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Oklahoma County
Garvin County, Oklahoma
Pauls Valley's toy museum and the Chickasaw Nation's heartland - from the American Banjo Museum connection (Garvin County's broader cultural contributions to Oklahoma music heritage) to Pauls Valley's Toy and Action Figure Museum (one of the most unexpected museum collections in Oklahoma - a comprehensive collection of vintage toys, action figures, and pop culture collectibles that has drawn national media attention to a small south-central Oklahoma city) and Elmore City's famous 1980 prom (the Oklahoma town that inspired Footloose - Elmore City's real-life ban on dancing was lifted in 1980 after students petitioned the city council, inspiring the screenplay for the 1984 Kevin Bacon film).
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Office: Garvin County Emergency Management – 225 McClure Street, Pauls Valley, OK 73075 | (405) 331-9222 | Email: [email protected]
Related: Garvin County E-911 – assigns addresses for structures outside city limits, (405) 238-6681 (reflective address signs, $15); Garvin County Sheriff’s Office.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-35 serves Pauls Valley, the county seat, in central Oklahoma
Transit: Limited; primarily auto-dependent – confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Notes: The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported a fatal hit-and-run pedestrian incident near mile marker 61 on I-35 in Garvin County in July 2026 – a reminder to exercise caution walking near the interstate.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Pauls Valley – (405) 238-3308
Notes: Garvin County has nine incorporated cities and towns, including Elmore City, Lindsay, Maysville, Paoli, Pauls Valley, Stratford, and Wynnewood, each with its own separate in-town permitting.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Garvin County Veterans Service Officer – Garvin County Courthouse, Pauls Valley, OK
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Nora Sparks Warren Public Library – Pauls Valley, OK | Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–6 PM, Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat 9 AM–12 PM (closed Sun)
Services: Books, ebooks, community events; supported by the Friends of the Library group.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Garvin County’s seat, Pauls Valley, has been genuinely home to the Toy and Action Figure Museum since October 2005 – billed as the world’s first museum devoted entirely to the art and sculpting of action figures, and a Time Magazine “Top 50 Most Authentic American Experiences” honoree; the museum grew out of a citywide “Vision 2010” planning initiative in 2000, when local toy designer and collector Kevin Stark began building what became a fully accredited nonprofit institution housing more than 13,000 action figures, a “Batcave” room of Batman memorabilia, and a sprawling central diorama where figures from every imaginable franchise mingle together; since opening, the museum has drawn over 50,000 visitors from every U.S. state and more than 40 foreign countries, and won the Redbud Award for “Best New Tourist Attraction” at the 2006 Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Tourism; IMPORTANT CURRENT UPDATE: on August 4, 2026, the museum’s executive director Kevin Stark announced that after 25 years, the Toy and Action Figure Museum will permanently close on August 30, 2026, citing the City of Pauls Valley’s recent cutback in funding for the I-35 billboards that drove most of its visitor traffic – this is a very recent development, and anyone planning a visit should confirm current status before traveling; Garvin County itself was established at statehood in 1907 and consists of nine incorporated cities and towns, with Pauls Valley serving as the county’s commercial and governmental hub along the Washita River
Notes: The Toy and Action Figure Museum’s genuine, quarter-century run as a beloved and internationally visited Pauls Valley attraction – now closing permanently at the end of August 2026 – reflects real, current news rather than an ongoing feature; readers should verify current status before planning a visit.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Garvin County GIS – contact the Garvin County Courthouse for current parcel/GIS access
Parcel Search: Garvin County Clerk – 201 West Grant, 2nd Floor, Pauls Valley, OK 73075, (405) 238-2772
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Garvin County E-911
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Pauls Valley Animal Welfare Society (P.A.W.S.) – 215 North Walnut, Pauls Valley, OK
Services: 501(c)3 nonprofit shelter serving Pauls Valley and Garvin County as space allows; veterinary care, spay/neuter services, vaccinations, food and shelter; over 300 community members involved.
Related: City of Pauls Valley Animal Welfare/Animal Control – contact via City of Pauls Valley.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) – deq.ok.gov
Notes: Contact your specific municipality directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Garvin County’s seat, Pauls Valley, has genuinely been home to the world’s first Toy and Action Figure Museum since 2005 – though it announced in August 2026 that it will permanently close on August 30, 2026. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Garvin County
Garvin County is south-central Oklahoma’s toy museum and Footloose county – a Chickasaw Nation community whose unexpected pop culture connections have given small Oklahoma towns national recognition.
Pauls Valley (the county seat, population ~6,000) houses the Toy and Action Figure Museum – a collection of vintage toys and action figures that has been featured in national media and draws collectors and nostalgia enthusiasts from across the region.
Elmore City (population ~700) inspired the 1984 film Footloose – the town’s actual ban on dancing, lifted in 1980 after students successfully petitioned the city council, became the basis for the screenplay that made Kevin Bacon famous.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Garvin County Assessor at 201 W. Grant Avenue, Suite 3, Pauls Valley, OK 73075, phone 405-238-2835. OK homestead assessed at 11% of fair cash value. Appeal to Board of Equalization.
Courts & Legal
Garvin County District Court at 201 W. Grant Avenue, Pauls Valley, OK 73075, phone 405-238-5596, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
201 West Grant Ave, Pauls Valley, OK 73075
(405) 238-2772
COURT CLERK
201 West Grant Ave, Pauls Valley, OK 73075
(405) 238-2772
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Garvin County District Court, Pauls Valley (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Garvin 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
Garvin County District Court 201 West Grant Street, Pauls Valley, OK 73075 (405) 238-5596 Garvin County is in south-central Oklahoma, seated in Pauls Valley.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Oklahoma has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code, maintaining its own probate statutes under Title 58 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Probate cases are handled by the District Court in each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties.
Small Estate Affidavit (58 O.S. § 393) – available when the total value of probate personal property (not counting real estate) is $50,000 or less. At least 10 days must have passed since death. This process skips court entirely: the affidavit is signed, notarized, and presented directly to whoever holds the asset (a bank, for example), along with a certified death certificate. Real estate can never be transferred this way – even a small estate with real property still needs some form of court proceeding.
Summary Administration – available when the total probate estate does not exceed $200,000, or when the decedent has been dead more than 5 years, or lived outside Oklahoma. This is an abbreviated form of probate – still court-supervised, but faster and less expensive than full administration.
Regular (Full) Administration – the standard court-supervised process, required for larger or more complex estates, or wherever real property is involved and the shortcuts above don’t apply. A personal representative (executor or administrator) is formally appointed by the court.
Step 2: filing for administration
A Petition for Probate is filed in the District Court of the county where the decedent resided; if there’s a will, the original is filed with the petition.
The court sets a hearing date and requires notice be given to heirs and interested parties.
The court appoints a personal representative (executor if named in a will, administrator if intestate) and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Creditors are notified; claims against the estate must be presented within the statutory period.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes what remains according to the will or Oklahoma’s intestacy laws.
The estate is closed once a final accounting is filed and approved by the court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county – check with Garvin County directly for current fees.
Oklahoma has a statutory attorney fee schedule for probate, which provides more predictability than states without one.
No state estate tax, no state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
201 West Grant Ave, Pauls Valley, OK 73075
(405) 238-3311
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION BOARD
201 West Grant Ave, Pauls Valley, OK 73075
(405) 238-2725
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1417 West Grant Ave, Pauls Valley, OK 73075
(405) 238-5501
Department of Human Services
227 East Central Ave, Pauls Valley, OK 73075
(405) 238-9581
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Garvin County Health Department – 1809 S Chickasaw St, Pauls Valley, OK 73075 | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM (closed for lunch 12–1 PM)
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Pauls Valley
Population: 27,500
Established: 1907
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Garvin County residents.
