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.
Nevada County
Lander County, Nevada
Battle Mountain - the Armpit of America - and Austin's Stokes Castle - from Battle Mountain's famous "Armpit of America" designation (a 2001 Washington Post travel writer awarded Battle Mountain the title of America's Armpit - the most charmingly self-deprecating community in Nevada responded by embracing the designation with an annual Armpit Festival, demonstrating the Great Basin's capacity for finding humor in geographical isolation) to Austin's Stokes Castle (the remarkable three-story granite tower built in 1897 by mining promoter Anson Phelps Stokes - modeled on a Roman tower - stands on a hilltop above Austin as one of Nevada's most unusual and evocative historic structures, overlooking a canyon landscape of sage and ghost town ruins).
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: Lander County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) – coordinates with the Battle Mountain Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office on hazmat and disaster response drills.
Sheriff: Lander County Sheriff’s Office – Main office, 2 State Route 305, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 | Administrative (775) 635-1100 | Non-emergency (775) 635-5161 | Fax: (775) 635-2577; also maintains a substation at 124 Main St, Austin, NV 89310. Four divisions: Administrative Services, Field Operations, Support Services, and Corrections.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-80 serves Battle Mountain, the county seat, in central Nevada; US-50 (the “Loneliest Road in America”) serves Austin, about 90 miles south via NV-305.
Notes: Lander County spans two very different communities – Battle Mountain on I-80 and historic Austin on US-50 – connected by NV-305.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lander County – confirm current phone via landercountynv.org.
Notes: Austin is genuinely home to Stokes Castle, a three-story stone tower built 1896-97 by mine developer and railroad magnate Anson Phelps Stokes, patterned after a tower he admired in Italy’s Roman Campagna; NRHP-listed (2003), now operated by the Austin Historical Society. Battle Mountain sits along the Humboldt River and has genuine flood risk from historic events in the early 1960s when portions of US-40 were submerged.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lander County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via landercountynv.org.
Federal: VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (Reno, accessible west).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Battle Mountain Public Library (Lander County Library) – 625 South Broad Street, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 | (775) 635-2534.
Key Assets: Stokes Castle, the Toiyabe Range and Arc Dome Wilderness (11,773-foot Arc Dome, one of Nevada’s highest peaks), and the “Loneliest Road in America” heritage corridor through Austin are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Stokes Castle, patterned after a Roman tower, is one of Nevada’s most distinctive and most photographed heritage structures.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lander County Assessor – confirm current contact via landercountynv.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Lander County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control – 2 State Route 305, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 | (775) 635-1100; handles dogs, cats, and animal abuse reports.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Lander County – confirm current contact via landercountynv.org.
NOTES: Lander County is the second jurisdiction in the Nevada v2 A+ sourced redo’s second batch (Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing). The genuine Stokes Castle is a distinctive local fact unique to this county. 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 Lander County
Lander County is central Nevada’s Armpit of America and Roman tower county – Battle Mountain’s cheerful embrace of its unflattering designation and Austin’s remarkable stone tower overlooking a ghost town canyon make this remote Basin and Range county two of Nevada’s most charmingly distinctive communities.
Battle Mountain (the county seat, population ~3,600) hosts the annual Armpit Festival with genuine good humor. Austin (population ~180) preserves the Stokes Castle as a central Nevada architectural landmark.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Lander County Assessor at 315 S. Humboldt Street, Battle Mountain, NV 89820, phone 775-635-5173. NV assessed at 35% of taxable value.
Courts & Legal
Lander County District Court at 315 S. Humboldt Street, Battle Mountain, NV 89820, phone 775-635-5738, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
315 S. Humboldt St., Battle Mountain, NV 89820
(775) 635-5738
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Eleventh Judicial District Court, Lander County (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1871 original Lander County Courthouse in Austin, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark, now used as county offices.
Local societies
No dedicated Lander 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
Eleventh Judicial District Court, Lander County 50 State Route 305, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 (775) 635-1332
Lander County was created in 1862 during a mining boom on the Reese River, named for Frederick W. Lander, in central Nevada, seated in Battle Mountain (the county courthouse moved there from Austin in 1979). The 1871 original Lander County Courthouse in Austin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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
315 S. Humboldt St., Battle Mountain, NV 89820
(775) 635-2611
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
315 S. Humboldt St., Battle Mountain, NV 89820
(775) 635-5738
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Lander County Health Nurse – 150 Palmer Street, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 | (775) 635-2386 | Fax: (775) 635-9203.
Clinics: Battle Mountain Clinic – 535 South Humboldt Street, Suite A | (775) 635-2424. Austin Clinic – 121 Main Street | (775) 964-2222.
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: Battle Mountain
Population: 5,700
Area: 5,521 sq mi
Established: 1862
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Lander County residents.
