Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
North Carolina County
Person County, North Carolina
Hyco Lake and the Triangle's northern rural gateway - from Hyco Lake (the 3,750-acre Duke Energy reservoir on the Hyco River, known for its exceptional water quality and warmwater fishing - the heated discharge from the Roxboro Steam Station maintains above-average water temperatures year-round, creating unusual fishing conditions and a wintering area for Canada geese) to Person County's position as a rural Research Triangle exurb (Roxboro's proximity to Durham has attracted residential development from Triangle workers seeking rural living at affordable prices) and the Virginia border's tobacco heritage corridor.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Person County Emergency Management – 216 W. Barden Street, Roxboro, NC 27573 | (336) 597-0545 (non-emergency) | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Services: Coordinates disaster preparedness and response for the county
Related: Person County Emergency Medical Services – same address, (336) 599-3136.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-501 and NC-49/57 serve Roxboro, the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Person County, in the northern Piedmont near the Virginia border
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Person County Inspections – County Office Building, 304 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573
Services: Enforces state and local construction laws for Person County and the City of Roxboro, including plumbing, electrical, heating, refrigeration, and air-conditioning system installation, plus building maintenance and safety compliance
Related: Fire Marshal’s Office permit applications – 304 S. Morgan St., Rooms 152 & 153, Roxboro, NC 27573.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Person County Veterans Services Office – Roxboro, NC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Person County Public Library – Roxboro, NC – confirm current hours directly with the library
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Person County’s economy and culture have historically been deeply shaped by brightleaf tobacco cultivation, and the county sits squarely within North Carolina’s historic “brightleaf belt”; the 19th-century development of brightleaf curing methods in the region brought a genuine period of growth and relative prosperity to Roxboro and the surrounding county; that prosperity accelerated further when the Norfolk and Western Railroad laid track through the county around 1890, connecting Person County’s tobacco crops and products to broader markets for the first time and enabling the establishment of new tobacco factories and warehouses, some of which still stand today; local businessman J.A. Long played an outsized role in this development, building Roxboro’s first tobacco warehouse (the Pioneer Warehouse), helping establish the People’s Bank of Roxboro in 1891 (later absorbed into Wachovia), and organizing the Roxboro Cotton Mills before 1900, helping diversify the local economy beyond agriculture into textiles; even through the hardships of the Great Depression, when tobacco prices fell dramatically, all three of Roxboro’s textile mills managed to remain open, providing crucial employment through the downturn; today, the Person County Museum of History in Roxboro preserves and interprets this layered agricultural and industrial legacy, including the complexities of the sharecropping system that tobacco cultivation relied upon for generations; beyond its agricultural heritage, Person County also offers substantial outdoor recreation at Hyco Lake, a man-made reservoir created by Carolina Power & Light Company in the early 1960s to serve as a cooling water supply for a steam electric generating plant, and nearby Mayo Lake, both popular today for fishing, boating, and other water recreation; the Person County Heritage Trail, established in 2015, marks and commemorates dozens of farms, churches, homes, and historic businesses across the county that are more than a century old
Notes: Person County’s genuine agricultural and industrial heritage – rooted in the brightleaf tobacco boom and the railroad-driven growth of Roxboro – is presented here at the level the available sourcing genuinely supports.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Person County GIS – accessible via personcountync.gov
Parcel Search: Person County Tax Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Person County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Person County Animal Services – 2103 Chub Lake Road, Roxboro, NC 27574 | (336) 597-1741 | Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–4 PM, Sat 9 AM–12 PM (call ahead to confirm Saturday hours, as the shelter may be off-site at an adoption event)
Services: A municipal shelter accepting owner surrenders, strays, cruelty cases, and bite cases; adoption fee $50 for all animals, including age-appropriate vaccinations, deworming, flea/tick prevention, and microchipping; adopters must be 18+; open adoption process with no application or home visit required; some adoptable cats may be off-site at PetSense partner locations in Roxboro or Mebane
Notes: Animal Control does not respond to deceased animal calls (except possible rabies exposure) – for after-hours emergencies only, call 911.
Related: Animal Protection Society of Person County – Roxboro, NC 27573, (336) 514-8689, a separate nonprofit rescue partner.
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
Person County’s economy and culture were historically shaped by brightleaf tobacco cultivation and the railroad-driven growth of Roxboro’s tobacco and textile industries in the late 19th 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 Person County
Person County is north-central North Carolina’s Hyco Lake and Triangle rural gateway county – a tobacco heritage community whose warm-water reservoir and Triangle proximity define its modern identity.
Roxboro (the county seat, population ~8,000) was historically a significant bright leaf tobacco market – Piedmont Community College provides regional higher education and workforce training for a community navigating post-tobacco economic transition.
Hyco Lake’s warm-water discharge from the Roxboro Steam Station creates year-round fishing opportunities and supports an unusually large Canada goose population that winters on the lake.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Person County Tax Office at 304 S. Morgan Street, Suite 101, Roxboro, NC 27573, phone 336-597-1721. NC property assessed at 100% of market value. Appeal to Board of Equalization and Review.
Courts & Legal
Person County Clerk of Superior Court at 105 S. Main Street, Roxboro, NC 27573, phone 336-597-1733, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT
304 South Morgan St, Roxboro, NC 27573
(336) 597-1730
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Person County Clerk of Superior Court, Roxboro (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Person 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
Person County Clerk of Superior Court – Estates Division 105 South Main Street, Roxboro, NC 27573 (336) 503-5200 Person County is in north-central North Carolina, seated in Roxboro.
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
105 Depot St, Roxboro, NC 27573
(336) 599-8231
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
336 South Morgan St, Roxboro, NC 27573
(336) 597-1786
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
331 South Morgan St, Roxboro, NC 27573
(336) 597-2854
Social Services
355 South Morgan St, Roxboro, NC 27573
(336) 599-8361
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Person County Health Department – Roxboro, NC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Roxboro
Population: 40,000
Established: 1791
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Person County residents.
