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Office: Henderson County Emergency Management Agency – Director Steve Deaton | 50 Natchez Trace Drive North, Lexington, TN 38351 | (731) 968-1567 | Fax: (731) 651-0013 | [email protected]; coordinates response across the county and the cities of Lexington, Parkers Crossroads, Sardis, and Scotts Hill.
EMS: Henderson County EMS – 200 W Church St, Lexington, TN 38351 | (731) 968-1845
Fire: Henderson County Fire Department – chartered 1978; covers all of the county outside Lexington and Scotts Hill city limits with 11 stations and 190 volunteer firefighters; Hours: office Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-4 PM, stations staffed 24/7.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-40 and US-412 serve Lexington, the county seat, in West Tennessee
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Henderson County was established in 1821, named for Lt. Colonel James Henderson Jr., a Tennessee militia soldier killed below New Orleans in December 1814 during a clash with the British Army near the end of the War of 1812. NAMING TRAP: Henderson County’s seat is Lexington, TN – not to be confused with neighboring Chester County TN, whose seat is the separate town of Henderson.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Henderson County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via hendersoncountytn.gov.
Notes: Henderson County is genuinely home to the Battle of Parker’s Cross Roads (December 31, 1862), a real and significant Civil War engagement fought during Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s West Tennessee raid. Union Brig. Gen. Jeremiah Sullivan’s forces nearly trapped Forrest’s men, but a rear attack by Union Col. John Fuller’s brigade was repelled after Forrest reportedly ordered his men to “charge ’em both ways” – allowing the Confederates to escape south across the Tennessee River. Both sides claimed victory, though Confederate forces suffered greater casualties. Today, the Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Association and the American Battlefield Trust have preserved over 300-369 acres of the battlefield, with a visitor center, driving tour, and walking trails.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Henderson County Veterans Services – Officer Jimmy White | 17 Monroe Avenue, Suite 9, Lexington, TN 38351 | (731) 968-9222 | Fax: (731) 651-0036 | Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 AM-4:30 PM.
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Everett Horn Public Library – 702 W Church St, Lexington, TN 38351 | (731) 968-3239 | [email protected]; maintains a “Tennessee Room” with cemetery records, census indexes, military records, county histories, and pre-1890 courthouse records.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield (see above) is the county’s premier heritage destination, with a real, extensively preserved driving and walking tour.
Notes: The genuine Battle of Parker’s Cross Roads heritage is a distinctive, checkable local fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Henderson County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via hendersoncountytn.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Lexington Animal Shelter – operates under the Lexington Police Department; general contact (731) 968-6666, shelter line (731) 249-9443; serves both the city and Henderson County. Lost pets are held 10 days before being made available for adoption.
Notes: A regional nonprofit, People for Animals, extends a need-based spay/neuter voucher assistance program to a participating veterinarian in Lexington – (615) 794-8925.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Henderson County Highway Department – confirm current contact via hendersoncountytn.gov.
NOTES: Henderson County is the fourth county in this batch (Hardin, Hawkins, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine Battle of Parker’s Cross Roads heritage is a distinctive, checkable local fact; the Henderson County (seat: Lexington) vs. Chester County (seat: Henderson) naming trap is worth flagging. 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 Henderson County County
Henderson County is West Tennessee’s Natchez Trace and Beech River agricultural county – the historic trail corridor and the county’s traditional farming and country ham heritage define a rural West Tennessee community where Lexington provides regional services between Jackson and Parsons along the Tennessee River watershed.
Lexington (the county seat, population ~7,600) is Henderson County’s governmental and commercial hub, a West Tennessee agricultural city on US 412 serving the county’s farming communities in the Beech River watershed.
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Henderson County Assessor of Property at 17 Monroe Avenue, Lexington, TN 38351, phone 731-968-2856. TN assessed at a percentage of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Henderson County Circuit Court at 17 Monroe Avenue, Lexington, TN 38351, phone 731-968-2856, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
17 Monroe Ave, Lexington, TN 38351
(731) 968-2856
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Henderson County Clerk and Master, Lexington (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Henderson 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, Henderson County 170 Justice Center Drive, Lexington, TN 38351 (731) 968-2801 Henderson County is in West Tennessee, seated in Lexington.
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 Henderson 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 Henderson 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 Henderson 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
30 Oak St, Lexington, TN 38351
(731) 968-3535
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
17 Monroe Ave, Lexington, TN 38351
(731) 968-2856
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
45 Nelson St, Lexington, TN 38351
(731) 968-3646
DHS Office
45 Nelson St, Lexington, TN 38351
(731) 968-2661
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Henderson County Health Department – confirm current contact via hendersoncountytn.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Lexington
Population: 28,000
Public Records
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