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Nevada County
Mineral County, Nevada
Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot - the world's largest ammunition storage complex - from the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot (the sprawling complex of earth-covered bunkers surrounding Hawthorne stores more conventional ammunition than any other facility in the world - the 147,000-acre depot's distinctive igloo bunkers dot the desert landscape around Walker Lake, making Hawthorne the most ammunition-dense community in America and the dominant economic force in Mineral County) to Walker Lake (the terminal lake fed by the Walker River - one of Nevada's largest natural lakes, its declining water level from upstream agricultural diversion threatening the cold-water fishery and the scenic basin that made it a historic resort destination).
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Office: Mineral County Emergency Management – 418 Mineral, PO Box 1095, Hawthorne, NV 89415 | (775) 945-2497; a division under the Fire Chief, with the Assistant Fire Chief serving as Emergency Management Coordinator. Hours: Mon-Thu 7 AM-5 PM.
Sheriff: Mineral County Sheriff’s Office – 105 S. A Street, Suite 4, PO Box 2290, Hawthorne, NV 89415 | (775) 945-2434 | Hours: Mon-Thu 7 AM-5 PM; staff includes dedicated Animal Control Officers. Anonymous tips accepted via Tip411.
Corrections: Mineral County Detention Center – 105 South A Street 4, Hawthorne, NV 89415 | (775) 945-2434; capacity approximately 127-173 inmates depending on source, offering GED preparation, job skills training, addiction recovery programs, and religious services.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-95 serves Hawthorne, the county seat, in west-central Nevada.
Notes: Hawthorne, nicknamed “America’s Patriot Guard,” traces its roots to 1881 as a division point on the Carson & Colorado Railroad.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Mineral County Building Inspector – confirm current phone via mineralcountynv.us.
Notes: Mineral County is genuinely home to the Hawthorne Army Depot – established 1930 by the U.S. Navy, transferred to the Army in 1977 and renamed in 1994, it covers over 147,000 acres and is one of the largest conventional ammunition storage facilities in the world, with a network of over 2,600 earth-covered bunkers visible from US-95; it remains the cornerstone of the local economy. The Mineral County Museum, housed in the historic 1911 Southern Pacific Railroad depot, and the Hawthorne Ordnance Museum both preserve the area’s military and mining heritage.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Mineral County Veterans Service – confirm current contact via mineralcountynv.us.
Federal: VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (Reno, accessible north).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Mineral County Library (Hawthorne main branch) – 110 W 1st Street, PO Box 1390, Hawthorne, NV 89415 | (775) 945-2778; part of the Nevada Library Cooperative, offering e-books, streaming, and database access alongside physical collections. A smaller Mina branch also serves the county.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Walker Lake (Nevada’s most visually dramatic terminal desert lake, genuinely facing a significant fisheries conservation challenge from upstream water diversions affecting its Lahontan cutthroat trout population), the Mineral County Museum, and the Hawthorne Ordnance Museum are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine scale of the Hawthorne Army Depot – one of the world’s largest ammunition storage complexes – is one of the most distinctive local facts in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Mineral County Recorder-Auditor – Hours: Mon-Thu 7 AM-5 PM; confirm current phone via mineralcountynv.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Mineral County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control – (775) 945-2434; Animal Control Officers are staff within the Sheriff’s Office.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Mineral County Public Works – confirm current contact via mineralcountynv.us.
NOTES: Mineral County is the fifth jurisdiction in the Nevada v2 A+ sourced redo’s second batch (Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing). The genuine scale of the Hawthorne Army Depot – one of the world’s largest ammunition storage complexes – is a distinctive local fact. 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 Mineral County
Mineral County is Nevada’s ammunition capital – the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot’s earth-covered igloo bunkers store more conventional ammunition than any other facility in the world, and Walker Lake’s declining water level from upstream diversion threatens one of Nevada’s most beautiful terminal lakes.
Hawthorne (the county seat, population ~3,200) is defined by the depot – the military installation’s employment and the security perimeter of igloo bunkers give Hawthorne one of the most unusual small-city identities in America.
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Mineral County Assessor at 105 S. A Street, Suite 1, Hawthorne, NV 89415, phone 775-945-2446. NV assessed at 35% of taxable value.
Courts & Legal
Mineral County District Court at 105 S. A Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415, phone 775-945-2423, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
105 S. A St., Hawthorne, NV 89415
(775) 945-2446
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Eleventh Judicial District Court, Mineral County (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1883 Mineral County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark – the only building in Nevada to have served as the courthouse for two different counties.
Local societies
No dedicated Mineral 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, Mineral County 105 South A Street (also cited as 314 5th Street; mail: P.O. Box 1450), Hawthorne, NV 89415 (775) 945-2446
Mineral County was created in 1911, in western Nevada, seated in Hawthorne. The 1883 courthouse building at 551 C Street, originally built as the Esmeralda County Courthouse and later reused as Mineral County’s first courthouse, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places – the only building in Nevada to have served as courthouse for two different 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
105 S. A St., Hawthorne, NV 89415
(775) 945-3601
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
105 S. A St., Hawthorne, NV 89415
(775) 945-2446
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Mineral County Health Nurse – confirm current contact via mineralcountynv.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hawthorne
Population: 4,300
Area: 3,757 sq mi
Established: 1911
Tier: 3
Public Records
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