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Office: Hooker County Emergency Management – Mullen, NE 69152 | (308) 546-2290
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Nebraska Highway 2 and Highway 97 serve Mullen, the county seat, deep in the Nebraska Sandhills
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hooker County Clerk – 303 NW First St, PO Box 184, Mullen, NE 69152, (308) 546-2244
Notes: Confirm current permit requirements directly with the county office; extremely small rural population.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Hooker County Veterans Service Officer – Mullen, NE
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Hooker County Library – 102 N Cleveland, Mullen, NE 69152, (308) 546-2240
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hooker County, named for Civil War General Joseph Hooker, is genuinely home to one of the most celebrated golf courses on Earth – Sand Hills Golf Club, a private course opened in 1994-95 near Mullen and designed by renowned architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who reportedly moved only about 4,000 cubic yards of earth across more than a thousand acres, instead flagging naturally occurring fairways and greens amid the region’s rolling dunes; the course has been ranked among the very best in the world for decades, including being named the #1 course in the state by Golf Digest every year since 1997 and topping Golfweek’s 2022 list of America’s “Top 200 Modern Courses” (courses built since 1960); Golf Club Atlas has called it “the most natural course built in the United States since World War I,” and it is widely credited with launching golf’s “second Golden Age of architecture.” The remote course, set along the Dismal River, offers rustic on-site cabin accommodations for roughly 55 guests, since the nearest major airports are hours away. The 1912 Hooker County Courthouse, designed by Grand Island architect Oscar R. Kirschke, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notes: Hooker County’s Sand Hills Golf Club, genuinely ranked among the finest golf courses anywhere in the world, makes this one of the more internationally significant counties found anywhere in this project despite its tiny population.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Hooker County GIS – accessible via hookercountyne.gov
Parcel Search: Hooker County Register of Deeds – 303 NW First St, Mullen, NE 69152, (308) 546-2244
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Hooker County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated animal shelter confirmed within Hooker County, Nebraska – flagged honestly given the county’s extremely small, sparsely populated rural geography.
Contact: Hooker County Sheriff’s Office 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
Hooker County’s Sand Hills Golf Club near Mullen is genuinely ranked among the very best golf courses in the entire world, drawing golfers internationally to this remote Sandhills county. No dedicated county animal shelter was confirmed. All contact information above was sourced from official county and library pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Hooker County County
Hooker County is one of the least populous counties in America – the Nebraska National Forest’s largest hand-planted forest in the US and the Middle Loup River’s clear Sandhills waters define a county where Mullen serves fewer than 700 residents in the remote central Sandhills.
Mullen (the county seat, population ~480) is Hooker County’s governmental hub on US 20, a Nebraska Sandhills community whose National Forest, Middle Loup River, and cattle ranching economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Hooker County Assessor at 303 NW 1st Street, Mullen, NE 69152, phone 308-546-2244. NE assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Hooker County District Court at 303 NW 1st Street, Mullen, NE 69152, phone 308-546-2244, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
303 N. Main St., Mullen, NE 69152
(308) 546-2244
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hooker County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1912 Hooker County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Hooker 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
Hooker County Court, Probate Division 303 NW 1st Street (mail: P.O. Box 184), Mullen, NE 69152 (308) 546-2244
Hooker County was founded March 29, 1889, named for Union general Joseph Hooker, in the Nebraska Sandhills, seated in Mullen. The 1912 Hooker County Courthouse 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
303 N. Main St., Mullen, NE 69152
(308) 546-2244
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
303 N. Main St., Mullen, NE 69152
(308) 546-2244
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NE DHHS — Hooker
dhhs.ne.gov
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hooker County Public Health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mullen
Population: 680
Area: 721 sq mi
Established: 1889
Public Records
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Search public records for Hooker County County residents.
