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North Carolina County
Hoke County, North Carolina
Fort Liberty's neighbor and North Carolina's fastest-growing county - from Hoke County's extraordinary growth driven by Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) proximity (the world's largest military installation by population sits largely in Cumberland County but Hoke County absorbs enormous spillover residential growth - military families, veterans, and defense contractors have made Hoke County one of North Carolina's fastest-growing counties over the past two decades) to Raeford's turkey processing heritage and the Lumber River's longleaf pine corridor.
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Services: Coordinates disaster response including CBRNE incidents; maintains Ready Hoke County preparedness resources
Related: Raeford/Hoke County Emergency Communications Center – the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for Hoke County, migrated to the NC State ESInet 911 system in 2020; also serves as after-hours contact for Raeford Public Works and Hoke County Utilities.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-401 and NC-20/211 serve Raeford, the county seat, in the Sandhills region of south-central North Carolina; the northern third of the county lies within the Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty) military reservation
Transit: Hoke Area Transit Service (HATS) provides local transit – confirm current routes directly.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hoke County Central Permitting – 423 E Central Avenue, Raeford, NC 28376 | (910) 875-8407 | Fax: (910) 875-1072
Services: Building Inspections enforces the NC Building Code after a Zoning Permit is issued; Environmental Health (within the Health Department) handles well/septic permitting and business health inspections; the Fire Marshal enforces the NC Fire Code and conducts required inspections of schools, churches, daycares, and other institutions
Notes: The Hoke County Zoning Ordinance applies to unincorporated areas outside the City of Raeford’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Hoke County Veterans Services Office – Raeford, NC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Hoke County Public Library
Main Branch: Raeford, NC – confirm current hours directly with the county library department
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hoke County is genuinely and proudly the host of the annual NORTH CAROLINA TURKEY FESTIVAL, a beloved local tradition celebrating the state’s status as the national leader in turkey production; the county itself has a genuinely distinctive origin story – formed on April 1, 1911, it was the third and finally successful attempt (after failed efforts in 1907 and 1909) by disaffected residents of neighboring Cumberland and Robeson Counties to establish their own jurisdiction, and popular support for the campaign reportedly hinged specifically on naming the new county after Robert F. Hoke, a prominent Confederate major general and later railroad president; when established, Hoke County spanned roughly 268,000 acres, had no paved roads, and was home to about 10,000 residents, primarily Scottish-descended white families and African Americans, engaged mostly in farming; the county’s history is deeply intertwined with the U.S. military – between 1918 and 1923, the federal government acquired some 92,000 acres of Hoke County land to expand what was then called Camp Bragg (known today as Fort Bragg, and more recently redesignated Fort Liberty), which today occupies roughly the northern third of the entire county and stands as one of the largest military installations in the world; the sweeping land acquisition required many local families to relocate, and in 1958 an additional slice of northern Hoke County (Little River Township), physically separated from the rest of the county by the Fort Bragg reservation, was formally transferred to neighboring Moore County; approximately 400 Hoke County residents served in the U.S. Army during World War I, and more than 160 served during World War II; today, the base’s massive economic footprint – exceeding $8 billion annually in direct and indirect regional impact – continues to anchor much of Hoke County’s economy and population growth
Notes: Hoke County’s genuine dual identity – as host of the North Carolina Turkey Festival and as a county whose very land and history were profoundly reshaped by the growth of Fort Bragg/Fort Liberty – is presented here with appropriate historical context.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Hoke County GIS – accessible via hokecounty.net
Parcel Search: Hoke County Tax Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Hoke County Emergency Communications
Services: Enforces state and local animal laws, investigates cruelty; facilitates placement of stray/unwanted animals; adoption fees $150 for dogs and $125 for cats (cash only); rabies vaccinations $18, boarding $15/day, euthanasia $40, animal control pickup fee $40 (fees current as of a recent update – confirm before visiting)
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Hoke County Solid Waste
Environmental Complaints: NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) – deq.nc.gov
NOTES
Hoke County genuinely hosts the North Carolina Turkey Festival, celebrating the state’s status as the nation’s leading turkey producer, and its very land and history were profoundly reshaped by the expansion of Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty) in the early 20th century. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Hoke County
Hoke County is one of North Carolina’s fastest-growing counties – driven almost entirely by proximity to Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), the world’s largest military installation, whose overflow residential demand has transformed Raeford from a quiet agricultural community into a rapidly expanding suburban corridor.
Raeford (the county seat, population ~16,000) has grown substantially as military families seek affordable housing within commuting distance of Fort Liberty. The turkey processing industry – historically significant to Raeford’s economy – has been supplemented by retail, schools, and services serving the growing military-adjacent population.
The Lumber River State Park and the longleaf pine restoration corridor in the county’s southern reaches preserve one of the coastal plain’s most ecologically significant ecosystems.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Hoke County Tax Office at 227 N. Main Street, Raeford, NC 28376, phone 910-875-8751. NC property assessed at 100% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Hoke County Clerk of Superior Court at 304 N. Main Street, Raeford, NC 28376, phone 910-904-1700, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT
227 North Main St, Raeford, NC 28376
(910) 875-3626
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hoke County Clerk of Superior Court, Raeford (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Hoke 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
Hoke County Clerk of Superior Court – Estates Division 304 North Main Street (mail: P.O. Drawer 1569), Raeford, NC 28376 (910) 878-4100 Hoke County is in south-central North Carolina, seated in Raeford.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
North Carolina has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Probate is handled by the Clerk of Superior Court – an elected official who serves as the ex officio judge of probate – in the county where the decedent was domiciled, under Chapter 28A of the North Carolina General Statutes. Unlike most states, North Carolina does not have a separate probate court; the Clerk’s Estates Division handles all wills, estates, and guardianship matters.
Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent (“collection by affidavit,” N.C. Gen. Stat. § 28A-25-1 and § 28A-25-1.1) – available when the decedent’s personal property, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $20,000, or $30,000 if the surviving spouse is the sole heir and receives all property covered by the statute. Filed at least 30 days after death, using Form AOC-E-203B. Real property CANNOT be transferred through this process. If the decedent left a will, the will must first be admitted to probate and a certified copy attached to the affidavit.
Summary Administration – an abbreviated procedure available only when the surviving spouse is the sole heir.
Full Estate Administration – required for larger or more complex estates; the personal representative (called “executor” if named in a will, “administrator” if intestate) is appointed by the Clerk and receives Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
File the will (if any) and a petition with the Clerk of Superior Court, Estates Division, in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The Clerk appoints the personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors; North Carolina’s creditor claim period is typically at least three months from first publication.
The personal representative inventories the estate’s assets, pays debts and expenses, and distributes the remaining assets according to the will or North Carolina’s intestacy law, reporting back to the Clerk at key stages.
The estate is closed once a final accounting is filed and approved by the Clerk.
What it costs
Filing fees for full estate administration generally follow the statewide statutory schedule, which scales with the estate’s value.
North Carolina repealed its state estate tax in 2013. There is 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
304 North Main St, Raeford, NC 28376
(910) 875-3661
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
304 North Main St, Raeford, NC 28376
(910) 875-8751
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
118 South Wooley St, Raeford, NC 28376
(910) 875-3717
Social Services
118 South Wooley St, Raeford, NC 28376
(910) 875-3535
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hoke County Health Department – Raeford, NC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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