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New York County
Washington County, New York
Lake Champlain's eastern shore and Granville's purple slate - from Fort Edward's strategic Revolutionary War position (Fort Edward was the largest British military installation in North America during the French and Indian War, and the killing of Jane McCrea here in 1777 became one of the American Revolution's most powerful propaganda events, galvanizing New England support for the Patriot cause) to Granville's extraordinary purple slate quarries (Washington County produces a distinctive purple slate found nowhere else in the world - Granville's quarries have supplied roofing slate, billiard tables, and decorative slate to markets worldwide for over a century) and Lake Champlain's agricultural valley.
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Office: Washington County Department of Public Safety – 383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828 | (518) 747-7520 / (518) 747-3325 (911 PSAP)
Services: Responsible for the communication center, 911 center, emergency management and planning, and hazardous materials team; maintains the county’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan; disseminates public warnings via the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and local radio stations.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-4 and NY-197 serve Fort Edward, the county seat, between the villages of Hudson Falls and Fort Edward
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Individual towns and villages issue building permits – e.g., Town of Fort Edward, (518) 747-5212; Village of Fort Edward, (518) 747-4023
Notes: Washington County has many towns and villages, each issuing its own separate building permits.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Washington County Veterans Service Agency – Fort Edward, NY
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Hudson Falls Free Library – 220 Main Street, Hudson Falls, NY 12839 | Hours: Mon 1–5:30 PM, Tue/Thu/Fri 10 AM–5:30 PM, Wed 10 AM–8 PM, Sat 10 AM–1 PM (closed Sun)
Services: Serves Hudson Falls and surrounding Washington County communities; holds roughly 34,000 volumes.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Washington County is genuinely the spiritual birthplace of the United States Army Rangers – Rogers Island, in the Hudson River adjacent to the town of Fort Edward, was the base camp of Major Robert Rogers and his famed Rogers’ Rangers from 1756 to 1759 during the French and Indian War; on October 25, 1757, Rogers wrote his “Rules of Ranging” while encamped there, a set of tactical standing orders for forest warfare and reconnaissance based on methods learned from Native American fighters, which remain the foundation of the U.S. Army Ranger Handbook’s standing orders to this day; at the height of troop buildup around Fort Edward in 1757, the settlement’s population of roughly 16,000 made it the third-largest city in the American colonies, behind only New York City and Boston; the site is preserved today as Rogers Island Visitors Center, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notes: Washington County’s Rogers Island is genuinely recognized as the “spiritual home” of U.S. Army Special Operations Forces, particularly the Army Rangers, making it one of the more historically significant counties found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Washington County GIS – accessible via washingtoncountyny.gov
Parcel Search: Washington County Real Property Tax Service – Fort Edward, NY
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Washington County Department of Public Safety
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: SPCA of Upstate New York – serving Warren, Washington, and Saratoga Counties | (518) 798-3500
Services: A no-kill shelter conducting abuse and neglect investigations across the tri-county region, including Washington County; receives no state, local, or federal funding.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) – (518) 897-1324, dec.ny.gov
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Washington County’s Rogers Island is genuinely recognized as the spiritual birthplace of the United States Army Rangers, where Robert Rogers wrote his foundational “Rules of Ranging” in 1757. All contact information above was sourced from official county, town, 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 one of New York’s most historically rich counties – settled before the Revolution and the scene of significant Revolutionary War campaigns. The Battenkill River – flowing through Cambridge and Salem – is one of the most celebrated trout streams in the northeastern United States, with wild brown trout fishing that draws fly fishing enthusiasts from the entire region. Cambridge (population ~2,000) has become a center of artisanal food production and the remarkable Hubbard Hall performing arts center reflects a vibrant small-town cultural life.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Washington County Real Property Tax Service at 383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828, phone 518-746-2130. Grievance Day: third Tuesday of May. Surrogate’s Court in Fort Edward handles probate.
Courts & Legal
Washington County Surrogate’s Court at 383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828, phone 518-746-2545, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828
(518) 746-2170
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Washington County Surrogate’s Court, Fort Edward (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The Wing-Northup House (1815), NRHP-listed, serves as Washington County Historical Society Headquarters in Fort Edward.
Local societies
Washington County Historical Society, confirmed, headquartered at the Wing-Northup House, Fort Edward.
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 Surrogate’s Court Municipal Center, Building C, 383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828 (518) 746-2545
Washington County was founded March 12, 1772, named for George Washington, in New York’s Capital District/Adirondacks region, seated in Fort Edward (though Hudson Falls is the county’s largest village).
Step 1: figure out which path applies
New York probate and estate administration is governed by the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) and handled by the Surrogate’s Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled. New York has 62 counties, each with its own Surrogate’s Court.
Voluntary Administration / Small Estate Affidavit (SCPA Article 13) – available when the decedent’s PERSONAL property (not real property) has a gross value of $50,000 or less, excluding certain property automatically set aside for a surviving spouse or children under 21 (EPTL 5-3.1). Owning real property does NOT disqualify an estate from this process – only the personal property counts toward the $50,000 cap. The filing fee is just $1.00.
Probate – required when there’s a valid will and the estate exceeds the small-estate threshold or involves real property.
Administration – required when the decedent died intestate (no will); the Surrogate’s Court appoints an administrator following the statutory priority order under SCPA 1001.
Step 2: filing for probate or administration
File the will (if any) with the Surrogate’s Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled, along with a probate or administration petition.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without a will) to the appointed fiduciary.
The fiduciary notifies creditors and beneficiaries and inventories the estate’s assets.
Debts, expenses, and any required New York State Estate Tax are paid.
The fiduciary distributes the remaining assets according to the will or New York’s intestacy law and files a final accounting to close the estate.
What it costs
Voluntary Administration filing fee: $1.00.
Full probate/administration filing fees vary and generally scale with estate value.
UNIQUE TO NEW YORK: New York imposes its own separate state ESTATE TAX. For 2026, the New York basic exclusion amount is $7,350,000 – estates at or below that owe no state estate tax. New York has an unusual “cliff”: if the estate’s value exceeds the exclusion by more than 5% (over $7,717,500 in 2026), the ENTIRE estate becomes taxable from the first dollar. No portability between spouses. Rates range from about 3.06% to 16%.
New York has no separate state inheritance 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
383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828
(518) 746-2400
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828
(518) 746-2180
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health Department
383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828
(518) 746-2400
Social Services
383 Broadway, Fort Edward, NY 12828
(518) 746-2300
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Washington County Public Health Department – Fort Edward, NY
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fort Edward
Population: 61,000
Established: 1772
Tier: 3
Public Records
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