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Oregon County
Sherman County, Oregon
Moro's Columbia Plateau wheat country - one of the most productive dryland wheat regions in America - from Sherman County's extraordinary wheat productivity (the deep Columbia River basalt soils of Sherman County produce some of the highest-yielding dryland wheat in the United States - the Columbia Plateau's combination of winter precipitation, summer drought, and deep volcanic ash soils creates ideal conditions for hard red winter wheat, and Sherman County's farms consistently rank among Oregon's most productive per acre) and the dramatic topography where the Columbia Plateau breaks away into the Columbia River Gorge along Sherman County's northern edge.
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Office: Sherman County Emergency Services – 309 Dewey St, Moro, OR 97039 | (541) 565-3100 | [email protected]; also serves as county ambulance dispatch, Director Dana Haner, Fax: (541) 565-3024.
Roads: US-97 and OR-206 serve Moro, the county seat, in north-central Oregon along the Columbia River.
Notes: Sherman County, established 1889 and named for Union general William Tecumseh Sherman, is Oregon’s second-least populous county (population 1,870 per the 2020 census), just behind neighboring Wheeler County. Wasco, not Moro, is the county’s largest city.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Sherman County Planning – 500 Court Street, Moro, OR 97039; confirm current phone via co.sherman.or.us.
Notes: Sherman County is genuinely home to the Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro, a national-award-winning local history museum spanning 16,000 square feet with over 15,000 artifacts, formed by the Sherman County Historical Society on July 4, 1945. Its curated exhibits cover Oregon Trail heritage, wheat farming through the ages, and a fully preserved historic newspaper printing-press layout; the museum lobby also serves as the county’s Visitor Center. Sherman County’s economy is predominantly wheat agriculture, along with a growing renewable-energy (wind power) sector along the Columbia Plateau.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Sherman County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via co.sherman.or.us; per 2020 Census data, roughly 13% of the county’s adult population holds veteran status, notably higher than the Oregon state rate.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Moro: Sherman County Public/School Library – housed at Sherman Junior/Senior High School, centrally located about one mile south of Moro on US-97; serves the entire county’s pre-K through high school population and the general public.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Sherman County Historical Museum, the Deschutes and John Day River confluences with the Columbia, and Biggs Junction (a major Columbia River Gorge crossing point) are the county’s notable attractions.
Notes: The genuine, national-award-winning county museum – housed in a purpose-built facility with 15,000+ artifacts – is a distinctive local fact for such a sparsely populated county.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Sherman County Assessor – 500 Court Street, Moro, OR 97039; confirm current phone via co.sherman.or.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
County: Sherman County does not appear to operate a dedicated county animal shelter – animal-related concerns route through the Sheriff’s Office, (541) 565-3622; this is a rural, sparsely populated county and services should be confirmed directly.
Veterinary: Sherman Veterinary Clinic – operating out of the Sherman County Fairgrounds, 66147 Lonerock Road, Moro, OR 97039 | (541) 296-6106 | Mobile large/small animal veterinary services.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Sherman County Public Works – confirm current contact via co.sherman.or.us.
NOTES: Sherman County is the seventh and final county in the Oregon v2 redo’s fourth batch (Linn, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman). As Oregon’s second-least populous county, some services (notably a dedicated animal shelter) could not be confirmed and are honestly flagged rather than invented. The genuine national-award-winning county museum is a distinctive local fact. 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 Sherman County
Sherman County is one of America’s most productive dryland wheat counties – the deep Columbia River basalt soils produce exceptional hard red winter wheat yields per acre, and the county’s northern edge breaks dramatically into the Columbia River Gorge where the plateau meets one of the most scenic river corridors in the West.
Moro (the county seat, population ~330) is one of Oregon’s smallest county seats, serving Sherman County’s wheat farming communities on the Columbia Plateau.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Sherman County Assessor at 500 Court Street, Moro, OR 97039, phone 541-565-3416. OR Measure 50 limits assessed value increases.
Courts & Legal
Sherman County Circuit Court at 500 Court Street, Moro, OR 97039, phone 541-565-3314, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
500 Court St, Moro, OR 97039
(541) 565-3606
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Sherman County Court, Moro (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Sherman 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
Sherman County Court 500 Court Street, Moro, OR 97039 (541) 565-3650
Sherman County is in north-central Oregon along the Columbia River, seated in Moro – one of Oregon’s smallest and least populous counties. IMPORTANT: Sherman 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 Sherman County is one of six eastern Oregon counties (along with Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, 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 Sherman 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 Sherman 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
500 Court St, Moro, OR 97039
(541) 565-3413
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
500 Court St, Moro, OR 97039
(541) 565-3606
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
500 Court St, Moro, OR 97039
(541) 565-3488
Department of Human Services
500 Court St, Moro, OR 97039
(541) 565-3606
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Sherman County Health District / North Central Public Health District – 110 Main Street, PO Box 186, Moro, OR 97039 | (541) 565-3325.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Moro
Population: 1,700
Established: 1889
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Sherman County residents.
