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Nebraska County
Fillmore County, Nebraska
Geneva's Czech and Swedish heritage and the Blue River valley - from Fillmore County's Czech and Swedish immigrant farming communities (the Central European and Scandinavian settlers who came to Fillmore County in the 1870s-1890s established productive farming communities on the south-central Nebraska plains - their cultural heritage persists in community festivals, church traditions, and the distinctive character of the county's small towns) to the Blue River's Fillmore County corridor and the county's productive loess soil agriculture.
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Office: Fillmore County Emergency Management – 900 G Street, Geneva, NE 68361 | (402) 759-4932
Services: Coordinates disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; offers the free Alert Sense public notification system; severe weather updates broadcast on KTMX 104.9 FM or KUTT 99.5 FM.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-81 and Nebraska Highway 6 serve Geneva, the county seat, in southeastern Nebraska
Transit: Fillmore County Rural Transit, (402) 759-3345, provides local transportation services.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Fillmore County Zoning Office – (402) 759-4982
Notes: Handles zoning regulations in unincorporated parts of the county; the communities of Exeter, Fairmont, Geneva, and Grafton maintain their own separate municipal permitting.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Fillmore County Veterans Service Officer – Geneva, NE
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Geneva Public Library – Geneva, NE
Services: Serves Geneva and the surrounding Fillmore County area.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fillmore County is genuinely named for Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States. Its county seat, Geneva, carries a genuinely charming and disputed origin story – some say the name honors Geneva, New York, or even Geneva, Switzerland, while local tradition holds it was suggested by a young child who simply wanted the new Nebraska town named after her family’s former home of Geneva, Illinois; unlike many Nebraska counties where the county-seat decision sparked bitter rivalries, Fillmore County’s choice of Geneva was reached amicably among residents and officials. The county became home to a genuine mix of Swedish, Czech, and German immigrant communities in the late 19th century, whose descendants still shape the region’s cultural identity today. The 1892 Fillmore County Courthouse, designed by architect George E. McDonald in the Richardsonian Romanesque style with a distinctive three-story clocktower, is genuinely considered one of the most architecturally unique courthouse structures anywhere in Nebraska and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notes: Fillmore County’s amicably chosen, multiply-disputed county-seat name and its striking Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse give it a distinctive character among Nebraska’s southeastern counties.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Fillmore County GIS – accessible via fillmorecountyne.gov
Parcel Search: Fillmore County Register of Deeds – 900 G Street, Geneva, NE 68361
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Fillmore County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated animal shelter confirmed within Fillmore County, Nebraska – flagged honestly.
Contact: Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office handles animal-related calls; nearest dedicated shelters are in larger surrounding communities such as York and Beatrice.
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
Fillmore County’s Geneva carries a genuinely charming, disputed naming origin story, and the county’s 1892 Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse is considered one of Nebraska’s most architecturally distinctive. 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 Fillmore County
Fillmore County is south-central Nebraska’s Czech-Swedish heritage and Blue River agricultural county – Central European and Scandinavian immigrant farming communities established in the 1870s persist in cultural traditions across the county’s quiet farming landscape.
Geneva (the county seat, population ~2,000) serves Fillmore County’s agricultural communities on the productive south-central Nebraska plains.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Fillmore County Assessor at 900 G Street, Geneva, NE 68361, phone 402-759-3712. NE property assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Fillmore County District Court at 900 G Street, Geneva, NE 68361, phone 402-759-3812, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
900 G St., Geneva, NE 68361
(402) 759-4931
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Fillmore County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1892 Fillmore County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Fillmore 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
Fillmore County Court, Probate Division 900 G Street, 2nd Floor (mail: P.O. Box 66), Geneva, NE 68361 (402) 759-3514
Fillmore County was established January 26, 1856 and organized May 27, 1871, named for President Millard Fillmore, in south-central Nebraska, seated in Geneva. The 1892 Fillmore County Courthouse, Richardsonian Romanesque in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was partly modeled after the Gage County Courthouse.
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
900 G St., Geneva, NE 68361
(402) 759-4242
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
900 G St., Geneva, NE 68361
(402) 759-4931
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Fillmore County Public Health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Geneva
Population: 5,600
Area: 576 sq mi
Established: 1871
Tier: 3
Public Records
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