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Ohio County
Scioto County, Ohio
Portsmouth floodwall murals and Scioto River confluence - from Portsmouth's remarkable floodwall mural project (the Portsmouth Floodwall Murals stretch over 2,000 feet along the Ohio River floodwall and depict the history of Portsmouth and Scioto County in one of the largest outdoor mural projects in the United States, drawing visitors to the city's riverfront) to Portsmouth's role as the hometown of Roy Rogers and Branch Rickey (the King of the Cowboys and the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who broke baseball's color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson both hailed from Portsmouth, giving Scioto County an outsized cultural legacy for a city of its size).
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: Scioto County Emergency Management Agency – coordinates with the Scioto County Health Department on the countywide All-Hazards Emergency Response Plan, reviewed and updated annually.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-23 and US-52 serve Portsmouth, the county seat, at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto Rivers
Airport: Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport (PMH) – general aviation, roughly 45,600 annual aircraft operations, 30 based aircraft.
Notes: Portsmouth was founded in 1803 after Henry Massie relocated the flood-prone earlier settlement of Alexandria; it grew as an industrial hub following completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal and construction of the N&W railyards and B&O rail junction.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Scioto County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via sciotocountyoh.gov.
Notes: Portsmouth is genuinely home to the Portsmouth Floodwall Murals, an outdoor gallery of over 55 murals painted along a 20-foot, roughly 2,090-foot section of the city’s Ohio River floodwall – built by the Army Corps of Engineers between 1940-1950 after the devastating 1937 flood. Beginning in 1993, muralist Robert Dafford of Lafayette, LA transformed what had been a plain concrete barrier into a chronological visual history of the region spanning over 2,000 years, from the ancient Adena/Hopewell Mound Builders and the Shawnee village of Lower Shawneetown through the industrial and nuclear era. The project, maintained by the nonprofit Portsmouth Murals, Inc., sits within the Boneyfiddle Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Scioto County Veterans Service Office – 612 6th St., Suite A, Portsmouth, OH 45662 | (740) 353-1477; located in the Scioto County Courthouse Annex; provides VA claims filing, transportation to VA hospitals, and compensation/pension/education benefits assistance.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Scioto County Public Library (formerly Portsmouth Public Library, renamed January 2023) – Main Library, Gallia Street, Portsmouth, OH, serving Portsmouth since 1879; 4 branches: W. Gordan Ryan (Lucasville, est. 1990), Vern Riffe (New Boston, est. 1941), South Webster (est. 1984), and Wheelersburg (est. 1965); over 80,000 residents served, roughly 370,000 items circulated annually.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Portsmouth Floodwall Murals and the Boneyfiddle Historic District are the county’s signature attractions.
Notes: The genuine Floodwall Murals – one of the largest outdoor mural projects in the country – are a distinctive, checkable local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Scioto County Auditor – confirm current phone via sciotocountyoh.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Scioto County Dog Warden – 95 Arrowhead North Road, Portsmouth, OH 45662 | (740) 353-8802 | [email protected]; Chief Dog Warden Darrell Keller.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Scioto County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via sciotocountyoh.gov.
NOTES: Scioto County is the third county in this batch (Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Summit) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine Portsmouth Floodwall Murals – one of the largest outdoor mural galleries in the country – are a distinctive, checkable 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 Scioto County
Scioto County is south Ohio’s Scioto River confluence and Ohio River county – Portsmouth’s remarkable floodwall murals, famous native sons, and historic position at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio rivers anchor a county that has faced significant economic challenges while maintaining a resilient community identity in the hills of southern Ohio.
Portsmouth (the county seat, population ~19,000) is Scioto County’s governmental and commercial hub, an Ohio River city whose history as a prosperous industrial center, famous alumni, and ongoing community revitalization efforts define its contemporary character.
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Scioto County Auditor at 602 7th Street, Portsmouth, OH 45662, phone 740-355-8265. OH assessed at 35% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Scioto County Common Pleas Court at 602 7th Street, Portsmouth, OH 45662, phone 740-355-8208, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
602 7th St, Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 355-8264
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Scioto County Probate Court, Portsmouth (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Scioto 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
Scioto County Probate Court 602 Seventh Street, Room 205, Portsmouth, OH 45662 (740) 355-8218 Scioto County is in southern Ohio along the Ohio River, seated in Portsmouth.
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 Scioto 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
602 7th St, Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 355-8264
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
1054 4th St, Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 354-7511
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
602 7th St, Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 355-8321
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
2020 Center St, Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 353-5138
Job and Family Services
1146 Waller St, Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 351-1439
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Scioto County Health Department – confirm current contact via sciotocountyhealth.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Portsmouth
Population: 74,000
Established: 1803
Tier: 2
Public Records
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