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Nevada County
Esmeralda County, Nevada
Goldfield - Nevada's largest city in 1906 - and the least populated county in the lower 48 - from Goldfield's extraordinary rise and fall (in 1906, Goldfield was Nevada's largest and most prosperous city - 30,000 people, the state's tallest building, electric lights, and the world heavyweight boxing championship match between Joe Gans and Battling Nelson drew the world's attention to this southern Nevada desert town - within two decades the mines were exhausted and Goldfield's population collapsed to a few hundred, leaving one of the most dramatic boom-to-bust stories in American mining history) to Esmeralda County's distinction as the least populated county in the contiguous United States (with fewer than 1,000 residents in an area larger than Rhode Island, Esmeralda is America's most extreme example of Great Basin emptiness).
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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: Esmeralda County Emergency Management – (775) 277-0047.
Sheriff: Esmeralda County Sheriff’s Office – PO Box 520, 233 E Crook Ave, Goldfield, NV 89013 | Non-emergency (775) 485-6393 | Fax: (775) 485-3524; a full-service agency with Patrol, Detentions, Coroner, Communications/Dispatch, and Administrative divisions; Sheriff Julian Melendez (temporarily appointed).
Fire: Volunteer departments serve individual communities – Esmeralda County Fire Dept. (775) 945-2497, Fish Lake Valley FPD (775) 572-3355, Gold Point VFD (775) 482-4653, Goldfield VFD (775) 485-3260, Silver Peak Fire Dept. (775) 937-2338.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-95 serves Goldfield, the county seat, in southwestern Nevada on the California border.
Notes: Esmeralda County, Spanish for “Emerald,” was created in 1861, three years before Nevada achieved statehood – one of the least populous counties in the United States, with roughly 900 residents.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Esmeralda County – confirm current phone via accessesmeralda.com.
Notes: Goldfield is genuinely home to the Historic Goldfield Hotel – opened 1908, designed by architect George E. Holesworth, a four-story stone-and-brick landmark that cost over $300,000 to build with 154 rooms, each originally equipped with its own telephone, private bath, and electric lighting (rare luxuries at the time); the hotel is widely reputed to be one of Nevada’s most haunted buildings. The Esmeralda County Courthouse (1907-09, native sandstone) remains in active use, with original Tiffany & Co. lamps and fixtures. Just outside town, the International Car Forest of the Last Church is a genuine outsider-art sculpture garden of cars and trucks planted vertically in the desert, repainted periodically by rotating artists-in-residence. Boundary Peak, Nevada’s highest point, sits within the Inyo National Forest along the county’s eastern border.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Esmeralda County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via accessesmeralda.com.
Federal: VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (Reno, accessible north).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current library address/hours via accessesmeralda.com or nsla.nv.gov’s Find-a-Library directory.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The International Car Forest of the Last Church, the Historic Goldfield Hotel and Goldfield Historic District, Boundary Peak (Nevada’s highest point at 13,147 ft), and Diana’s Punch Bowl (a turquoise natural spring pool) are the county’s premier attractions. The annual Goldfield Days festival (August) features Wild West gunfights, a land auction, and a period costume contest.
Notes: The genuine Goldfield Hotel and International Car Forest are distinctive local facts unlike anywhere else in Nevada.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Esmeralda County Assessor – confirm current contact via accessesmeralda.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current animal control contact via accessesmeralda.com – Esmeralda County is extremely rural with limited services; nearest full-service shelters are typically in Tonopah (Nye County) or Bishop, California.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Esmeralda County Public Works – (775) 485-3483.
NOTES: Esmeralda County is the sixth jurisdiction in the Nevada v2 A+ sourced redo’s first batch (Carson City, Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka). The genuine Historic Goldfield Hotel and International Car Forest are distinctive local facts. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Esmeralda County
Esmeralda County is the least populated county in the contiguous United States – fewer than 1,000 people occupy an area larger than Rhode Island, and Goldfield’s 1906 peak as Nevada’s largest city followed by its collapse to a ghost town of hundreds is one of the most dramatic boom-bust stories in American history.
Goldfield (the county seat, population ~300) is a living ghost town – the 1906-era courthouse still functions, Victorian commercial buildings line the main street in various states of preservation, and the Goldfield Hotel’s haunted reputation draws paranormal enthusiasts.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Esmeralda County Assessor at 233 Crook Street, Goldfield, NV 89013, phone 775-485-6309. NV assessed at 35% of taxable value.
Courts & Legal
Esmeralda County District Court at 233 Crook Street, Goldfield, NV 89013, phone 775-485-6337, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
233 Crook Ave., Goldfield, NV 89013
(775) 485-6309
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Fifth Judicial District Court, Esmeralda County (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Esmeralda 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
Fifth Judicial District Court, Esmeralda County 233 Crook Avenue (mail: P.O. Box 547), Goldfield, NV 89013 (775) 485-6367
Esmeralda County is in southwestern Nevada, one of the state’s least populous counties, seated in Goldfield.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
In Nevada, probate is handled by the DISTRICT COURT in the county where the decedent resided. Nevada recently overhauled its small-estate thresholds through SB 404, effective October 1, 2025 – these are current, higher figures; older sources online may still show the previous, lower amounts.
Affidavit of Entitlement (small estate affidavit, NRS 146.080) – available when the estate has no real property in Nevada and the gross value does not exceed $30,000 for most heirs, or $150,000 if the person claiming the property is a surviving spouse. At least 40 days must have passed since death. This skips court entirely – the affidavit is presented directly to the institution holding the property, along with a certified death certificate.
Set Aside Without Administration (NRS 146.070) – available when the estate’s net value does not exceed $150,000. Unlike the affidavit, this requires filing a petition with the court and can be used to transfer real property. If there’s a surviving spouse or minor children, the court can set aside the entire estate for their support, ahead of creditors.
Summary Administration (NRS Chapter 145) – available for estates valued between $150,000.01 and $500,000. Still requires an attorney and court filing, but with expedited notice requirements and fewer formal hearings than general administration.
General (Formal) Administration – required for larger or more complex estates, or when there’s a will contest or dispute over the personal representative.
STEP 2: FILING FOR SET ASIDE, SUMMARY, OR GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
File a petition with the District Court in the county where the decedent resided.
The court appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (for summary/general administration).
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors; creditors generally have a limited window to file claims.
The personal representative inventories the estate’s assets.
After debts, taxes, and expenses are paid, the personal representative (or the court, in a set-aside) distributes the remaining assets and closes the estate.
What it costs
Court filing fees vary by county – commonly ranging from about $72 for set-aside petitions up to several hundred dollars for general administration.
Attorney fees for summary or general administration commonly follow the statutory percentage schedule: 4% on the first $100,000 of the estate, 3% on the next $100,000, and declining percentages above that – though many attorneys quote flat fees instead.
The Affidavit of Entitlement has no court filing fee.
Nevada has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
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
233 Crook Ave., Goldfield, NV 89013
(775) 485-6311
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
233 Crook Ave., Goldfield, NV 89013
(775) 485-6309
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NV DHHS — Esmeralda
dhhs.nv.gov
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Esmeralda County Health Department – confirm current contact via accessesmeralda.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Goldfield
Population: 870
Area: 3,589 sq mi
Established: 1861
Tier: 3
Public Records
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