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.
Ohio County
Guernsey County, Ohio
Cambridge glass and the National Road's Ohio corridor - from Cambridge's extraordinary glass-making heritage (Cambridge Glass Company, founded 1901, produced some of America's finest hand-crafted glassware until its 1958 closure - the National Cambridge Collectors organization and Cambridge Glass Museum preserve this legacy, and a thriving antique glass market continues) to the National Road's historic US-40 corridor through Guernsey County (the first federally funded highway in America, completed through Ohio in the 1820s, and the primary emigrant route west for decades) and Seneca Lake's recreation in the Muskingum Watershed.
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: Guernsey County Emergency Management Agency – Cambridge, OH | (740) 432-9292; Director Benjamin Bonnell, Deputy Director Rusty Roberts; uses the Hyper-Reach Anywhere emergency alert app (replaced the previous RAVE system).
911: All emergency calls (fire, police, medical) in Cambridge now route through 911 to the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office dispatch, which coordinates location and response.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-70 and US-22/40 (historic National Road) serve Cambridge, the county seat, in eastern Ohio
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Guernsey County sits along the historic Zane’s Trace and National Road; several historic curved “S bridges” survive from the county’s early bridge-building era, including the first bridge authorized in the Northwest Territory.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Guernsey County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via guernseycounty.gov.
Notes: Guernsey County, founded 1810 and named for the Isle of Guernsey (homeland of early settlers), is genuinely the birthplace of two remarkable figures: astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn, and actor William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd. In the early 1900s, Cambridge became world-renowned for the fine glassware produced by The Cambridge Glass Company, whose thousands of designs and color combinations remain highly sought-after collectibles today; the National Museum of Cambridge Glass, 136 S. 9th Street, preserves this heritage. The Guernsey County History Museum, housed in an 1890s brownstone, features 17 rooms of local artifacts, a one-room schoolhouse, and a replica coal mine. Confederate cavalry raider John Hunt Morgan’s 1863 raid into Ohio passed through the county, marked today by interpretive trail markers.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Guernsey County Veterans Service Commission – 627 Wheeling Avenue, Suite 102, Cambridge, OH 43725 | (740) 432-9295 | Fax: (740) 432-6086 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (closed noon-1 PM for lunch); monthly meetings held 1 PM the last Monday of each month, open to the public.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov | VA Clinic: 2146 Southgate Parkway, Cambridge, OH 43725 | (740) 432-1963 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Guernsey County District Public Library – began in 1898 when Mrs. J.D. Taylor raised $1,800 to buy books and furnish a room on Wheeling Ave; reorganized as a county district library in 1948; in 1958, Guernsey County received Ohio’s first federally funded bookmobile, which still visits communities and senior residences today; three physical locations plus the bookmobile.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The National Museum of Cambridge Glass, Dickens Victorian Village (holiday season), Salt Fork State Park and Lodge (Ohio’s largest inland beach), Seneca Lake, and The Wilds (a large natural animal preserve) are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine John Glenn birthplace heritage and the Cambridge Glass legacy are both distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Guernsey County Auditor – confirm current phone via guernseycounty.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Guernsey County Dog Warden – 62824 Bennett Avenue, Cambridge, OH 43725 | (740) 432-2219 | Fax: (740) 435-3108 | [email protected]; Chief Dog Warden Karla Kerns.
Nonprofit: Humane Society of Guernsey County – Cambridge, OH; confirm current address/phone directly.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Guernsey County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via guernseycounty.gov.
NOTES: Guernsey County is the second county in this batch (Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine John Glenn birthplace heritage and the Cambridge Glass legacy are distinctive 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 Guernsey County
Guernsey County is east-central Ohio’s glass heritage and National Road county – a community whose industrial craftsmanship legacy and historic highway position give it a distinctive identity among Ohio’s Appalachian hill counties.
Cambridge (the county seat, population ~10,000) was one of America’s premier glass-producing cities in the early 20th century. The Cambridge Glass Company’s hand-crafted colored and crystal glassware became highly collectible, and the National Cambridge Collectors organization maintains the Cambridge Glass Museum documenting the company’s extraordinary 57-year production history. Degenhart Paperweight and Glass Museum nearby preserves another Cambridge glass-making tradition.
The National Road – America’s first federally funded highway, completed through Guernsey County in the 1820s – brought waves of emigrants westward through Cambridge. The Historic National Road corridor along US-40 preserves numerous 19th-century roadside inns, tollhouses, and S-bridges.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Guernsey County Auditor at 627 Wheeling Avenue, Suite 201, Cambridge, OH 43725, phone 740-432-9275. Appeal to County Board of Revision by April 1.
Courts & Legal
Guernsey County Probate Court at 801 Wheeling Avenue, Cambridge, OH 43725, phone 740-432-9270, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
801 East Wheeling Ave, Cambridge, OH 43725
(740) 432-9262
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Guernsey County Probate Court, Cambridge (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1881 Guernsey County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Guernsey 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
Guernsey County Probate Court 801 East Wheeling Avenue, Suite 203-D (2nd Floor), Cambridge, OH 43725 (740) 432-9262
Guernsey County was founded January 31, 1810, named for the Isle of Guernsey, in east-central Ohio, seated in Cambridge. The 1881 Guernsey County Courthouse, Second Empire in style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Guernsey 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
801 East Wheeling Ave, Cambridge, OH 43725
(740) 432-9262
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
335 Highland Ave, Cambridge, OH 43725
(740) 439-4455
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
335 Southgate Pkwy, Cambridge, OH 43725
(740) 439-4634
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
335 Highland Ave, Cambridge, OH 43725
(740) 439-3577
Job and Family Services
45700 National Rd, Cambridge, OH 43725
(740) 439-3577
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Guernsey County Health Department – 326 Highland Ave., Cambridge, OH 43725 | (740) 439-3577 | Hours: Mon 8-5:30, Tue-Fri 8-4:30.
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: Cambridge
Population: 39,000
Established: 1810
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Guernsey County residents.
