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Oregon County
Union County, Oregon
La Grande's Grande Ronde Valley and the Blue Mountains Oregon Trail corridor - from the Grande Ronde Valley (the broad fertile valley cupped by the Blue Mountains and Wallowa Mountains that was one of the most celebrated landmarks on the Oregon Trail - emigrants descending from the Blue Mountains into the Grande Ronde Valley after the brutal Blue Mountain crossing experienced one of the most welcome sights of the entire journey - the valley's lush meadows and water after the desert crossing made it an essential resting place) and Eastern Oregon University (the regional university serving northeast Oregon's educational and cultural needs in La Grande).
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Office: Union County Emergency Services – 1106 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850 | (541) 963-1009 | Fax: (541) 963-1079 | [email protected] | TTY: (800) 735-1232; Emergency Manager Nick Vora.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Union County spans 2,038 square miles, roughly 53% forestland, bordered by the Blue and Wallowa Mountains; regularly hosts free public disaster-preparedness presentations.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-84 and OR-82/237 serve La Grande, the county seat, in the Grande Ronde Valley of northeastern Oregon.
Notes: Union County, established 1864, is home to roughly 26,500 year-round residents, about half living in La Grande (elevation 2,772 ft).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Union County Planning – confirm current phone via unioncountyor.gov.
Notes: La Grande is genuinely home to Eastern Oregon University (EOU), the only public state university in northeastern Oregon, established 1929 as Eastern Oregon Normal School through legislation sponsored by Oregon Governor Walter Pierce, a Union County resident. EOU has long been recognized as Military Friendly (gold-level designation) and was one of only four Oregon colleges to operate a dedicated veterans guidance center; it was designated “Oregon’s Rural University” in 2018. The Oregon Trail Interpretive Park at Blue Mountain Crossing, a genuine National Historic Trail site with visible original wagon ruts, is a short drive from La Grande – pioneers crossed the Blue Mountains here on their way west.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Union County Veterans Service Office – (541) 962-8842 | Fax: (541) 610-1510; CVSO Brian Blais, [email protected] | Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Campus resource: EOU Veterans Services – 1 University Blvd, La Grande, OR 97850 | (541) 567-1800 ext. 3342; Veterans Specialist Kerry Thompson.
Federal: Walla Walla VA Medical Center service area; La Grande VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic opened 2008.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
La Grande: Eastern Oregon University’s Pierce Library also serves the public. La Grande’s historic Carnegie Library building is a local landmark. Confirm current public library address/hours via cityoflagrande.org.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Oregon Trail Interpretive Park at Blue Mountain Crossing, Mount Emily Recreation Area, Morgan Lake, and Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area are the county’s signature attractions. The Union County Museum and Eastern Oregon Fire Museum document local history.
Notes: The genuine Blue Mountain Crossing Oregon Trail heritage and Eastern Oregon University’s rural-serving mission are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Union County Assessor / Tax Collector – [email protected] | (541) 963-1002.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
County: Union County Animal Shelter – (541) 963-0807; also listed via the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 1109 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850 | (541) 963-1017.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Union County Environmental Health – [email protected] | (541) 962-8818.
NOTES: Union County is the third county in the Oregon v2 redo’s fifth and final batch (Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, Yamhill). The genuine Blue Mountain Crossing Oregon Trail site and Eastern Oregon University’s Military Friendly heritage 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 Union County
Union County’s Grande Ronde Valley was one of the Oregon Trail’s most celebrated waypoints – emigrants who survived the brutal Blue Mountain crossing celebrated their descent into the lush Grande Ronde valley, and Eastern Oregon University anchors La Grande as the cultural and educational hub of northeast Oregon.
La Grande (the county seat, population ~13,000) serves northeast Oregon’s agricultural, timber, and educational communities in the Blue Mountains corridor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Union County Assessor at 1106 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850, phone 541-963-1006. OR Measure 50 limits assessed value increases.
Courts & Legal
Union County Circuit Court at 1106 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850, phone 541-963-1016, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1001 4th St, La Grande, OR 97850
(541) 963-1006
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Union County Circuit Court, La Grande (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Union 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
Union County Circuit Court 1105 K Avenue, La Grande, OR 97850 (541) 962-9500 Union County is in northeastern Oregon, seated in La Grande.
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 Union 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
1109 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850
(541) 963-1017
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1001 4th St, La Grande, OR 97850
(541) 963-1006
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
2301 4th St, La Grande, OR 97850
(541) 962-8800
Department of Human Services
1607 Gekeler Ln, La Grande, OR 97850
(541) 963-3131
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Center for Human Development (CHD) – Union County Public Health services, [email protected] | (541) 962-8800.
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