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.
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Josephine County Emergency Management – confirm current direct phone via josephinecounty.gov; part of county government departments list.
911/Dispatch: Josephine County 911 Agency – 24-hour call-taking and dispatch for Josephine County (Grants Pass Police/Fire and county agencies); governed by a Board of Directors including representatives from Cave Junction, Grants Pass, the county, and state/federal agencies. Non-emergency: (541) 474-5123 (Sheriff) or (541) 450-6260 (after hours).
Fire non-emergency: (541) 450-6200 | Fax: (541) 476-1929.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-5 and US-199 serve Grants Pass, the county seat, in southwest Oregon on the Rogue River.
Notes: Josephine County, established January 22, 1856, is named for Virginia “Josephine” Rollins, the first white woman known to have lived within the county’s boundaries – the original county seat, “Sailor Diggings,” reflects the area’s gold-rush origins.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Josephine County Community Development – confirm current contact via josephinecounty.gov.
Notes: Josephine County is genuinely home to the Oregon Caves National Monument, a real National Park Service unit preserving a marble cave system in the Siskiyou Mountains near Cave Junction, along with the historic Oregon Caves Chateau. The Rogue River, running through Hellgate Canyon, is a nationally recognized Wild and Scenic River for whitewater rafting and fishing. Josephine County was also the first county in Oregon to establish a dedicated Veteran Service Office, founded in 1944 to help returning WWII veterans access GI benefits.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Josephine County Veteran Service Office – 500 NW 6th St., Dept. 15, Grants Pass, OR 97527 | (541) 474-5454 | Fax: (541) 474-5106 | Hours: Mon-Thu 9 AM-4 PM (closed 12-1 PM), closed Fri; CVSOs Lisa Pickart and Cindy Edwards; genuinely the first county-level Veteran Service Office established in Oregon (1944).
Federal: Grants Pass VA Clinic – (541) 955-5551 | Fax: (541) 955-7171; no emergency services on-site. Grants Pass Vet Center – 135 NE Steiger Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526 | (541) 479-6912.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Josephine Community Library District – Grants Pass Branch (main/administrative), 200 NW C Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526; also home to the Josephine Community Library Foundation.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Oregon Caves National Monument and the Rogue River (Hellgate Canyon) are the county’s premier natural attractions. Illinois River Forks State Park is also a notable local park.
Notes: The genuine Oregon Caves National Monument and Rogue River whitewater heritage are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Josephine County Assessor – 500 NW 6th St., Grants Pass, OR 97526.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
County: Josephine County Animal Shelter – (541) 474-5458; an open-admissions shelter serving all of Josephine County; provides animal protection/regulation, licensing, feral cat services, and lost/found pet assistance; appointments preferred but not required for adoption inquiries; the shelter does not investigate animal-law crimes – report those to the Sheriff’s Department.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Josephine County Public Works – confirm current contact via josephinecounty.gov.
NOTES: Josephine County is the third county in the Oregon v2 redo’s third batch (Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln). The genuine “first Veteran Service Office in Oregon” (1944) heritage and the Oregon Caves National Monument are distinctive local facts. 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 Josephine County County
Josephine County is southern Oregon’s Rogue River county and the 634th most populous in the United States, covering 1,641 square miles of Siskiyou Mountain terrain along the California border.
Grants Pass (the county seat, population ~38,000) is Josephine County’s commercial center – a Rogue River city whose “It’s the Climate!” marketing slogan and the Rogue River’s extraordinary whitewater and fishing have made outdoor recreation central to the local economy. The Hellgate Canyon jetboat excursions – spectacular river tours through the dramatic rock walls of Hellgate Canyon downstream from Grants Pass – are a signature regional attraction. The Rogue River is one of the original eight Wild and Scenic Rivers designated by Congress in 1968 and provides world-class rafting, kayaking, and steelhead fishing.
Josephine County became a national story in 2012 when voters rejected property tax levies that would have funded the Sheriff’s Office and public safety – faced with the expiration of federal timber payments (O&C timber revenues that had supplemented Oregon county budgets for decades), the county drastically cut law enforcement, reducing the Sheriff’s Office to minimal staffing and eliminating most patrol services. The crisis prompted national debate about rural county government funding and the challenges of timber-dependent counties facing federal land management transitions.
Oregon Caves National Monument – in the Illinois Valley south of Cave Junction – preserves a marble cave system discovered in 1874, surrounded by old-growth conifer forest. The monument’s Oregon Caves Chateau (a National Historic Landmark, 1934) is one of Oregon’s most architecturally distinctive rustic lodges.
The Illinois Valley – the county’s southwestern section toward the California border – contains the extraordinary Kalmiopsis Wilderness and serpentine rock formations that support rare botanical communities found nowhere else.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Oregon’s Measure 50 caps annual Maximum Assessed Value increases at 3%. The Josephine County Assessor at 500 NW 6th Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526, phone 541-474-5260, determines values. Appeal to the Josephine County Board of Property Tax Appeals (BOPTA): October 1 through December 31. OR estate tax: Above $1 million at rates up to 16%. No OR inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Josephine County BOPTA: October 1–December 31. Grants Pass Rogue Valley market appreciation from California migration. OR estate tax above $1M – among lowest thresholds nationally. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Circuit Court (Probate): The Josephine County Circuit Court at 500 NW 6th Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526, phone 541-476-2309, handles probate, estate administration, and all civil and criminal matters. County Clerk at same address maintains real property records. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Josephine County Senior Services at 1415 NW Washington Boulevard, Grants Pass, OR 97526, phone 541-474-5451, serves the county’s senior population. Three Rivers Medical Center (Asante Health) provides significant geriatric care.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
500 NW 6th St, Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 474-5240
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Josephine County Circuit Court, Grants Pass (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Josephine 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
Josephine County Circuit Court 500 NW 6th Street, Department 17, Grants Pass, OR 97526 (541) 476-2309 Josephine County is in southwestern Oregon, seated in Grants Pass.
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 Josephine 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
815 NW 5th St, Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 474-5123
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
500 NW 6th St, Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 474-5243
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
715 NW Dimmick St, Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 474-5325
Department of Human Services
700 NW Dimmick St, Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 471-3200
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Josephine County Public Health – confirm current contact via josephinecounty.gov.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Grants Pass
Population: 88,000
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Josephine County County facilities via Amazon.
