Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Nebraska County
Washington County, Nebraska
Fort Atkinson - the first US Army post west of the Missouri River - from Fort Atkinson State Historical Park (the reconstructed Fort Atkinson near Fort Calhoun was the first United States Army post west of the Missouri River, established in 1820 - the massive frontier fort at its peak housed 1,000 soldiers, the largest military presence in North America at the time, guarding the Missouri River fur trade corridor and representing the first significant US military presence in the Great Plains) to Dana College's Blair legacy and Washington County's Omaha northern exurb growth.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Washington County Emergency Management – PO Box 466, Blair, NE 68008, (402) 426-6995
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US Highway 75 and Nebraska Highway 91 serve Blair, the county seat, along the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska
Transit: Regional access to the Omaha metro area to the south.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Washington County Planning Department – 1555 Colfax Street, Blair, NE 68008, (402) 426-6872
Services: City of Blair maintains its own separate building department for permits within a two-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, (402) 426-6696; Village of Kennard maintains a one-mile jurisdiction.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Washington County Veterans Service Officer – Blair, NE
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Blair Public Library – 2233 Civic Drive, Blair, NE 68008
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Washington County, one of Nebraska’s eight original counties, was established on February 22, 1855 – the anniversary of George Washington’s birthday, for whom the county is genuinely named. The county holds deep significance in the history of American westward exploration: on August 3, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark held their very first council of the expedition with Oto and Missouria tribal leaders at a site they named “Council Bluff,” near present-day Fort Calhoun, and camped nearby on both August 3 and 4. Clark’s journal specifically noted the site’s promise for “a Trading establishment & fortification,” and in 1819-1820 the U.S. Army established Fort Atkinson there – the first military outpost west of the Missouri River and, at its peak, the largest military post in the country with over 1,100 troops stationed within its walls; it is also considered by historians to be the first true town in Nebraska. A reconstructed version of the fort, with officers’ quarters, a brig, and civilian residences, is open today as Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, with regular summer living-history reenactments. The county seat itself moved dramatically three times – from Fort Calhoun to DeSoto (following a real armed standoff at the Fort Calhoun log courthouse in which one man was killed) and finally to Blair by popular election in 1869
Notes: Washington County’s Fort Atkinson, tied directly to Lewis and Clark’s first tribal council of their entire expedition, and its genuinely contested and violent 19th-century county-seat disputes make it one of the more historically dramatic counties in eastern Nebraska.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Washington County GIS – accessible via washingtoncountyne.gov
Parcel Search: Washington County Surveyor – 1555 Colfax Street, Blair, NE 68008, (402) 426-6877
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Washington County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Jeanette Hunt (Blair) Animal Shelter – 147 S 4th Street, Blair, NE 68008, (402) 533-2743
Services: Genuinely managed since 2015 by the Friends of the Jeanette Hunt Animal Shelter, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes humane treatment of companion animals throughout Washington County and supports the shelter’s needs above and beyond the city’s operating budget.
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
Washington County genuinely hosted Lewis and Clark’s very first tribal council on their entire expedition in 1804, later becoming the site of Fort Atkinson, the largest U.S. military post of its era. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Washington County
Washington County is eastern Nebraska’s Fort Atkinson heritage county – the first US Army post west of the Missouri River was established near Fort Calhoun in 1820, housing 1,000 soldiers at its peak and representing American military expansion into the Great Plains.
Blair (the county seat, population ~8,000) serves Washington County’s growing residential population as an Omaha northern suburb. Fort Calhoun (population ~900) is the gateway to Fort Atkinson State Historical Park.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Washington County Assessor at 1555 Colfax Street, Blair, NE 68008, phone 402-426-6800. NE property assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Washington County District Court at 1555 Colfax Street, Blair, NE 68008, phone 402-426-6833, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1555 Colfax St., Blair, NE 68008
(402) 426-6822
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Washington County Court, Probate Division (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Washington 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
Washington County Court, Probate Division 1555 Colfax Street (mail: P.O. Box 466), Blair, NE 68008 (402) 426-6899
Washington County is in eastern Nebraska near the Missouri River, part of the Omaha metro area, seated in Blair.
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
1555 Colfax St., Blair, NE 68008
(402) 426-6866
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1555 Colfax St., Blair, NE 68008
(402) 426-6822
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NE DHHS — Washington
(402) 426-9236
Memorial Community Hospital
mchblair.com (Blair — quality community hospital)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Washington County Public Health services coordinated through regional Nebraska public health district.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Blair
Population: 20,000
Area: 390 sq mi
Established: 1854
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Washington County residents.
