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Ohio County
Jefferson County, Ohio
Steubenville's Dean Martin birthplace and the Ohio Valley steel heritage - from Steubenville's claim as the birthplace of Dean Martin (Dino Paul Crocetti, born June 7, 1917, one half of the most successful entertainment partnership in American history with Jerry Lewis, and a founding member of the Rat Pack - the annual Dean Martin Festival draws fans from around the world to his hometown) to the Ohio River's steel-making heritage (Jefferson County's river valley hosted significant steel production that declined in the 1970s-80s deindustrialization wave) and Franciscan University of Steubenville's nationally prominent Catholic conservative education mission.
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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.
911: Jefferson County 911 – a combined public safety answering point and dispatch center for 54 county agencies, with a state-of-the-art 800 MHz radio system connected to the State of Ohio MARCS network; uses CodeRED for emergency and general notifications (emergency calls originate from 866-419-5000).
Sheriff: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office – Steubenville, OH 43952.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. NAMING TRAP: this is Jefferson County, Ohio (seat: Steubenville) – distinct from other same-named counties, including Jefferson County, Indiana. Jefferson County OH was established December 8, 1818, bordered by Belmont, Harrison, Carroll, and Columbiana counties, and across the Ohio River by Hancock and Brooke counties in West Virginia.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-7 and US-22 serve Steubenville, the county seat, along the Ohio River 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: Steubenville sits along the Ohio River, close to Pittsburgh, PA and Wheeling, WV.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jefferson County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyoh.com.
Notes: Steubenville is genuinely, famously the birthplace of legendary entertainer Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917), son of Italian immigrants; his father was a barber from Abruzzo, Italy, and his mother was born in nearby Fernwood, Ohio. Martin attended Grant Elementary School and dropped out of Steubenville High School in 10th grade to work in a local steel mill before beginning his entertainment career. The city has celebrated him for decades – Steubenville hosted “Dean Martin Day” on October 6, 1950, when Martin and comedy partner Jerry Lewis returned to a hero’s welcome, and the city has run an annual Dean Martin Festival for over 20 years each June, featuring a parade down Dean Martin Boulevard. The Dean Martin Room at the Jefferson County Historical Museum and Library displays memorabilia including a wedding dress made by Martin’s mother. Steubenville is also known as the “City of Murals” for its extensive collection of large outdoor historical murals downtown.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jefferson County Veterans Service Commission/Office – 500 Market St, Steubenville, OH 43952; helps veterans obtain earned benefits from the VA and State of Ohio.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County (PLSJ) – serves a large area of southeast Ohio’s Ohio Valley region; includes the Schiappa Branch Library, established February 2, 1987, Steubenville, OH | steubenvillelibrary.org; houses the Dean Martin Room with memorabilia and photos.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Steubenville’s outdoor murals (“City of Murals”), the Dean Martin Room at the Jefferson County Historical Museum and Library, and the annual Dean Martin Festival are the county’s signature attractions.
Notes: The genuine Dean Martin birthplace heritage is one of the most distinctive entertainment-history facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jefferson County Auditor – confirm current phone via jeffersoncountyoh.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Jefferson County Dog Warden – 3463 County Road 26, Wintersville, OH 43953 | (740) 264-6888; a full-time county employee reporting to the Jefferson County Commissioners, responsible for dog licensing and dogs running at large (distinct from the Humane Society’s cruelty/welfare role).
Nonprofit: Jefferson County Humane Society – Wintersville, OH; serves Steubenville, Toronto, and all other Jefferson County villages/townships; handles animal cruelty complaints for domestic and large animals (horses, cattle, goats, pigs, sheep) via a Humane Agent, separate from the Dog Warden’s licensing/at-large role; offers a low-cost veterinary clinic.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jefferson County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyoh.com.
NOTES: Jefferson County is the sixth county in this batch (Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine Dean Martin birthplace heritage is one of the most distinctive entertainment-history 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 Jefferson County
Jefferson County is eastern Ohio’s most celebrity-endowed river county – birthplace of one of American entertainment’s most beloved figures and home to a nationally significant Catholic university.
Steubenville (the county seat, population ~18,000) celebrates Dean Martin with an annual festival that draws thousands of fans to downtown events, celebrity impersonators, and Martin’s music. The Dean Martin Festival, held each June, is one of Ohio’s most distinctive celebrity heritage events.
Franciscan University of Steubenville – founded 1946 by Franciscan friars – has become one of the most prominent orthodox Catholic universities in the United States, drawing students from across the country seeking a strongly Catholic educational environment. The university’s enrollment (~2,500) and its conservative Catholic intellectual mission give Steubenville a distinctive character.
Jefferson County’s Ohio River communities experienced the steel industry’s rise and fall that characterized the entire Upper Ohio Valley, leaving a landscape of partially converted industrial sites and working-class neighborhoods.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Jefferson County Auditor at 301 Market Street, Steubenville, OH 43952, phone 740-283-8518. Appeal to County Board of Revision by April 1.
Courts & Legal
Jefferson County Probate Court at 301 Market Street, Steubenville, OH 43952, phone 740-283-8583, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
301 Market St, Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 283-8531
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jefferson County Probate Court, Steubenville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Jefferson 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
Jefferson County Probate Court 301 Market Street, Steubenville, OH 43952 (740) 283-8554 Jefferson County is in eastern Ohio along the West Virginia border, seated in Steubenville.
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 Jefferson 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 Market St, Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 283-8531
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
301 Market St, Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 283-8600
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
500 Market St, Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 283-8523
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
301 Market St, Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 283-8530
Job and Family Services
500 Market St, Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 283-8300
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Jefferson County General Health District – Steubenville, OH | (740) 283-8530; works in conjunction with County Emergency Management for public health emergencies; call 911 for public health emergencies 24/7.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Steubenville
Population: 64,000
Established: 1797
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Jefferson County residents.
