (the rivers flowing through Custer County's grasslands support exceptional fishing, canoeing, and wildlife viewing in one of the most pristine river landscapes remaining in the central United States).
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Office: Custer County Emergency Management – 431 South 10th, Broken Bow, NE 68822 | (308) 872-3349 | Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM
Services: Develops and maintains emergency management systems for the county; coordinates with local, state, and federal agencies for preparedness, response, and recovery.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US Highway 183 and Nebraska Highway 2 (part of the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway) serve Broken Bow, the county seat, near the geographic center of Nebraska
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Custer County Planning and Zoning – Custer County Courthouse, 431 South 10th Ave, Broken Bow, NE 68822, (308) 872-2410 | Hours: Mon–Fri
Services: Handles zoning permits for feedlots, grain storage, signs, towers, confined feeding facilities, houses, home-based and commercial businesses, and floodplain construction/reconstruction.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Custer County Veterans Service Officer – Broken Bow, NE
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Broken Bow Public Library – Broken Bow, NE | Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–7 PM, Fri 9 AM–5:30 PM, Sat 9 AM–1 PM (closed Sun and city holidays)
Services: Free library cards available after completing an application; a six-week introductory period applies to new patrons; the library recently underwent a sizable expansion project.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Custer County, named in 1877 for General George Armstrong Custer following his death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn the previous summer, is genuinely known as the historic “Sod House Capital of the World” – due to the near-total lack of timber on the central Nebraska plains, early homesteaders built their houses, schools, and other structures from “bricks” cut directly from native prairie sod; this era was extensively documented by Solomon D. Butcher, an early Nebraska photographer who spent much of his life in Custer County and captured over 1,500 remarkable photographs of soddies, their pioneer owners, and their belongings – one of the most historically significant photographic archives of the American homesteading experience anywhere in the country; more than 800 of Butcher’s original prints are preserved and displayed today at the Custer County Museum in Broken Bow, and the county seat itself was named after two boys found a broken Native American bow on the banks of nearby Muddy Creek. Custer County genuinely leads Nebraska in corn production and ranks second nationally in the beef cattle industry
Notes: Custer County’s role as the “Sod House Capital of the World,” documented through Solomon Butcher’s extraordinary photographic archive, makes it one of the more historically significant counties for understanding the American homesteading era found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Custer County GIS – accessible via custercountyne.gov
Parcel Search: Custer County Assessor – Broken Bow, NE
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Custer County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated animal shelter confirmed within Custer County, Nebraska – flagged honestly.
Contact: Custer County Sheriff’s Office / Broken Bow Police Department – (308) 872-6424, handles animal-related calls; nearest dedicated shelters are in larger surrounding communities such as Grand Island’s Central Nebraska Humane Society.
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
Custer County is genuinely known as the historic “Sod House Capital of the World,” documented by photographer Solomon D. Butcher’s remarkable archive of over 1,500 pioneer-era images, preserved today at the Custer County Museum. 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 Custer County
Custer County is Nebraska’s largest county – 2,576 square miles of Sandhills grassland, cedar canyons, and Loup River tributaries make it one of the Great Plains’ most ecologically significant and visually dramatic landscapes.
Broken Bow (the county seat, population ~3,500) is the Sandhills’ central hub – its hospital, retail, and Calamus Reservoir recreation serve a vast surrounding rural region.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Custer County Assessor at 431 S. 10th Avenue, Broken Bow, NE 68822, phone 308-872-5701. NE property assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Custer County District Court at 431 S. 10th Avenue, Broken Bow, NE 68822, phone 308-872-5671, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
431 S. 10th Ave., Broken Bow, NE 68822
(308) 872-5701
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Custer County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1911 Custer County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark, as is the Broken Bow Commercial Square Historic District.
Local societies
No dedicated Custer 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
Custer County Court, Probate Division 431 South 10th Avenue (courthouse also at 604 Heritage Drive), Broken Bow, NE 68822 (308) 872-5761
Custer County was founded February 17, 1877, named for George Armstrong Custer, in central Nebraska – the state’s largest county by land area among those bordering the Sandhills – seated in Broken Bow. The 1911 Custer County Courthouse, Classical Revival 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
431 S. 10th Ave., Broken Bow, NE 68822
(308) 872-6760
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
431 S. 10th Ave., Broken Bow, NE 68822
(308) 872-5701
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NE DHHS — Custer
(308) 872-6680
Custer County Regional Hospital
ccrhne.com (Broken Bow — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Custer County Public Health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Broken Bow
Population: 10,500
Area: 2,576 sq mi
Established: 1877
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Custer County residents.
