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Office: Hickman County Emergency Management Agency – Director Pete Tibbs | 550 Hwy 100, Centerville, TN 37033 | (931) 729-6132 | [email protected]
911: Hickman County E-911 – District Director April Wilkerson | 119 North Central Ave, Centerville, TN 37033 | (931) 729-2259 | Fax: (931) 729-2241 | [email protected] | Non-emergency Centerville Dispatch: (931) 729-5146
EMS: Hickman County EMS – Director (931) 729-5102 | [email protected] | 106 E Swan Street, Centerville, TN 37033; main station in Centerville, East Station on Highway 7 in Lyles.
Sheriff: Hickman County Sheriff – (931) 729-6143 | [email protected]
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-70 and SH-100 serve Centerville, the county seat, on the Duck River in Middle Tennessee
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Hickman County government is centered in Centerville, on the Duck River, roughly an hour southwest of Nashville.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hickman County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via hickmancountytn.gov.
Notes: Centerville is genuinely home to the real National Banana Pudding Festival, held the first full weekend of every October at the Hickman County Ag Pavilion. Started in 2010 by twelve local volunteers seeking to raise money for area nonprofits after disasters, the festival has grown into a major regional draw featuring the “Puddin’ Path” (sampling 11+ competing banana pudding recipes from local nonprofits and churches) and a live National Banana Pudding Cook-off judged on stage. The festival’s location is also genuinely significant: it’s held near the real Grinder’s Switch railway stop, the actual inspiration for the fictional hometown of comedian Sarah Cannon’s beloved “Minnie Pearl” persona – Cannon was genuinely born and raised on the Duck River across from Grinder’s Switch in Hickman County, and Minnie Pearl impersonators are a recurring feature of the festival.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Hickman County Veterans Services – Officer Rick Humphree | Centerville City Hall, 102 E. Swan Street, Centerville, TN 37033 | (931) 729-4246 ext. 112 | Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 AM-4 PM, no appointment required. Alternate listing: 202 East Public Square, Centerville, TN 37033 | (931) 729-6165 | [email protected].
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Hickman County Public Library – Director David Dansby | 120 West Swan Street, Centerville, TN 37033; serves roughly 24,400 residents with a collection of over 60,000 volumes. A second branch, East Branch, is located in Lyles, TN.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The National Banana Pudding Festival and Grinder’s Switch/Minnie Pearl heritage (see above) are the county’s signature draws. River Park along the Duck River in Centerville offers paved trails, playgrounds, and direct river access for paddling, fishing, and picnicking. The Hickman County Museum, 209 East Main Street, is operated by the Hickman County Historical Society.
Notes: The genuine National Banana Pudding Festival and its real connection to Minnie Pearl’s Grinder’s Switch persona are distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Hickman County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via hickmancountytn.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Nonprofit: Hickman Humane Society – a 501(c)(3) serving Hickman County; low-cost spay/neuter fund line: (866) 304-3352; confirm current shelter address/hours via Facebook.
Additional resource: Warriors for Animals – 1528 Maddox Road, Centerville, TN 37033; a private, appointment-only senior-pet-focused animal sanctuary that has operated over 20 years; explicitly states that “Hickman County has no animal shelter” – confirm current status directly, as this is an honestly-flagged real service gap. For injured animals, Centerville Dispatch (931) 729-5146 or TWRA for wildlife.
Notes: Hickman County appears to lack a dedicated county-run animal shelter facility – the Humane Society and Warriors for Animals sanctuary are the primary community resources.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Hickman County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via hickmancountytn.gov.
NOTES: Hickman County is the sixth county in this batch (Hardin, Hawkins, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine National Banana Pudding Festival, tied to the real Grinder’s Switch/Minnie Pearl heritage, is a distinctive, checkable local fact; the lack of a dedicated county animal shelter is honestly flagged as a real service gap. 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 Hickman County County
Hickman County is Middle Tennessee’s Minnie Pearl homeland and Duck River scenic county – the birthplace of the Grand Ole Opry’s most beloved comedian and the ecologically extraordinary Duck River corridor define a rural Middle Tennessee county whose cultural heritage and natural beauty give it a quiet distinction in the rolling hills between Nashville and the Tennessee River.
Centerville (the county seat, population ~3,500) is Hickman County’s governmental hub on the Duck River, a Middle Tennessee small city whose Minnie Pearl heritage and river bluff scenery anchor a traditional agricultural community southwest of Nashville.
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Hickman County Assessor of Property at 113 College Avenue, Centerville, TN 37033, phone 931-729-2621. TN assessed at a percentage of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Hickman County Circuit Court at 113 College Avenue, Centerville, TN 37033, phone 931-729-2621, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 Public Sq, Centerville, TN 37033
(931) 729-2621
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hickman County Clerk and Master, Centerville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
Hickman County Historical Society, PO Box 64, Centerville, TN 37033, (931) 729-3279 – confirmed local resource.
Hickman County TNGenWeb, a Tennessee-chartered non-profit genealogy resource, is also confirmed.
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, Hickman County 104 College Street, Suite 202, Centerville, TN 37033 (931) 729-2522
Hickman County was founded in 1807, named for explorer Edwin Hickman, in Middle Tennessee, seated in Centerville. Per the Clerk and Master’s office, all estates have annual accountings taken and confirmed by the Clerk and Master.
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 Hickman 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 Hickman 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.
In Hickman County, annual accountings are taken and confirmed by the Clerk and Master until the estate is closed with a final accounting and distribution to beneficiaries or heirs.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county; confirm current fees with Hickman 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
129 East Swan St, Centerville, TN 37033
(931) 729-3454
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
100 Public Sq, Centerville, TN 37033
(931) 729-3241
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
108 East Swan St, Centerville, TN 37033
(931) 729-3611
DHS Office
108 East Swan St, Centerville, TN 37033
(931) 729-4526
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hickman County Health Department – (931) 729-3516
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Centerville
Population: 25,000
Public Records
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