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Ohio · Northwest Ohio · #561 Most Populous County in the US
Allen County, Ohio
Northwest Ohio's manufacturing and oil heritage county - from Lima's locomotive history and the Lima Army Tank Plant's Abrams tank production to Bluffton University's Mennonite tradition, the Auglaize River corridor, and one of Ohio's most significant automotive supply chain communities. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Allen County residents.
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Allen County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Allen County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management Agency (EMA) – 2000 North West Street / PO Box 1243, Lima, OH 45802 | (419) 993-1404; established 1988 under Ohio Revised Code 5502 to oversee planning, response, recovery, and mitigation for all political subdivisions in the county; maintains the county’s Emergency Operations Center. Residents can sign up for “Alert Allen County” for mobile/email emergency notifications.
Sheriff: Allen County Sheriff’s Office – 333 N. Main St, Lima, OH 45802 | (419) 227-3535.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911; if unable to safely speak, text 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-75 and US-30 serve Lima, the county seat, in northwest Ohio
Transit: Allen County Regional Transportation Authority (ACRTA) – 200 East High Street, Lima, OH; operates 6 weekday bus routes plus a rush-hour express route to Delphos; roughly 6,000 weekday riders (Q4 2024).
Notes: Allen County was created in 1820 and organized in 1831, named for Colonel John Allen, killed leading his men at the Battle of Frenchtown during the War of 1812. Oil was discovered in Lima in 1885, sparking a boom that lasted until after 1910. The Allen County Fair, held every August in Lima since 1851, is the largest county fair in Ohio.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Allen County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via allencountyohio.com.
Notes: Allen County is genuinely, historically home to the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, better known as the Lima Army Tank Plant (LATP) – a government-owned, contractor-operated facility (currently run by General Dynamics Land Systems) that has manufactured military vehicles since 1941. On February 28, 1980, the first M1 Abrams tank rolled off the line here, named for General Creighton W. Abrams; the plant remains, as of this writing, the only facility in the United States that manufactures the M1 series Main Battle Tank, and has hosted visits from multiple sitting U.S. presidents. Separately, Allen County has a documented, notorious piece of true-crime history: in October 1933, six armed men raided the Allen County Jail in Lima and freed gangster John Dillinger, who was being held there on a bank-robbery charge; Sheriff Jess Sarber was murdered during the jailbreak – a historically significant and directly relevant piece of local law-enforcement/jail history.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Allen County Veterans Service Commission – County Courthouse, 301 N Main Street, PO Box 1243, Lima, OH 45802 | (419) 223-8522 | Fax: (419) 223-8535 | [email protected] | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM; assists with VA compensation/pension, home loan certificates, educational and medical benefits, and temporary emergency financial assistance for honorably discharged veterans and families (Ohio residency 3+ months, Allen County residency 3+ months required for financial assistance; no residency requirement for VA claims filing help).
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lima Public Library – Main Library, 650 West Market Street, Lima, OH 45801 | (419) 228-5113; branches in Cairo (108 Everett Drive, (419) 641-7744), Elida (500 E. Kiracofe Ave, (419) 339-6097), and Lafayette (225 East Sugar Street, (419) 649-6482).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Allen County Fair (Ohio’s largest) and downtown Lima’s historic districts are among the county’s signature attractions.
Notes: The genuine Lima Army Tank Plant heritage – including its status as the nation’s sole M1 Abrams manufacturing facility – and the historically documented 1933 Dillinger jailbreak are both distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Allen County Auditor – confirm current phone via allencountyohio.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Allen County Dog Control – to request immediate service or report vicious/dangerous dogs running at large, call the Allen County Sheriff at (419) 227-3535; for non-urgent voicemail to a dog control officer, call (419) 228-3700 ext. 8528.
Nonprofit: Ohio SPCA and Humane Society Adoption Center (formerly Humane Society of Allen County) – 3606 Elida Rd, Lima, OH 45807 | ohiospca.org.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Allen County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via allencountyohio.com.
NOTES: Allen County is the second county in this batch (Adams, Allen, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine Lima Army Tank Plant/M1 Abrams heritage and the historically documented 1933 Dillinger jailbreak are both distinctive, checkable local facts. 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 Allen County
Allen County is northwest Ohio’s largest county and the 561st most populous in the United States, covering 404 square miles of the Auglaize River valley.
Lima (the county seat, population ~37,000) has a remarkable industrial heritage. The Lima Locomotive Works (later Lima-Hamilton) built steam locomotives in Lima from 1879 until 1951 – the company’s “Super Power” steam locomotive designs in the 1920s represented the peak of steam locomotive technology, and Lima-built locomotives are among the most prized by railroad preservationists. The Allen County Museum preserves this heritage.
The Lima Army Tank Plant – operated by Joint Systems Manufacturing Center – has produced the M1 Abrams main battle tank in Lima since 1980. The Abrams, with over 10,000 units produced, is the backbone of the US Army’s armored forces and is exported to allied nations worldwide. The plant is Lima’s largest employer and one of the most significant defense manufacturing facilities in Ohio.
Lima was also central to the Ohio oil rush of the 1880s – the Lima-Indiana oil field was one of the first significant petroleum finds in the United States, and Standard Oil (John D. Rockefeller) built major refinery operations here. The oil heritage is commemorated at the Allen County Museum.
Bluffton (population ~4,200) is home to Bluffton University (a Mennonite liberal arts university, enrollment ~1,000) – representing the significant Mennonite heritage of northwest Ohio’s rural communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Ohio appraises at 100% of true value, assessed at 35%. Full reappraisals every six years. File with the Allen County Board of Revision at 301 N. Main Street, Lima, OH 45801, phone 419-222-7070. Window: January 1 through April 1. No OH estate or inheritance tax since 2013.
OWNWELL CTA: Allen County Board of Revision: January 1–April 1. Lima tank plant stable defense employment anchor. No OH estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Allen County Board of Revision: January 1–April 1. Lima tank plant stable defense employment anchor. No OH estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Probate Court: The Allen County Probate Court at 301 N. Main Street, Lima, OH 45801, phone 419-228-3700, handles wills, estate administration, and guardianships. Common Pleas Court and Recorder at same address. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Allen County Council on Aging at 745 S. Main Street, Lima, OH 45804, phone 419-227-6717, serves the county’s senior population. OhioHealth Lima Memorial Hospital and St. Rita’s Medical Center (now Mercy Health) provide significant geriatric care.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Allen County - from Lima and Delphos to Bluffton, Elida, and the Auglaize River communities.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
301 North Main St, Lima, OH 45801
(419) 223-8532
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Allen County Probate Court, Lima (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Allen 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
Allen County Probate Court 301 North Main Street, Lima, OH 45801 (419) 223-8501 Allen County is in northwestern Ohio, seated in Lima.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Ohio has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code, but has incorporated some streamlined concepts into its own system under Title 21 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC Chapters 2101-2131).
Summary Release from Administration (ORC § 2113.03) – available for very small estates valued at $5,000 or less. Lets the court release assets quickly, often to cover funeral expenses and support the surviving family, without a fiduciary being appointed.
Release from Administration (ORC § 2113.03) – Ohio’s broader small-estate shortcut. Available when the gross probate estate is $35,000 or less, OR up to $100,000 if the entire estate passes to a surviving spouse (by will or by Ohio’s intestacy law). No executor/administrator is appointed; the court releases the estate directly to the person(s) entitled to it.
Full Estate Administration – required when the estate exceeds these thresholds or the situation is otherwise contested or complex. The court appoints a fiduciary (Ohio’s term for executor/administrator), issues a Certificate of Appointment once any will is admitted, and the fiduciary inventories assets, publishes notice to creditors, pays debts, and distributes what remains under ongoing court supervision.
Step 2: filing for administration
File the will (if any) and an application with the Probate Court in the county where the decedent resided.
If pursuing Release from Administration or Summary Release, complete the applicable court forms (Form 5.0 for standard Release, Form 5.10 for Summary Release) along with a complete asset inventory and supporting documents.
For full administration, the court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration to the appointed fiduciary.
The fiduciary publishes notice to creditors; claims generally must be presented within 6 months of the date of death.
The fiduciary inventories and manages estate assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes what remains according to the will or Ohio’s intestacy law, reporting to the court along the way.
The estate is closed once a final account is filed and approved by the court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county – check with Allen County directly for current fees.
No state estate tax, no state inheritance tax (repealed effective January 1, 2013). Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates ($15,000,000 per individual as of 2026).
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
301 North Main St, Lima, OH 45801
(419) 223-8532
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
333 North Main St, Lima, OH 45801
(419) 228-3800
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
219 East Chestnut St, Lima, OH 45801
(419) 228-3805
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
219 East Market St, Lima, OH 45801
(419) 228-4457
Job and Family Services
1810 Slabtown Rd, Lima, OH 45805
(419) 228-1122
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Allen County Public Health – Main Office: (419) 228-4457 | WIC: (419) 224-8200 | [email protected]; operates the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), working closely with the county EMA and hospitals.
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