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Oregon · Central Coast · #491
Lincoln County, Oregon
On the central Oregon Coast where the Coast Range meets the Pacific, Lincoln County's Newport is the largest coastal fishing port in Oregon - a city that balances a working commercial fishing fleet, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and a tourism economy in a landscape of sea stacks, tidal pools, and Dungeness crab.
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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: Lincoln County Emergency Management – 225 W Olive Street, Room 103, Newport, OR 97365 | (541) 265-4199; Emergency Manager Samantha Buckley; sign up for “Lincoln Alerts.”
Call Center: (541) 265-0621 (activated during emergencies).
211: Dial 211 or (866) 698-6155 for community resource connection.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-101 runs the length of Lincoln County along the central Oregon coast, serving Newport, the county seat.
Notes: Lincoln County, established February 20, 1893 from parts of Benton and Polk counties, is named for Abraham Lincoln.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lincoln County Community Development – confirm current phone via co.lincoln.or.us.
Notes: Newport is genuinely, nationally known as the home of the Oregon Coast Aquarium, opened 1992 on 23 acres along Yaquina Bay – regularly ranked among the top public aquariums in North America and famous as the rehabilitation home (1996-1998) of Keiko, the orca who starred in the film “Free Willy,” before his transfer to Iceland. Adjacent to the aquarium sits the Hatfield Marine Science Center, a real Oregon State University research and education facility opened 1965 and named for U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield. Newport’s Yaquina Head, just north of town, is home to the tallest lighthouse in Oregon.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Lincoln County Veteran Services – Newport location: 1231 SE Bay Blvd, Suite A, Newport, OR 97365 | (541) 265-0570 | Fax: (541) 265-0575 | [email protected] | Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM-5 PM. Lincoln City location: 4157 NW US-101, Ste 250, Lincoln City, OR 97367 (confirm current hours). VSO Keith Barnes.
Federal: No emergency/medical services at the county VSO – for VA healthcare, contact Portland VA Regional, (503) 220-8262.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
County system: Lincoln County Library District (LCLD) – coordinates library service countywide.
Newport: Newport Public Library – a Department of the City of Newport and a member of the Lincoln County Library District.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Oregon Coast Aquarium, Hatfield Marine Science Center, and Yaquina Head Lighthouse are the county’s premier attractions, alongside the Historic Bayfront’s working fishing fleet and resident sea lion colony.
Notes: The genuine Keiko/”Free Willy” rehabilitation story and the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s national reputation are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lincoln County Assessor – confirm current phone via co.lincoln.or.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
County: Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services – Animal Shelter, 220 SW Dahl Avenue, Waldport, OR 97394 | (541) 265-6610 or (541) 265-0720 | Fax: (541) 574-0448; Animal Services Deputies dispatch: (541) 265-4231.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Lincoln County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via co.lincoln.or.us.
NOTES: Lincoln County is the seventh and final county in the Oregon v2 redo’s third batch (Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln). The genuine Keiko/”Free Willy” and Oregon Coast Aquarium heritage is one of the most nationally recognizable 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 Lincoln County
Lincoln County is the most purely coastal county in Oregon – its entire eastern border is the crest of the Coast Range, and its character is shaped entirely by the Pacific Ocean economy of fishing, tourism, and the weather patterns that make the Oregon Coast simultaneously breathtaking and genuinely rainy. Newport’s port is the busiest in Oregon for commercial fishing, landing Dungeness crab, tuna, salmon, halibut, and bottom fish that supply both direct commercial markets and the seafood processing industry. The Hatfield Marine Science Center – Oregon State University’s coastal campus – brings ocean research alongside the aquarium.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, opened in 1992, is one of the finest marine aquariums on the West Coast, and the former home of Keiko the killer whale (of Free Willy fame). Lincoln City, the county’s second city, is the Oregon Coast’s largest tourist destination – its casino, factory outlet center, and miles of beach draw enormous visitor numbers from the Willamette Valley. Depoe Bay, the “world’s smallest harbor,” draws whale watchers to one of the best gray whale observation points on the Pacific Coast. Lincoln County’s year-round residents live in a tourism-dependent economy that swings dramatically between summer peaks and winter quiet.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Oregon’s Measure 50 system maintains RMV and MAV; taxes based on MAV capped at 3% annual increase. PVAB appeal deadline is December 31. Oregon’s senior deferral is available for qualifying homeowners 62 or older with income at or below $60,000. Oregon has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Lincoln County Senior Services
895 NW Ninth Street, Newport, OR 97365
Phone: (541) 265-4928
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, in-home services, caregiver support, and long-term care options counseling.
Senior Services
Lincoln County Senior Services
895 NW Ninth Street, Newport, OR 97365
Phone: (541) 265-4928
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, in-home services, caregiver support, and long-term care options counseling.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
225 West Olive St, Newport, OR 97365
(541) 265-4192
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lincoln County Circuit Court, Newport (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Lincoln 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
Lincoln County Circuit Court 225 West Olive Street, Room 202, Newport, OR 97365 (541) 265-4236
Lincoln County was founded February 20, 1893, named for Abraham Lincoln, on the central Oregon coast, seated in Newport.
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 Lincoln 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
225 West Olive St, Newport, OR 97365
(541) 265-4277
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
225 West Olive St, Newport, OR 97365
(541) 265-4131
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
36 SE Bay Blvd, Newport, OR 97365
(541) 265-4112
Department of Human Services
20 SE 2nd St, Newport, OR 97365
(541) 265-8557
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Lincoln County Health & Human Services – confirm current contact via co.lincoln.or.us.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Newport
Population: 49,000
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Lincoln County facilities via Amazon.
