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
Hancock County, Ohio
Findlay Flag City and northwest Ohio oil heritage - from Findlay's patriotic identity as Flag City USA (Findlay earned its Flag City designation through a tradition of exceptional patriotic display, with residents flying American flags in extraordinary numbers throughout the community) to the city's oil boom heritage and Marathon Petroleum (Findlay sits atop the historic Lima-Indiana oil field discovered in the 1880s, and today serves as the headquarters of Marathon Petroleum Corporation, one of the largest petroleum refining and marketing companies in the United States, anchoring a significant corporate and industrial presence in northwest Ohio).
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: Hancock County Emergency Management Agency – P.O. Box 964, Findlay, OH 45839 | (419) 424-7092 | [email protected]; Director Lee Swisher; office open Mon-Fri 7 AM-4 PM, maintains 24/7 on-call rotation for incidents.
911: Hancock County 911 – offers Smart911.com (pre-registered emergency profiles) and PulsePoint Respond (alerts nearby residents to sudden cardiac arrests so bystander CPR can begin before EMS arrives).
Sheriff: Hancock County Sheriff’s Office – 200 West Crawford St, Findlay, OH 45840 | (419) 424-7097.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. NAMING TRAP: this is Hancock County, Ohio (seat: Findlay) – distinct from the several other U.S. counties named Hancock, including Hancock County, Indiana.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-75 and SR-15/224 serve Findlay, the county seat, in northwest Ohio, about 40 miles south of Toledo
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Hancock County was founded March 1, 1828, named for John Hancock.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hancock County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via co.hancock.oh.us.
Notes: Findlay is genuinely, officially nicknamed “Flag City, USA” – a title with a documented origin: in the mid-1960s, resident John B. Cooke (a member of the Sons of the American Revolution) launched a campaign to have every household fly the American flag on Flag Day, June 14, raising funds through the John Hancock SAR Chapter to purchase and distribute 14,000 small flags via local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Camp Fire Girls. Findlay is also home to the headquarters of Fortune 100 company Marathon Petroleum, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, and the University of Findlay. In the War of 1812, Colonel James Findlay of Cincinnati built a road and stockade in the area (Fort Findlay) to shelter troops in the Great Black Swamp region; the community that grew from it took his name. Findlay was also historically a stop on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Hancock County Veterans Service Office – Nichole Jenkins, Director | (419) 424-7036; confirm current address via co.hancock.oh.us.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Findlay-Hancock County Public Library – Director Sarah Clevidence | (419) 422-1712; confirm current branch address via findlaylibrary.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Hancock Historical Museum, Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, and downtown Findlay along the Blanchard River Greenway Trail are the county’s signature attractions.
Notes: The genuine “Flag City, USA” origin story is one of the most distinctive, checkable local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Hancock County Auditor – confirm current phone via co.hancock.oh.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Humane Society & SPCA of Hancock County (contracted county animal control) – 4550 Fostoria Ave, Findlay, OH 45840 | (419) 423-1664 | [email protected] | hancockhumanesociety.com; educating the public and providing shelter since 1888; houses roughly 3,000 unwanted, abused, or lost animals annually; by law, all lost/stray animals in the county must go through this Animal Control Division.
Additional: Teddy’s Rescue, Inc. – Findlay, OH; private 501(c)(3) no-kill shelter accepting owner surrenders by appointment (surrender fee $40 cats/$50 dogs); does not accept stray intake (strays go to the Humane Society & SPCA above).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Hancock County Solid Waste Management District – Courtney Comstock, Director | (419) 424-7210.
NOTES: Hancock County is the fourth county in this batch (Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine “Flag City, USA” origin story is one of the most distinctive, checkable local facts covered anywhere in this project. 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 Hancock County
Hancock County is northwest Ohio’s Flag City and petroleum heritage county – Findlay’s oil boom history, Marathon Petroleum corporate headquarters, and strong community identity as Flag City USA define a county whose economic diversity spans energy, manufacturing, and agriculture across the productive northwest Ohio landscape.
Findlay (the county seat, population ~41,000) is Hancock County’s governmental and commercial hub and one of northwest Ohio’s larger cities, home to the University of Findlay and a diverse economic base of corporate headquarters, manufacturing, and regional services.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Hancock County Auditor at 300 S. Main Street, Findlay, OH 45840, phone 419-424-7015. OH assessed at 35% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Hancock County Common Pleas Court at 300 S. Main Street, Findlay, OH 45840, phone 419-424-7037, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
300 South Main St, Findlay, OH 45840
(419) 424-7037
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hancock County Probate Court, Findlay (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Hancock 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
Hancock County Probate Court 308 Dorney Plaza (209 West Main Cross Street), Findlay, OH 45840 (419) 424-7079 Hancock County is in northwestern Ohio, seated in Findlay.
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 Hancock 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
300 South Main St, Findlay, OH 45840
(419) 424-7037
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
220 West Main Cross St, Findlay, OH 45840
(419) 424-7091
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
806 Broad Ave, Findlay, OH 45840
(419) 424-7042
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Hancock Public Health
1900 North Main St, Findlay, OH 45840
(419) 424-7869
Job and Family Services
11333 County Road 99, Findlay, OH 45840
(419) 424-7861
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hancock Public Health – 2225 Keith Parkway, Findlay, OH 45840 | (419) 424-7105 | Fax: (419) 424-7189 | Hours: Mon 9 AM-4 PM, Tue-Fri 8 AM-4 PM; after-hours public health emergency/Class A communicable disease reporting: (419) 348-6611.
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: Findlay
Population: 76,000
Established: 1828
Tier: 2
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Hancock County residents.
