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Oregon County
Harney County, Oregon
America's largest county west of the Mississippi and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge - from Harney County's extraordinary size (at 10,228 square miles, Harney County is the largest county in Oregon and the largest county west of the Mississippi River - larger than the states of Maryland, Massachusetts, or New Jersey - yet fewer than 7,500 people inhabit this vast high desert of sage flats, marshes, rimrock, and mountain ranges) to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (the 187,000-acre refuge in the Harney Basin - one of the most important bird migration and nesting areas in the American West, hosting over 320 bird species - was the site of the 2016 Bundy militia occupation that brought international media to this remote Oregon desert).
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Office: Harney County Emergency Management Services – 450 N. Buena Vista Ave, Burns, OR 97720 | (541) 573-2443; Emergency Manager Suzanne Settle, [email protected]; text “HCALERTS” to 888-777 to sign up for county emergency alerts.
911/Dispatch: Harney County 911 Dispatch – a division of the Sheriff’s Office, staffed 24/7/365, the answering point for all of Harney County; dispatches Burns/Hines/Tribal Police and Burns/Hines Fire/EMS.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-20 and US-395 serve Burns, the county seat and largest city, in southeastern Oregon.
Notes: Harney County, established February 23, 1889 and named for military officer William S. Harney, is Oregon’s largest county by land area (over 10,200 square miles) but among its least populous (roughly 7,400 residents, the 6th-least-populous county). The Burns Paiute Indian Reservation (760 acres) sits within and immediately north of the city of Burns.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Harney County Planning Department – confirm current phone via co.harney.or.us.
Notes: Harney County was the site of the 2016 armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, roughly 30 miles south of Burns. From January 2 to February 11, 2016, an armed group led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy occupied the refuge in protest of federal land management policy and the sentencing of local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond; the 40-day standoff ended with one occupier killed, 27 people arrested, and drew national attention to federal-lands policy debates. The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge itself, established 1908, remains a major destination for birding, hunting, and fishing, and the region shows evidence of Native American habitation dating back roughly 15,000-16,000 years.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Harney County Veterans’ Affairs – 17 S. Alder Ave, PO Box 728, Burns, OR 97720 | (541) 573-6024 or (541) 573-1342 | Fax: (541) 573-6025; Veterans Services contact Brian Needham, [email protected] | Hours: Mon/Wed 8 AM-4:30 PM, Tue/Thu 8-11:30 AM & 1:30-4:30 PM; located within the Harney County Senior and Community Services Center; helps with claims filing, appeals, and shuttle service to the Boise VA Medical Clinic via the Burns VA outreach clinic.
Tribal: Burns Paiute Tribe Social Services – (541) 573-8004.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Burns: Harney County Library – 80 W D Street, Burns, OR 97720; ~25,000-volume collection circulating over 53,000 items annually; features a well-regarded local History Room.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is the county’s premier natural attraction, a major destination for birding and wildlife viewing.
Notes: Harney County’s status as Oregon’s largest county by area, alongside the 2016 Malheur occupation, are among the most historically and geographically distinctive facts covered in this project. The occupation is presented here factually, without editorializing, as county residents and officials – including then-Sheriff David Ward – worked to resolve the standoff and the community has since moved forward.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Harney County Tax and Assessment Department – confirm current phone via co.harney.or.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
IMPORTANT: Burns/Harney County has no dedicated government-operated animal shelter – a documented gap in county services, per the local rescue nonprofit’s own materials.
Nonprofit: Harney County Save A Stray Rescue – PO Box 403, Burns, OR 97720 | (541) 589-1104; an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) filling the gap, transporting animals to no-kill shelters in Oregon and Washington; donations of pet food can be dropped off at 132 South Buena Vista, Burns.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Harney County Landfills – confirm current contact via co.harney.or.us.
NOTES: Harney County is the sixth county in the Oregon v2 redo’s second batch (Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River). The 2016 Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation is one of the most nationally significant events covered in this project, presented factually and without editorializing. IMPORTANT SERVICE GAP: Burns/Harney County has no government animal shelter – honestly flagged rather than papered over, per project standards. 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 Harney County
Harney County is the largest county west of the Mississippi – 10,228 square miles of high desert inhabited by fewer than 7,500 people, whose Malheur National Wildlife Refuge hosts 320 bird species and became the focus of the 2016 Bundy militia occupation that ignited the national debate over federal land management.
Burns (the county seat, population ~2,700) serves Harney County’s vast ranching and wildlife refuge communities in the most remote inhabited landscape in Oregon.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Harney County Assessor at 450 N. Buena Vista Avenue, Burns, OR 97720, phone 541-573-8365. OR Measure 50 limits assessed value increases.
Courts & Legal
Harney County Circuit Court at 450 N. Buena Vista Avenue, Burns, OR 97720, phone 541-573-5207, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
450 North Buena Vista Ave, Burns, OR 97720
(541) 573-6641
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Harney County Court, Burns (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Harney 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
Harney County Court 450 N Buena Vista Avenue, Burns, OR 97720 (541) 573-5207
Harney County was established February 23, 1889, named for William S. Harney, in southeastern Oregon, seated in Burns – Oregon’s largest county by land area (over 10,000 sq mi) but 6th-least populous. IMPORTANT: Harney is one of six eastern Oregon counties where probate jurisdiction is vested in the COUNTY COURT rather than the Circuit Court – an exception to Oregon’s usual probate structure.
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. In most counties, probate is handled in the probate department of the Circuit Court, but Harney County is one of six eastern Oregon counties (along with Gilliam, Grant, Malheur, Sherman, and Wheeler) where the COUNTY COURT holds probate jurisdiction instead. 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 County Court in Harney County (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 Harney 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
485 North Court Ave, Burns, OR 97720
(541) 573-6156
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
450 North Buena Vista Ave, Burns, OR 97720
(541) 573-6641
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
665 North Bower Ave, Burns, OR 97720
(541) 573-6019
Department of Human Services
250 North Egan Ave, Burns, OR 97720
(541) 573-3095
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Harney County Environmental Health – 111 W. Washington St., Burns, OR; confirm current phone via co.harney.or.us.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Burns
Population: 7,000
Established: 1889
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Harney County residents.
