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Nevada County
Lincoln County, Nevada
The Extraterrestrial Highway and Pioche's Boot Hill - from Nevada State Route 375 - the Extraterrestrial Highway (the remote two-lane highway running through Rachel, Nevada past the Area 51 perimeter - officially designated the Extraterrestrial Highway in 1996 - has become one of America's most famous roads, drawing UFO enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists, and curious travelers to the Little A'Le'Inn diner and the mysterious restricted airspace of Nellis Air Force Range) to Pioche's Boot Hill (Pioche - one of Nevada's most authentically preserved mining towns - was so violent in its 1870s silver boom that 72 men were killed before anyone died of natural causes, and the boot hill cemetery preserves the memory of a town that earned its reputation as the most lawless in Nevada).
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Office: Lincoln County Emergency Management – coordinated through the Sheriff’s Office; confirm current phone via lincolncountynv.org.
Sheriff: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Pioche Main Station, 225 Justice Way, PO Box 570, Pioche, NV 89043 | Non-emergency (775) 962-5151 (answered 24/7) | Administrative (775) 962-8080.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-93 (the “Great Basin Highway”) serves Pioche, the county seat, in southeastern Nevada on the Utah border.
Notes: Lincoln County towns include Pioche, Panaca, Caliente, Alamo, and Rachel; Clark County (Las Vegas) was carved out of Lincoln County’s southern portion in 1909.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lincoln County Building and Safety Department – 181 North Main Street, Pioche, NV 89043 | (775) 962-8071 | Fax: (775) 962-5877.
Notes: Pioche is genuinely home to the “Million Dollar Courthouse” – Lincoln County’s original 1872 courthouse, budgeted at $26,400 but eventually costing over $800,000 (roughly $21 million in 2024 dollars) after decades of refinancing, fiscal mismanagement, and bond debt not fully retired until 1938, the same year the county’s current 1938 Art Moderne courthouse (also NRHP-listed) opened; the original courthouse, now a museum, is genuinely reputed to be haunted. Pioche was also, by several accounts, one of the most violent boomtowns in the Old West – legend holds that 72 men were buried in the Boot Hill cemetery before anyone died of natural causes. An aerial ore tramway from the 1920s-30s mining boom still stands over the town.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lincoln County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via lincolncountynv.org.
Federal: VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (Las Vegas, accessible south).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Lincoln County Library – 63 Main Street, PO Box 330, Pioche, NV 89043 | (775) 962-5244; also operates a bookmobile.
Alamo Branch Library – 100 S First Ave, Alamo, NV 89001 | (775) 725-3343.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cathedral Gorge State Park (dramatic eroded clay-cathedral formations), the Million Dollar Courthouse and Boot Hill Cemetery, Thompson’s Opera House, and the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Million Dollar Courthouse and Pioche’s colorful Old West history are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lincoln County Assessor – 181 North Main Street, Suite 202, Pioche, NV 89043 | (775) 962-8075 | Fax: (775) 962-5892.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office handles animal-related reports countywide (found/lost pets) – (775) 962-5151.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Lincoln County Landfill – confirm current contact via lincolncountynv.org.
NOTES: Lincoln County is the third jurisdiction in the Nevada v2 A+ sourced redo’s second batch (Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing). The genuine Million Dollar Courthouse and its notorious cost overrun saga are among the most distinctive local facts covered in this project. 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 Lincoln County
Lincoln County is Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway and most lawless mining town county – the UFO highway past Area 51 and Pioche’s Boot Hill where 72 men were killed before anyone died of natural causes define one of Nevada’s most remote and mythologically rich counties.
Pioche (the county seat, population ~900) is one of Nevada’s finest preserved mining towns – the Million Dollar Courthouse (which cost $75,000 to build but ended up costing $1 million in interest) and the Boot Hill cemetery make it a genuine Nevada heritage destination.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Lincoln County Assessor at 181 Main Street, Pioche, NV 89043, phone 775-962-5180. NV assessed at 35% of taxable value.
Courts & Legal
Lincoln County District Court at 181 Main Street, Pioche, NV 89043, phone 775-962-5390, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
181 Main St., Pioche, NV 89043
(775) 962-5390
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Seventh Judicial District Court, Lincoln County (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Lincoln 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
Seventh Judicial District Court, Lincoln County 181 North Main Street, Suite 208 (mail: P.O. Box 90), Pioche, NV 89043 (775) 962-8077
Lincoln County is in southeastern Nevada, seated in Pioche. The Seventh Judicial District also covers Eureka and White Pine counties.
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
181 Main St., Pioche, NV 89043
(775) 962-5151
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
181 Main St., Pioche, NV 89043
(775) 962-5390
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Lincoln County Human Services / Senior Citizen Services – 1005 Main Street, Suite #104, Panaca, NV 89042 | (775) 962-8084.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Pioche
Population: 5,200
Area: 10,633 sq mi
Established: 1866
Tier: 3
Public Records
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