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Ohio County
Preble County, Ohio
Preble County's covered bridges and the National Road corridor - from Preble County's exceptional collection of historic covered bridges (seven surviving covered bridges make it one of Ohio's most significant covered bridge counties, with annual covered bridge festivals drawing visitors to the rural wooden structures) to the National Road's US-40 corridor through Eaton and the county's position at the Ohio-Indiana border, and a quiet southwestern Ohio agricultural county where historic transportation infrastructure and covered bridge heritage attract heritage tourism.
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.
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Office: Preble County Emergency Management Agency – 6818 US Route 127 N, Eaton, OH 45320 | (937) 456-5647 | Fax: (937) 456-6742; contracted to administer the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC); housed in a former Ohio State Highway Patrol post.
Public Health Emergency: Preble County Public Health – 615 Hillcrest Dr, Eaton, OH 45320 | (937) 472-0087; maintains 24/7 on-call personnel and a Medical Reserve Corps.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-127 and SR-122/725 serve Eaton, the county seat, in southwest Ohio near the Indiana border
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Eaton was founded as a village in 1806; the Eaton Fire Engine and Hose Company organized in 1835.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Preble County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via prebco.org.
Notes: Preble County is home to a genuine natural treasure: Hueston Woods State Park, whose 200-acre old-growth beech-maple forest – one of the last remnants of the forest type that once stretched across a broad band of Ohio – was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967 and represents roughly 5% of all remaining old-growth forest in the state. The land traces to Matthew Hueston, an early conservationist who served under General “Mad” Anthony Wayne in 1797 and later purchased and preserved much of the tract; after passing through private hands, the state acquired it in 1941 through the advocacy of Preble County legislator Cloyd Acton (for whom the park’s 625-acre Acton Lake is named). The park’s limestone bedrock also preserves abundant fossils from an ancient shallow sea that once covered Ohio, drawing fossil hunters from around the world.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Preble County Veterans Service Commission – 1322 N. Barron St., Eaton, OH 45320 | (937) 456-6111; a five-member board appointed under ORC Title 59 by the Preble County Court of Common Pleas judge, each representing a specific veterans organization (AMVETS, DAV, VVA, American Legion, VFW); provides emergency temporary financial assistance and VA claims filing help.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Preble County District Library – Administration/Library Room, 450 S. Barron Street, Eaton, OH 45320; formed 1959 from the consolidation of six independent libraries (Camden, Eaton, Eldorado, New Paris, West Elkton, West Alexandria); main Eaton branch Hours: Mon-Thu 9 AM-8 PM, Fri-Sat 9 AM-5 PM; seven branches total across the county plus the Preble County Room for local history/genealogy.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Hueston Woods State Park and its National Natural Landmark old-growth forest are the county’s premier natural attraction, alongside the 2012-built Hueston Woods Covered Bridge over Four Mile Creek.
Notes: The genuine National Natural Landmark old-growth forest at Hueston Woods is one of the most distinctive, checkable natural-history facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Preble County Auditor – confirm current phone via prebco.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Preble County Dog Warden (Sheriff’s Office) – 101 E Main Street, Eaton, OH 45320 | (937) 456-4818 | Fax: (937) 456-8114; Deputy Sheriff Lee Richardson.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Preble County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via prebco.org.
NOTES: Preble County is the fifth county in this batch (Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Preble, Putnam, Richland) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine National Natural Landmark old-growth forest at Hueston Woods is one of the most distinctive, checkable natural-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 Preble County
Preble County is southwestern Ohio’s covered bridge county – a flat-to-rolling agricultural community near the Indiana border that has preserved a remarkable collection of historic wooden covered bridges.
Eaton (the county seat, population ~8,000) is a modest agricultural service city on the National Road – the US-40 corridor’s historic significance is reflected in Eaton’s 19th-century commercial architecture and the county’s role as a waystation on America’s first federal highway.
Preble County’s seven surviving covered bridges – spanning Twin Creek and other county waterways – represent one of the finest concentrations of covered bridges in southwestern Ohio. The Preble County Covered Bridge Festival each October draws visitors to tour the bridges and celebrate the county’s rural heritage.
The county’s agricultural landscape – corn, soybeans, and livestock – extends from the National Road corridor to the Indiana border on productive glacial till soils.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Preble County Auditor at 101 E. Main Street, Eaton, OH 45320, phone 937-456-8148. Appeal to County Board of Revision by April 1.
Courts & Legal
Preble County Probate Court at 101 E. Main Street, Eaton, OH 45320, phone 937-456-8160, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
101 East Main St, Eaton, OH 45320
(937) 456-8156
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Preble County Probate Court, Eaton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Preble 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
Preble County Probate Court 101 East Main Street, 2nd Floor, Eaton, OH 45320 (937) 456-8137 Preble County is in western Ohio along the Indiana border, seated in Eaton.
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 Preble 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
101 East Main St, Eaton, OH 45320
(937) 456-8156
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
401 East Main St, Eaton, OH 45320
(937) 456-3021
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
101 North Franklin St, Eaton, OH 45320
(937) 456-2261
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
General Health District
200 North Barron St, Eaton, OH 45320
(937) 456-2221
Job and Family Services
300 North Barron St, Eaton, OH 45320
(937) 456-6919
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Preble County Public Health – 615 Hillcrest Dr, Eaton, OH 45320 | (937) 472-0087.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Eaton
Population: 42,000
Established: 1808
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Preble County residents.
