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Texas County
Anderson County, Texas
Palestine's Texas State Railroad and dogwood trails - from the Texas State Railroad (the historic narrow-gauge steam railroad that runs between Palestine and Rusk through the East Texas Piney Woods - one of Texas's most beloved heritage railroad experiences, with vintage steam and diesel locomotives pulling passenger cars through 25 miles of pine forest) to Palestine's Dogwood Trails (each spring, the roadsides of Anderson County explode with wild dogwood blooms - the annual Texas Dogwood Trails Festival draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Palestine for one of East Texas's most celebrated nature events) and the Davey Crockett National Forest connection.
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Office: Anderson County Office of Emergency Management – 703 N. Mallard St, Suite 109, Palestine, TX 75801 | (903) 723-7813 | Fax: (903) 723-2506 | [email protected]
Coordinator: Christina Crockett, Emergency Management Coordinator
Alert System: The county’s Emergency Management Office posts active alerts (tornado watches, burn ban status) via its Facebook page; check co.anderson.tx.us for current sign-up options for text/call alerts
Notes: The Emergency Management Coordinator’s office plans, trains, and coordinates disaster response across county agencies – it is not first response. For an active emergency, call 911. County burn bans are posted and lifted periodically; confirm current status before any outdoor burning.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-79 and US-84 are the primary highways crossing near Palestine, the county seat; state highways connect the incorporated towns of Elkhart and Frankston to the rest of the county
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the County Judge’s office or the City of Palestine whether any regional or on-demand transit option currently serves the area
Notes: This is a largely rural county (1,062 sq mi, pop. ~59,800 in 2025); most residents rely on personal vehicles.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Texas counties have limited authority to enforce a general building code in unincorporated areas. Anderson County’s own permitting role centers on floodplain development, administered through the Emergency Management/Floodplain Administration office – same contact as above, (903) 723-7813; a Floodplain Development Permit application packet is posted at co.anderson.tx.us
Within incorporated cities: City of Palestine (Permitting Division, 504 N. Queen St, (903) 731-8400 or (903) 731-8480 for zoning) issues permits within city limits; Elkhart City Hall, (903) 764-5657; Frankston City Hall, (903) 876-2241 – each incorporated town handles its own building permits separately from the county
Notes: A structure located in a Special Flood Hazard Area – even in the unincorporated county – requires a floodplain development permit from the county regardless of size; a project that is NOT in a mapped SFHA generally does not require a permit from the county itself, since the county does not administer a general building code outside city limits. Confirm a parcel’s flood zone status with the Floodplain Administrator’s office before starting any project, and check with the relevant city hall for anything inside Palestine, Elkhart, or Frankston.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Anderson County Veterans Service Center – 2000 S. Loop 256, Suite 36, Palestine, TX 75801 | (903) 723-2100
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
VA Medical: Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Palestine Community Based Outpatient Clinic – 2000 S. Loop 256, Suite 124, Palestine, TX 75801 | (903) 723-9006
Notes: The Veterans Service Center opened in March 2012 as a joint effort between Anderson County, the City of Palestine, and a veteran/family-based board of directors. The Anderson County VFW Auxiliary (Post 8924) also supports local veterans and their families alongside the official county office. The Veterans Center and Palestine Public Library have co-sponsored an annual holiday donation drive for veterans in past years – call the Veterans Center directly to confirm current programs.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Palestine Public Library – 502 N. Queen St, Palestine, TX 75801 | (903) 729-4121
Services: Books, audiobooks, DVDs, high-interest magazines and newspapers; a Special Collections/Local History branch is housed in the Redlands Annex, 315 W. (confirm current street address and hours directly)
Notes: There is no separate county-wide library system – the Palestine Public Library serves both city residents and the wider unincorporated county. It has partnered with the Anderson County Veterans Service Center on a “Veterans’ Angel Tree” holiday donation drive in past years.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area, an approximately 11,000-acre Texas Parks and Wildlife Department property about 21 miles northwest of Palestine, offering public hunting (by permit, mid-October through mid-March), hiking, camping, and nature viewing in a Post Oak Savannah ecosystem; the Texas State Railroad, a historic tourist excursion train running between Palestine and Rusk; the roughly 900-acre Palestine Community Forest; the annual spring Dogwood Trails festival; the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, a NASA-affiliated high-altitude balloon launch site
Notes: Confirm current hunt-permit availability, seasonal hours, and ticketing directly with Gus Engeling WMA (Texas Parks and Wildlife) and the Texas State Railroad before planning a visit, as both vary seasonally.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Anderson County Appraisal District – andersoncad.net
Tax Assessor-Collector: Anderson County Courthouse Annex, 703 N. Mallard St, Suite 104, Palestine, TX 75801 | (903) 723-7423
County Clerk Records (deeds, official records): anderson.tx.publicsearch.us
Addressing/911: Coordinated through the Anderson County Office of Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: BARC (Anderson County Humane Society) – 335 Armory Road, Palestine, TX 75803 | (903) 729-8074; an independent nonprofit operating under a “no-kill” policy
Dispatch: Within Palestine city limits, the Palestine Police Department provides two full-time Animal Control Officers for stray, nuisance, and bite complaints – non-emergency line (903) 729-2254, with after-hours emergencies also routed through the police department; for unincorporated county areas or general shelter/adoption questions, contact BARC directly
Notes: BARC is not a direct county or city department – it is a contracted independent nonprofit, so use its own phone line rather than a general government line for shelter and adoption matters. The City of Palestine requires dogs and cats over four months old to carry a pet license, available for purchase at BARC.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Facility: Anderson County Transfer Station (operated by Waste Connections) – 30440 U.S. Highway 79 (also referenced as 517 ACR 3694), Palestine, TX 75801 | (903) 723-5418
Services: Household garbage disposal, recycling drop-off, and large-item disposal; the City of Palestine separately contracts with Waste Connections for weekly curbside residential trash and monthly curbside recycling pickup
Notes: Confirm current tipping fees, accepted payment methods, and hours directly with the Transfer Station before hauling a load, as fees and policies have changed over time (the facility has moved away from accepting cash for some transactions in the past).
NOTES: Anderson County is the first county redone under the new sourced-research standard for the Texas Round 3 rewrite (this file lives in a separate “Texas v2” Drive folder alongside the original, unrevised Texas Round 3 files – the old templated version has not been deleted). Two structural points worth flagging for a reader in a real situation: (1) the county itself does not run a general building-permit system outside the floodplain in unincorporated areas – permitting for most construction happens at the city level in Palestine, Elkhart, or Frankston; and (2) the county health department’s relationship to the regional Northeast Texas Public Health District appears to be in flux based on available sources and should be confirmed directly. 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 Anderson County
Anderson County is East Texas’s Texas State Railroad and dogwood trail county – vintage steam trains through the Piney Woods and spring dogwood blooms make Palestine one of the most charming heritage tourism destinations in Texas.
Palestine (the county seat, population ~18,000) anchors the western end of the Texas State Railroad – the historic route through the Piney Woods provides one of Texas’s most distinctive recreational experiences. The spring Dogwood Trails Festival transforms Anderson County’s roadsides into natural flower galleries.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Anderson County Appraisal District at 703 N. Mallard Street, Suite 104, Palestine, TX 75801, phone 903-723-2949. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Anderson County District Clerk at 500 N. Church Street, Palestine, TX 75801, phone 903-723-7432, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
500 North Church St, Palestine, TX 75801
(903) 723-7402
DISTRICT CLERK
500 North Church St, Palestine, TX 75801
(903) 723-7412
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Anderson County Clerk’s Office, Palestine (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Anderson County is home to the Texas State Railroad, a scenic heritage railroad, and Palestine’s historic Victorian-era downtown district.
Local societies
No dedicated Anderson 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
County Clerk, Anderson County 500 North Church Street, Room 10, Palestine, TX 75801 (903) 723-7402
Anderson County was created in 1846 from Houston County, named for Kenneth L. Anderson, the last Vice President of the Republic of Texas, in East Texas, seated in Palestine. The County Clerk’s Office files probate in either the County Court or the County Court at Law, as specified by the filer.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Texas probate law is governed by the Texas Estates Code. Probate jurisdiction in Texas is split between statutory probate courts (in larger metro counties) and county courts (in smaller counties like Anderson, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Anderson County, probate is filed with the County Clerk, in either the County Court or County Court at Law.
Small Estate Affidavit (Tex. Est. Code § 205.001) – available ONLY when the decedent died WITHOUT a will (intestate), the estate (excluding homestead and exempt property) does not exceed $75,000, and assets exceed debts. At least 30 days must have passed since death. The affidavit must list every asset and debt, establish the family history showing who the heirs are, and be sworn to by the heirs and two disinterested witnesses; a judge then reviews and approves it under § 205.003.
Independent Administration – used when a will exists (or all heirs agree) and the estate has debts; minimal court supervision after the executor is appointed. This is the most common and efficient path in Texas when available.
Muniment of Title – available when a valid will exists, there are no unsecured debts (other than a mortgage), and there’s no other need for a full administration; transfers title without appointing an executor.
Dependent Administration – required for complex, contested, or disputed estates; involves ongoing court supervision and approval of most actions.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files an Application for Probate of Will and Issuance of Letters Testamentary (or Letters of Administration, if intestate) with the Anderson County Clerk, specifying County Court or County Court at Law.
The original will (if one exists), a certified death certificate, and information about heirs and the proposed executor are included with the application.
The court holds a hearing and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gathers, inventories, and appraises the estate’s assets.
The personal representative pays valid debts and expenses.
Remaining assets are distributed to beneficiaries or heirs, and the estate is closed.
What it costs
Filing fees in Texas typically run $250–$400 depending on the county; confirm current Anderson County fees directly.
Texas law allows a statutory executor fee of 5% of all sums actually received and paid out in cash, with specific exceptions. The court may also approve reasonable attorney fees paid from the estate.
Small estate affidavits typically cost $600–$1,900 total when factoring in filing and related fees.
Texas 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.
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
411 South Sycamore St, Palestine, TX 75801
(903) 723-7412
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
500 North Church St, Palestine, TX 75801
(903) 723-7402
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
703 North Mallard St, Palestine, TX 75801
(903) 723-2237
HHSC Office
1700 North Loop 256, Palestine, TX 75801
(903) 723-2237
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Anderson County Health Department (ACHD) – 100 W. Brazos St, Suite B, Palestine, TX 75801 | (903) 729-1116; serving the county since 1931
Services: Immunizations, HIV/STD testing, vital records, environmental health
Notes: Available sources describe ACHD as being in a transition toward the regional Northeast Texas Public Health District (NETHEALTH, headquartered in Tyler, (903) 535-0036). This organizational status could not be fully verified as current – call ACHD directly to confirm which entity is currently operating the office and its present hours before visiting for a service like a vital record or immunization.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Palestine
Population: 58,000
Established: 1846
Tier: 3
Public Records
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