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Ohio County
Washington County, Ohio
Marietta - the first organized American settlement in the Northwest Territory - from Marietta's founding on July 4, 1788 (the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory, established by the Ohio Company of Associates - New England veterans of the Revolutionary War who organized the purchase and settlement of Ohio's first American community) to the Campus Martius Museum (preserving the original fortified settlement structure and documenting the founding of American Ohio) and the Ohio River's historic significance at the Muskingum confluence, and a southeastern Ohio community that is literally where American westward expansion began.
County SeatMarietta
Population60,000
Founded1788 (Ohio's first organized American settlement)
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Office: Washington County Emergency Management Agency – 204 Davis Avenue, Suite C, Marietta, OH 45750 | (740) 373-5613 | Fax: (740) 374-2377 | Emergency Phone: (740) 760-1911 | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
911: Washington County 911 Office – coordinates three PSAPs countywide (Washington County Sheriff’s Office, City of Belpre, City of Marietta) | Non-emergency dispatch: (740) 376-7070; offers WashCoALERT emergency notifications.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-7 and SR-60/821 serve Marietta, the county seat, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Marietta, nicknamed “Riverboat Town,” is genuinely, historically Ohio’s first permanent American settlement, founded April 7, 1788 by the Ohio Company of Associates in the newly established Northwest Territory.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Washington County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via washingtongov.org.
Notes: Marietta is home to an extraordinary concentration of Ohio and Northwest Territory “firsts”: Campus Martius, the first permanent school in Ohio (1791); the Farmers Library, built 1796, the first library in Ohio; the Muskingum Academy (1800), the first academy in the Northwest Territory; the Bank of Marietta (1808), Ohio’s first bank; and the first publicly funded children’s home in America (1858). The area also contains the Marietta Earthworks, a Hopewell Native American mound complex over 1,500 years old; the settlers deliberately preserved the “Great Mound” (Conus) by building their own Mound Cemetery around it, which by 1900 held the highest concentration of Revolutionary War officers’ graves in the nation. The largest platform mound, Quadranaou, became the site of the city library – meaning the Marietta Branch Library is genuinely the only library in the United States built atop a Native American mound. Marietta is also home to Marietta College and Washington State Community College.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Washington County Veterans Service Commission – 706 Pike Street, Suite 1, Marietta, OH 45750 | (740) 568-9009 | Fax: (740) 568-9019 | Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM-5 PM, Fri 8 AM-Noon; provides financial assistance, VA medical transportation, burial benefits, and claims/benefits guidance.
State: Ohio Department of Veterans Services – dvs.ohio.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Washington County Public Library – Marietta Branch (anchor library, built atop the Quadranaou mound), 615 Fifth Street, Marietta, OH 45750 | (740) 373-1057; over 120,000-item collection; 7 locations countywide plus a bookmobile, including Barlow, Belpre, Lafayette (Marietta), Local History (Marietta), Beverly, and New Matamoras branches.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Campus Martius Museum, Mound Cemetery, the Marietta Earthworks, and the historic downtown riverfront are the county’s signature attractions.
Notes: The genuine “first permanent settlement in Ohio” heritage and the library built on a Hopewell mound are among the most historically significant, distinctive facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Washington County Auditor – confirm current phone via washingtongov.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Washington County Dog Warden – 205 Putnam Street, Marietta, OH 45750; Manager Sandra Matthews.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Washington County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via washingtongov.org.
NOTES: Washington County is the seventh county in the final batch (Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Williams, Wood, Wyandot) of the Ohio v2 redo. The genuine “first permanent settlement in Ohio” heritage – including a library built atop a Hopewell mound – is among the most historically significant 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 Washington County
Washington County contains Marietta – the most historically significant city in Ohio and the birthplace of American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
Marietta (the county seat, population ~13,000) was founded on July 4, 1788 – the date was chosen deliberately to echo the Declaration of Independence’s significance. The Ohio Company’s 48 founding settlers established Campus Martius (Latin for “Field of Mars”) – a fortified settlement at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. The Campus Martius Museum preserves one of the original corner blockhouses of the fort and documents the founding generation’s stories.
The Muskingum River’s entry into the Ohio at Marietta created a strategic commercial position – the city became a shipbuilding and commercial center in the early 19th century, with Marietta’s shipyards producing vessels for the Mississippi River trade.
Marietta College (founded 1835, enrollment ~1,400) continues the New England educational tradition brought by the founding settlers.
The Ohio River Valley’s history at Washington County is preserved in multiple historic sites, museums, and the character of Marietta’s exceptionally well-preserved 19th-century neighborhoods.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Washington County Auditor at 205 Putnam Street, Marietta, OH 45750, phone 740-373-6623. Appeal to County Board of Revision by April 1.
Courts & Legal
Washington County Probate Court at 205 Putnam Street, Suite 260, Marietta, OH 45750, phone 740-373-6623, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
205 Putnam St, Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 373-6623
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Washington County Probate Court, Marietta (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
As Ohio’s oldest permanent settlement, Marietta has significant early-territorial archival resources, including the Marietta College Special Collections.
Local societies
No dedicated Washington 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
Washington County Probate Court (Courthouse Annex) 205 Putnam Street, Marietta, OH 45750 (740) 373-6623
Washington County is in southeastern Ohio along the Ohio River, seated in Marietta – Ohio’s oldest permanent European settlement (founded 1788, the first organized settlement of the Northwest Territory).
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 Washington 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
205 Putnam St, Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 373-6623
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
336 Muskingum Dr, Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 373-1213
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
BOARD OF ELECTIONS
213 Davis Ave, Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 373-2371
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
342 Muskingum Dr, Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 373-1240
Job and Family Services
806 Gross St, Marietta, OH 45750
(740) 373-2691
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Washington County Health Department – confirm current contact via washingtongov.org.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Marietta
Population: 60,000
Established: 1788 (Ohio's first organized American settlement)
Tier: 3
Public Records
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