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Office: Decatur County Emergency Management Agency – Director Andrew Sparks | 403 West Highland St, Decaturville, TN 38329 | (731) 852-2131 | [email protected]
911: Decatur County 911 – went online October 19, 1995; governed by a 9-member unpaid board appointed by the County Mayor and Commission; serves as central dispatch for the Sheriff’s Department, Decaturville PD, Parsons PD, Scotts Hill PD, EMS/First Responders, Rescue Squad, nine fire stations, forestry, and THP wrecks, plus after-hours utility and highway department calls.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-412 and SH-100 serve Decaturville, the county seat; Parsons is the county’s largest city
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Decatur County, established November 1845, is named for Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr., a War of 1812 naval hero. Decaturville was established in 1847 near the county’s center. Parsons developed around 1889 when local entrepreneur Henry Myracle donated 143⅓ acres to the Tennessee Midland Railroad Company – initially called “Parsons Flat” after Myracle’s son-in-law Dock Parsons, it received its city charter in 1913; the Perryville branch railroad was locally nicknamed the “Pea Vine,” with the train itself called the “Hot Shot” or “Cannonball.” Perryville, the county’s oldest community (1825), was largely flooded by the mid-20th-century construction of Gilbertsville/Kentucky Dam, forcing many residents to relocate to Parsons; its post office closed in 1971, changing its status from town to village.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Decatur County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via decaturcountytn.gov.
Notes: NAMING TRAP – Mousetail Landing State Park, despite sitting on the Tennessee River near the Decatur County area, is actually located in neighboring Perry County, TN (near Linden), not Decatur County – confirm before citing it as a Decatur County asset. In 1846, the Brownsport Iron Company established iron-smelting furnaces on 12,000 acres near Decaturville, operating until 1878 – a real piece of the county’s industrial history.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Decatur County Veterans Service Office – Officer Max Jerry Taylor | 71 West Street, Decaturville, TN 38329 | (731) 852-4223
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Resource: “Decatur County, Tennessee, Veterans History” (1999) – a real, published alphabetical veteran history resource available through the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Decatur County Public Library – 20 West Market Street, Decaturville, TN 38329 | (731) 852-3325; the current 5,000-square-foot building on Court Square opened in 1993, replacing decades of housing inside the county courthouse (with earlier branch “bookmobile stations” around the county); its Bonnye White Allen Community Room hosts local nonprofit meetings and, when needed, the Grand Jury.
Key Assets: The Decatur County Civic Center, located between Parsons and Decaturville, offers a walking track, playground, and picnic pavilion for community use. See naming-trap note above regarding Mousetail Landing State Park (actually in Perry County).
Notes: The genuine railroad-town origins of Parsons and the flooded former town of Perryville are distinctive, checkable local history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Decatur County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via decaturcountytn.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county-run animal shelter facility was independently confirmed in this search.
Nonprofit/veterinary resource: Decatur County Animal Clinic, Parsons, TN – a full-service small animal veterinary clinic (also offering limited farm animal services); confirm whether it handles stray intake or referrals.
Notes: Confirm current animal control arrangements directly with the Sheriff’s Office or County Mayor’s office, as no dedicated municipal shelter facility was confirmed.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Decatur County Solid Waste Convenience Centers – Jeanette Convenience Center, 170 Brodies Landing Rd, Parsons, TN 38363; Wylie Gardner Convenience Center, 105 Wylie Garden Cemetery Lane, Bath Springs, TN 38311; Mt Lebanon Convenience Center, 1440 Mt Carmel Rd, Decaturville, TN 38329; Bob’s Landing Convenience Center, 715 Bob’s Landing Rd, Bath Springs, TN 38329. Accepts residential solid waste, white goods/appliances/furniture, and residential construction/demolition debris (no concrete or brick); commercial vehicles and dual-axle trailers are not permitted.
NOTES: Decatur County is the sixth county in this batch (Cocke, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, DeKalb) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The Mousetail Landing State Park naming trap (actually Perry County, not Decatur County) is an important research caution; no county animal shelter was confirmed. 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 Decatur County
Heritage | Decaturville’s small courthouse anchors Decatur County, whose Tennessee River frontage has long supported both farming and, more recently, lake recreation, with the county’s rural character shaped by its position along one of the river’s quieter stretches Outdoors | The Tennessee River offers boating and fishing along the county’s eastern border, while Mousetail Landing State Park provides hiking, camping, and additional river access within the county Notable | Mousetail Landing State Park’s riverside camping and hiking draw regional outdoor recreation visitors to this quiet stretch of the Tennessee River, and Decatur County’s farming economy remains central to its rural character Library | Decatur County Library serves the county’s small river town and surrounding rural farming communities
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Address: 100 South Line St, Decaturville, TN 38329
Phone: (731) 852-3417
Website: tncourts.gov/courts/decatur
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 South Line St, Decaturville, TN 38329
(731) 852-3417
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Decatur County Clerk and Master, Decaturville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Decatur 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
Clerk and Master, Decatur County PO Box 488, Decaturville, TN 38329 (731) 852-3422
Decatur County was founded November 1845, named for naval hero Stephen Decatur, in West Tennessee, seated in Decaturville (largest city Parsons).
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Tennessee has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Instead, Tennessee uses its own common form and solemn form probate framework, governed by Title 30 of the Tennessee Code Annotated. In Decatur County, the Clerk and Master (part of Chancery Court) administers probate.
Small Estate Affidavit (T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 through 30-4-103) – available when the value of the probate estate does not exceed $50,000 (personal property; real property is generally excluded). The affidavit can be filed no sooner than 45 days after death. A bond payable to the state is commonly required to protect creditors and other heirs, though it is often waived when the person filing is the estate’s sole heir/beneficiary, or when all heirs consent in writing.
Common Form Probate – the standard, uncontested path: the will (if any) is admitted to probate without formal notice to all interested parties, and the personal representative is appointed and issued Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without a will).
Solemn Form Probate – used when formal proof of the will’s validity is needed, typically because of an anticipated will contest; requires notice to all interested parties and a hearing.
Muniment of Title – used to transfer real estate when there is a valid will but no other assets requiring administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files the original will (if one exists) and a Petition for Probate of Will or Petition for Letters of Administration with the Decatur County Clerk and Master.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (testate) or Letters of Administration (intestate), giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors in a local newspaper; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly around 4 months from the notice) to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets (may be waived by the will or by all beneficiaries).
The personal representative pays valid debts, expenses, and taxes.
The estate is closed with a final accounting (unless waived) and distribution to beneficiaries or heirs.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county; confirm current fees with Decatur County directly.
Tennessee has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or executors – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval if contested.
Tennessee does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Typical timeline for a simple, uncontested estate: roughly 6-9 months.
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
100 South Line St, Decaturville, TN 38329
(731) 852-3416
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
100 South Line St, Decaturville, TN 38329
(731) 852-3417
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
105 East Main St, Decaturville, TN 38329
(731) 852-2523
DHS Office
105 East Main St, Decaturville, TN 38329
(731) 852-3186
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Decatur County Health Department – confirm current contact via decaturcountytn.gov.
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County Facts
County Seat: Decaturville
Population: 12,172
Area: 329 sq mi
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Decatur County facilities via Amazon.
