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Office: Region 44 Emergency Management – serves Boone, Merrick, and Nance Counties jointly, PO Box 666, Fullerton, NE 68638, [email protected]
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: Nebraska Highways 14 and 22 converge at Fullerton, 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: Nance County Planning & Zoning – 209 Esther St, PO Box 821, Fullerton, NE 68638, (308) 536-2902
Services: Handles zoning permits and forms; Planning & Zoning Commission meets the third Monday of the month when business requires; City of Fullerton handles its own separate building permits within city limits.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Nance County Veterans Service Officer – Fullerton, NE
Services: Holds roughly 14,000 volumes with an average annual circulation of about 15,860 items; offers a summer reading program, preschool story hour, interlibrary loan, and DVD checkout.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Nance County, established in 1879 and named for Albinus Nance, Nebraska’s youngest-ever governor at just 30 years old, occupies land with genuinely deep and layered history. The county’s territory was originally set aside as the Pawnee Reservation under an 1857 treaty, home to the Pawnee people until their 1875-76 relocation to present-day Oklahoma; the town of Genoa, within the county, was first settled in 1855 by a colony of roughly 100 Mormon families under Henry James Hudson, who were later forced to relocate in 1864 amid regional tensions. When the reservation land was auctioned in 1871, entrepreneur Randall Fuller purchased large tracts and platted the townsite that became Fullerton, later securing the county seat over rival bidder D.A. Willard of Genoa by proposing the new county be named for the sitting governor. The county seat contest and its Pawnee Reservation origins are preserved today at the Genoa Historical Museum, which houses the Allen B. Atkins Pawnee Indian Artifact Collection. Nance County also holds a delightfully offbeat claim to fame – it is genuinely the birthplace of circus performer Glen “Frosty” Little, one of only four clowns ever honored with the title of “Master Clown” by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Notes: Nance County’s roots in the historic Pawnee Reservation, its Mormon settlement history in Genoa, and its unlikely circus “Master Clown” connection make it one of the more layered and distinctive counties found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Nance County GIS Property Search – accessible via nancecountyne.gov
Parcel Search: Nance County Treasurer – 209 Esther Street, PO Box 837, Fullerton, NE 68638, (308) 536-2165
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Region 44 Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated animal shelter confirmed within Nance County, Nebraska – flagged honestly; local city messaging encourages residents to adopt from “your local animal shelter” without naming a specific facility.
Contact: Nance County Sheriff’s Department – (308) 536-2452, 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
Nance County’s territory was genuinely the historic Pawnee Reservation and later home to an early Mormon settlement at Genoa, and the county is also the unlikely birthplace of a Ringling Bros. “Master Clown.” 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 Nance County County
Nance County is north-central Nebraska’s Loup River and Genoa Indian boarding school heritage county – the site of one of the largest federal Indian boarding schools and the Loup River’s agricultural corridor define a community where Fullerton serves the county’s farming families amid a history that connects central Nebraska to the broader story of federal Native American policy.
Fullerton (the county seat, population ~1,300) is Nance County’s governmental hub on US 30, a north-central Nebraska agricultural community whose Genoa heritage, Loup River access, and farming economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Nance County Assessor at 209 Esther Street, Fullerton, NE 68638, phone 308-536-2331. NE assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Nance County District Court at 209 Esther Street, Fullerton, NE 68638, phone 308-536-2331, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
209 F St., Fullerton, NE 68638
(308) 536-2331
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Nance County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Nance 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
Nance County Court, Probate Division 209 Esther Street (mail: P.O. Box 837), Fullerton, NE 68638 (308) 536-2331 Nance County is in east-central Nebraska, seated in Fullerton.
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
209 F St., Fullerton, NE 68638
(308) 536-2611
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
209 F St., Fullerton, NE 68638
(308) 536-2331
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Nance County Public Health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
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County Facts
County Seat: Fullerton
Population: 3,500
Area: 441 sq mi
Established: 1879
Public Records
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