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Oregon County
Curry County, Oregon
The Rogue River and the only Japanese bombing of the continental US - from the Rogue River's Wild and Scenic corridor (the lower Rogue River running through Curry County to the Pacific at Gold Beach is one of the original eight rivers designated Wild and Scenic in 1968 - the river's extraordinary steelhead and salmon runs, its jet boat tours through the canyon wilderness, and the Mail Boat service that has delivered mail up the Rogue by boat since 1895 make it one of Oregon's most celebrated rivers) to the 1942 Brookings bombing (on September 9, 1942, Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita became the only enemy combatant to bomb the continental United States when he dropped incendiary bombs on the Siskiyou National Forest near Brookings - the attack was intended to start forest fires but caused minimal damage and Fujita later became an honorary citizen of Brookings).
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Office: Curry County Emergency Management – 29808 Colvin Street (physical) / 94235 Moore Street, Suite 213, Box 15 (mailing), Gold Beach, OR 97444 | (541) 247-3208 | Fax: (541) 247-6893 | [email protected]; collaborates with the Sheriff’s Office for county-wide 911 services.
Sheriff: Curry County Sheriff’s Office – (541) 247-3242 | (800) 543-8471 | 94235 Moore Street, Suite 311, Gold Beach, OR 97444; Sheriff John Ward.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Curry County is prone to wildfire risk; recent Level 3 “GO NOW” evacuations have been issued for areas near the Rogue River.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-101 runs the length of Curry County along Oregon’s southwesternmost coast, connecting Port Orford, Gold Beach (the county seat), and Brookings.
Transit: Curry Public Transit.
Notes: Curry County, established December 18, 1855 and named for Oregon Territory Governor George Law Curry, is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and includes the scenic Rogue River, which flows to the sea at Gold Beach.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Curry County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via currycountyor.gov.
Notes: The Harbor-Brookings area of southwest Curry County is genuinely, nationally significant as one half of the “Easter Lily Capital of the World” (paired with the Smith River area of Del Norte County, CA just across the state line) – together the two areas produce roughly 90-95% of the world’s commercially grown Easter lily bulbs, a tradition dating to 1919 when a WWI veteran brought hybrid lily bulbs to the Oregon coast; production boomed after WWII cut off Japanese imports. Brookings also experiences the “Chetco Effect,” a real meteorological phenomenon that keeps winter temperatures up to 20°F warmer than surrounding areas.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Curry County Veterans Service Office – Mailing: 94235 Moore St., Gold Beach, OR 97444 | (541) 247-3205 | Fax: (541) 247-2713; CVSOs Tony Voudy ([email protected]) and Addy Pitman ([email protected]); also holds office hours in Brookings (517 Railroad St.) on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, by appointment.
Federal: Portland VA Medical Center.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Gold Beach: Curry Public Library – 94341 3rd Street, Gold Beach, OR 97444 | (541) 247-7246 | Hours: Mon-Thu 10 AM-7 PM, Fri-Sat 10 AM-5 PM, Sun 12-5 PM; ~39,000-volume collection; the only free notary public service in Gold Beach.
Brookings: Chetco Community Library – confirm current address/phone via brookings.or.us.
Port Orford: Port Orford Library – confirm current address/phone via currycountyor.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor (a 12-mile stretch of dramatic coastal viewpoints), Harris Beach State Park, and Cape Blanco are the county’s premier natural attractions. The Curry Historical Museum documents local heritage.
Notes: The genuine “Easter Lily Capital of the World” heritage – producing the vast majority of the world’s commercial Easter lily bulbs – is a distinctive, nationally recognizable local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Curry County Assessor – confirm current phone via currycountyor.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Nonprofit: Wild Rivers Animal Rescue (formerly Curry County Animal Shelter) – 29921 Airport Way, Gold Beach, OR 97444 | (541) 247-2514 | Hours: Tue-Sat 10 AM-4 PM; a 501(c)(3) no-kill shelter serving Curry County; dog licensing required countywide, $25 (spayed/neutered) or $42 (unfixed) annual fee.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Curry Transfer and Recycling – confirm current contact via currycountyor.gov.
NOTES: Curry County is the first county in the Oregon v2 redo’s second batch (Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River). The genuine “Easter Lily Capital of the World” heritage – a nationally recognizable agricultural fact – is a distinctive local highlight. 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 Curry County
Curry County is the Rogue River and the site of the only Japanese bombing of the continental US – the Wild and Scenic Rogue’s jet boat tours and legendary steelhead runs define the south Oregon coast, and the 1942 Brookings incendiary bombing by pilot Nobuo Fujita was the only enemy attack on the continental United States in World War II.
Gold Beach (the county seat, population ~2,200) is the Rogue River’s Pacific terminus. Brookings (population ~6,500) is Oregon’s southernmost city and the “banana belt” of the coast.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Curry County Assessor at 29821 Ellensburg Avenue, Gold Beach, OR 97444, phone 541-247-3294. OR Measure 50 limits assessed value increases.
Courts & Legal
Curry County Circuit Court at 29821 Ellensburg Avenue, Gold Beach, OR 97444, phone 541-247-4511, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
94235 Moore St, Gold Beach, OR 97444
(541) 247-3297
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Curry County Circuit Court, Gold Beach (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Curry 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
Curry County Circuit Court 29821 Ellensburg Avenue, Gold Beach, OR 97444 (541) 247-4511
Curry County was founded December 18, 1855, named for Oregon territorial governor George L. Curry, on the southwestern Oregon coast, seated in Gold Beach (largest city Brookings).
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Oregon has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code, maintaining its own independent probate code under ORS Chapters 111 through 117. Probate is handled in the probate department of the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent lived (ORS 111.085). Oregon does not offer a separate unsupervised/informal probate track – its “simple estate” process and formal administration are the two paths.
Simple Estate Affidavit (ORS 114.505–114.560) – available when the total fair market value of the estate is $275,000 or less, made up of no more than $75,000 in personal property and no more than $200,000 in real property. The affidavit (“Affidavit of Claiming Successor”) cannot be filed until at least 30 days after death and must be filed with the clerk of the probate court. It requires a detailed asset description, a list of known creditors, and notice that claims are barred unless presented within 4 months of filing.
Full Probate Administration – required for estates that exceed the simple estate limits or don’t otherwise qualify. A personal representative is appointed by the court and administers the estate under ongoing court oversight.
Step 2: filing for administration
A petition for probate is filed in the Circuit Court in the county where the decedent resided (or, for simple estates, an Affidavit of Claiming Successor is filed with the probate clerk at least 30 days after death).
If a will exists, it’s filed with the petition or affidavit.
For full administration, the court appoints a personal representative and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice is given to heirs, devisees, and creditors; claims against the estate must generally be presented within the statutory period.
The personal representative (or affiant, for simple estates) inventories assets, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes what remains according to the will or Oregon’s intestacy laws.
Full administration closes once a final account is filed and approved by the court; simple estates close once assets are distributed and any required notices are filed.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Curry County directly for current fees.
Oregon imposes a state estate tax on estates exceeding approximately $1,000,000, with rates ranging from 10% to 16%. No state inheritance tax.
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
29808 Colvin St, Gold Beach, OR 97444
(541) 247-3242
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
94235 Moore St, Gold Beach, OR 97444
(541) 247-3297
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
94235 Moore St, Gold Beach, OR 97444
(541) 247-3288
Department of Human Services
29556 Ellensburg Ave, Gold Beach, OR 97444
(541) 247-3007
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Curry Health Network – confirm current contact via currycountyor.gov.
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