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Ohio County
Hocking County, Ohio
Hocking Hills and Ohio's most visited state park destination - from Old Man's Cave's extraordinary sandstone gorge (a recess cave carved by glacial meltwater into the Black Hand sandstone of the Hocking Hills, with a waterfall, hemlock forest, and dramatic rock formations that make it the most visited site in the Ohio State Park system) to Ash Cave (Ohio's largest recess cave, a 700-foot horseshoe-shaped sandstone overhang sheltering a year-round waterfall), Cedar Falls, and a Hocking River valley county that has built its entire economy around one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the eastern United States.
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Office: Hocking County Emergency Management Agency – 52 East Second Street, Logan, OH 43138; maintains a countywide Hazard Mitigation Plan.
911: Hocking County 911/Dispatch – confirm current phone via hocking.oh.gov.
EMS: Hocking County Emergency Medical Service – 450 State Route 664 North, Logan, OH 43138 | (740) 385-0919 | [email protected]; employs full- and part-time Paramedics, Intermediates, and EMTs across 3 stations covering 424 square miles, including Hocking Hills State Park and the Wayne National Forest ATV Trail System.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-33 and SR-664/278 serve Logan, the county seat, in southeastern Ohio
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Hocking County is a major regional tourist destination centered on Hocking Hills State Park.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hocking County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via hocking.oh.gov.
Notes: Hocking County is genuinely home to Hocking Hills State Park, established 1924, spanning over 2,356 acres with more than 25 miles of hiking trails, dramatic rock formations, waterfalls, and recess caves – one of Ohio’s most-visited natural attractions. The park’s six signature hiking areas are Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Cedar Falls, Old Man’s Cave, Rock House, and Whispering Cave. The area’s remarkable sandstone formations trace back over 330 million years, when the region lay beneath the Atlantic Ocean; over eons, ocean currents deposited sand and gravel that later eroded into today’s cliffs and waterfalls after the ancient Teays River was buried by glacial silt roughly 10,000 years ago, reversing the flow of the modern Hocking River.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Hocking County Veterans Service Office – confirm current address/phone via hocking.oh.gov.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Logan-Hocking County District Library – serving the community since 1947; Main Library, 230 E. Main Street, Logan, OH 43138 | (740) 385-2348 | Fax: (740) 385-9093 | Hours: Mon-Wed 9 AM-7 PM, Thu-Sat 9 AM-5 PM, Sun 1-5 PM; Laurelville Branch, 16240 Maple Street, Laurelville, OH 43135 | (740) 332-4700 | Fax: (740) 332-1379; also operates a bookmobile.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hocking Hills State Park (see above) is the county’s premier, nationally recognized attraction, alongside Hocking State Forest and the Wayne National Forest ATV Trail System.
Notes: Hocking Hills’ genuine 330-million-year geologic history and status as one of Ohio’s top tourist draws are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Hocking County Auditor – confirm current phone via hocking.oh.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Hocking County Dog Warden – 25 East 2nd Street, Logan, OH 43138 | (740) 385-2131 | [email protected] | Fax: (740) 380-2121; Chief Dog Warden David Wright.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Hocking County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via hocking.oh.gov.
NOTES: Hocking County is the second county in this batch (Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine Hocking Hills State Park geologic and tourism heritage is a distinctive local fact. 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 Hocking County
Hocking County is Ohio’s outdoor recreation county – a southeastern Ohio sandstone landscape whose dramatic gorges, waterfalls, and ancient hemlock forests attract millions of visitors annually to what is consistently Ohio’s most popular state park destination.
Hocking Hills State Park – centered in Hocking County – encompasses Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Conkle’s Hollow, Rock House, and Cantwell Cliffs. The Black Hand sandstone that underlies the region was carved by glacial meltwater into extraordinary recess caves, gorges, and overhangs. Old Man’s Cave alone draws over one million visitors annually. The park’s popularity has driven a substantial cabin rental, zip-line, and outdoor adventure economy throughout the county.
Logan (the county seat, population ~7,000) on the Hocking River serves as the commercial hub for the park’s visitors – restaurants, outfitters, and lodging businesses cater to the year-round visitor traffic.
The Rockbridge Natural Arch – a 100-foot natural sandstone arch – is one of Ohio’s largest natural arches and adds to the county’s geological attractions.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Hocking County Auditor at 1 E. Main Street, Logan, OH 43138, phone 740-385-2127. Appeal to County Board of Revision by April 1.
Courts & Legal
Hocking County Probate Court at 90 W. Front Street, Logan, OH 43138, phone 740-385-2616, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
1 East Main St, Logan, OH 43138
(740) 385-2616
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hocking County Probate Court, Logan (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Hocking 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
Hocking County Probate Court 1 East Main Street, Logan, OH 43138 (740) 385-3022 Hocking County is in southeastern Ohio, seated in Logan – home to the scenic Hocking Hills region.
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 Hocking 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
1 East Main St, Logan, OH 43138
(740) 385-2616
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
1 East Main St, Logan, OH 43138
(740) 385-2131
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
87 East Front St, Logan, OH 43138
(740) 385-2957
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
350 State Route 664 North, Logan, OH 43138
(740) 385-3030
Job and Family Services
13130 State Route 664 South, Logan, OH 43138
(740) 385-4108
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hocking County Health Department – confirm current contact via hocking.oh.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Logan
Population: 28,000
Established: 1818
Tier: 3
Public Records
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