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Office: Perquimans County Emergency Services (EMS, Emergency Management, 911 Communications, Fire Marshal) – 159 Creek Drive, PO Box 563, Hertford, NC 27944 | (252) 426-5646 | Fax: (252) 426-2049
Services: Coordinates disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; maintains the Perquimans County Water Rescue Team (a multi-agency unit for surface water rescue and search/recovery) and a Voluntary Special Needs Program registering vulnerable residents for emergency assistance
Related: Perquimans-Gates 911 Communications – same address, (252) 426-5646.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-17 and NC-37 serve Hertford, the county seat and largest community, along the Perquimans River in the Albemarle region of northeastern North Carolina
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Services: Building permits and inspections for unincorporated Perquimans County
Notes: The Town of Hertford handles its own zoning within town limits/ETJ but contracts building inspection activities to Perquimans County – contact the county for inspection questions.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Perquimans County Veterans Services Office – Hertford, NC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Perquimans County Library – part of the Pettigrew Regional Library (serving Chowan, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Washington counties)
Main Branch: 514 S Church Street, Hertford, NC 27944 | (252) 426-5319 | Hours: Mon/Tue/Thu 10 AM–7 PM, Wed/Fri 10 AM–5 PM, Sat 10 AM–1 PM (closed Sun)
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Perquimans County is genuinely home to the NEWBOLD-WHITE HOUSE, officially recognized as the oldest brick house in the entire state of North Carolina, and the oldest North Carolina house currently open to the public; the property was purchased in 1726 by Abraham Sanders, a Quaker farmer, who built the brick dwelling in 1730 (a date confirmed through dendrochronology – tree-ring dating of the original wooden framing – conducted in the 1990s, which corrected earlier estimates that had placed construction as early as 1685); Sanders’s working plantation along the Perquimans River produced corn, cotton, wheat, flax, indigo, tobacco, rice, and wood products including barrels and roofing shakes, and he and his wife Judith raised six children in the home; the house itself is a genuinely accomplished piece of colonial craftsmanship for its era – a 20-by-40-foot, one-and-a-half-story structure with a steep gabled roof, interior chimneys at both ends, and Flemish-bond brickwork above a lower course of English-bond brick, at a time when most regional colonists were still building in simple wood frame; historians note that by building in brick rather than timber, Sanders was very likely making a deliberate statement about his considerable wealth, since his purchase price for the property was reportedly the highest paid for a farm or plantation in the area up to that date; the site’s Quaker roots run even deeper than the surviving house – evidence suggests an earlier dwelling on the same tract, likely belonging to English settler Joseph Scott, who hosted a visit from Quaker missionary George Fox in 1672 and subsequently opened his home for the area’s first Quaker religious meetings, as well as for county precinct court and colonial assembly sessions during the 17th century; after passing through several owners over the following two centuries – including the Newbold family, who gave the house its present name after purchasing it in 1903 – the property was acquired in 1973 by the Perquimans County Restoration Association, a nonprofit that meticulously restored the house between 1973 and 1981 and formally opened it to the public as a museum; the National Register-listed house (added in 1971) today welcomes 750-800 visitors annually, who can explore its period furnishings, massive fireplaces, and exposed beams, walk a nature trail to a riverside pier, and view the Periauger, a hand-built working reproduction of an 18th-century colonial workboat once owned by a later resident of the property
Notes: The Newbold-White House’s genuine, extensively documented status as North Carolina’s oldest surviving brick house – and one of the state’s earliest and best-preserved windows into colonial Quaker life – is one of the most historically significant colonial-era landmarks found anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Perquimans County GIS – accessible via perquimanscountync.gov
Parcel Search: Perquimans County Tax Department – 107 N. Front Street, Hertford, NC
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Perquimans County Emergency Services
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Perquimans County Animal Control – 110 North Church Street, Hertford, NC 27944 | (252) 426-8484 or (252) 426-5615
Services: County animal control enforcement, adoption assistance, and complaint response
Notes: Contact hours and facility details vary by source – call ahead to confirm current operations before visiting.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) – deq.nc.gov
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Perquimans County is genuinely home to the Newbold-White House, North Carolina’s oldest surviving brick house (built 1730) and a well-preserved window into the state’s early Quaker settlement history. 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 Perquimans County County
Perquimans County is North Carolina’s oldest brick house and Quaker colonial heritage county – the ca. 1730 Newbold-White House built by Quaker settlers who made this corner of colonial North Carolina a center of religious tolerance and the Perquimans River’s Albemarle Sound connection define a county where Hertford serves the surrounding agricultural and waterfront communities.
Hertford (the county seat, population ~2,100) is Perquimans County’s governmental hub on the Perquimans River, a colonial North Carolina community whose Newbold-White House, Quaker heritage, S-bridge landmark, and Albemarle Sound access anchor its identity.
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Perquimans County Tax Assessor at 128 N. Church Street, Hertford, NC 27944, phone 252-426-5660. NC assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Perquimans County Superior Court at 128 N. Church Street, Hertford, NC 27944, phone 252-426-5660, handles estates.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT
128 North Church St, Hertford, NC 27944
(252) 426-5605
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Perquimans County Clerk of Superior Court, Hertford (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1819-25 Perquimans County Courthouse and Hertford Historic District, NRHP-listed, are significant local landmarks.
Local societies
No dedicated Perquimans 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
Perquimans County Clerk of Superior Court – Estates Division 128 North Church Street (mail: P.O. Box 33), Hertford, NC 27944 (252) 404-5000
Perquimans County was founded in 1668, named for a Yeopim word meaning “the land of beautiful women,” in northeastern North Carolina, seated in Hertford. The 1819-25 Perquimans County Courthouse, Georgian in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, part of the Hertford Historic District.
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
128 North Church St, Hertford, NC 27944
(252) 426-5615
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
128 North Church St, Hertford, NC 27944
(252) 426-5533
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
601 Vosburgh St, Hertford, NC 27944
(252) 426-5741
Social Services
601 Vosburgh St, Hertford, NC 27944
(252) 426-5645
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Perquimans County Health Department – Hertford, NC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Related: Perquimans County Social Services – 103 Charles Street, Hertford, NC 27944.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hertford
Population: 13,000
Public Records
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