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Texas · Austin Metro · #594 Most Populous County in the US
Bastrop County, Texas
Austin's eastern frontier county - from Bastrop's Lost Pines forest and the 2011 wildfire recovery to Elgin's sausage capital heritage, the Colorado River corridor, and the rapidly expanding residential communities serving Austin metro workers priced out of Travis and Williamson counties. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Bastrop County residents.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Bastrop County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management – Mike Fisher Building, 1501 Business Park Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602 | (512) 581-4022 | [email protected] | Coordinator: James Altgelt
Alert System: Sign up at WarnCentralTexas.org (CAPCOG Regional Notification System) for emergency, weather, and community alerts by phone, email, or text
Notes: Bastrop County has real, significant wildfire history – the 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire was the most destructive wildfire in Texas history, burning roughly 34,000 acres, destroying over 1,600 homes, and causing an estimated $325 million in property damage; it devastated the Lost Pines’ native loblolly pine forest, and reforestation efforts by groups like TreeFolks continue. This is real wildfire-risk context, not exaggeration – residents in the Lost Pines area should take wildfire preparedness seriously. Register with WarnCentralTexas.org before wildfire or flood season, not during it.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-71, SH-95, and SH-21 are primary routes; the county includes the cities of Bastrop (seat), Elgin, and Smithville
Transit: No dedicated countywide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county whether any current transit option serves residents
Notes: Bastrop County is part of the Austin–Round Rock metro area and one of the faster-growing counties in Central Texas (pop. approx. 118,900 in 2025, up from 97,217 in 2020).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bastrop County Development Services – 211 Jackson Street, Bastrop, TX 78602 | (512) 581-7176 | [email protected] | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
Floodplain: A permit is required for any development in or near the FEMA 100-year floodplain – Development Services also handles floodplain management directly
Endangered Species Note: Development applications ask whether the property falls within the Lost Pines Habitat Conservation Plan (LPHCP) area, which protects habitat for the endangered Houston toad – if so, the applicant must agree to participate in the LPHCP for incidental-take authorization before certain permits can be issued. This is a genuinely unusual and specific requirement for this part of Texas, worth flagging clearly for anyone planning rural construction here.
Septic: Most rural Bastrop County land has no public sewer – a county permit and a licensed installer are required for any septic system
Notes: Within incorporated cities (Bastrop, Elgin, Smithville), contact the respective city hall for building permits rather than the county.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bastrop County Veteran Services – Jayson Swetnam, Accredited Veteran Services Officer; Daniel DuBose, Accredited Assistant VSO | [email protected]
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: Services include help obtaining discharge/medical/personnel records, filing VA appeals and debt disputes, discharge upgrade requests, burial benefit claims, and information on Texas property tax exemptions for disabled veterans.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bastrop Public Library – 1100 Church Street, Bastrop, TX 78602 | (512) 332-8880 | Over 50,000 items; digital resources include Libby, Mango Languages, TexShare databases
Elgin Public Library – 404 N. Main Street, Elgin, TX 78621 | (512) 281-5678
Smithville Public Library – 507 Main Street, Smithville, TX 78957 | (512) 237-3282, ext. 6
Notes: Each of the three incorporated towns runs its own library rather than one countywide system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Bastrop State Park, a 2,054-acre National Historic Landmark District built by the CCC in 1933, known for its loblolly pine forest (the “Lost Pines,” a geographically isolated stand far from East Texas’s main pine belt) – the park was severely burned in the 2011 Complex Fire and has been under active restoration since; Buescher State Park, 1,017 acres near Smithville, donated to the state in the 1930s and connected to Bastrop State Park by a scenic park road; the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex (1883), a National Register Historic District in downtown Bastrop
Notes: This is genuine, specific, checkable heritage and natural history – the Lost Pines’ isolation and 2011 fire history are real and relevant, not manufactured praise. Confirm current park conditions and any trail closures directly with Texas Parks and Wildlife, since post-fire forest recovery is still ongoing in parts of Bastrop State Park.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bastrop Central Appraisal District (Bastrop CAD) – 212 Jackson St, Bastrop, TX 78602 | (512) 303-1930 | Chief Appraiser: Faun Cullens | bastropcad.org
Tax Assessor-Collector: Ellen Owens – 211 Jackson St, Bastrop, TX 78602 | (512) 581-7161
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Bastrop County Animal Shelter – lost animal reports (512) 549-5160
Animal Control (field response): Monday–Friday, 8 AM–4 PM
Shelter (adoptions): Tuesday–Saturday, 10:30 AM–4:30 PM, closed Sunday and Monday; no appointment needed to view animals, but intakes are by appointment only; adoption fee $40
Notes: The shelter partners with Pets for Patriots for veteran pet adoptions and also handles cruelty investigations and animal-law enforcement. The Friends of Bastrop County Animal Shelter is an affiliated nonprofit supporting adoptions.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Facility: Bastrop County Transfer Station – 601 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602 | (512) 581-4090 | Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
Notes: The facility reopened November 17, 2020 after a closure, and fees have changed since – it no longer accepts concrete, bricks, rocks, masonry units, or similar heavy demolition materials; confirm current accepted materials and fees before hauling a load. A private facility, Lone Star Transfer Station & Recycle Center, 413 FM 20, Bastrop, (512) 686-7896, is also available.
NOTES: Bastrop County is the second of this five-county batch. The two things most worth a reader’s attention: real, significant wildfire history (the 2011 Complex Fire) that should inform anyone living in or near the Lost Pines, and the Houston toad/Lost Pines Habitat Conservation Plan requirement that adds a genuinely unusual extra step to rural building permits here. 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 Bastrop County
Bastrop County is an Austin metro county and the 594th most populous in the United States, covering 888 square miles of rolling terrain east of Austin along the Colorado River.
Bastrop (the county seat, population ~10,000) is a historic Texas colonial town on the Colorado River – one of the original Austin’s Colony settlements of the 1820s, with a preserved Victorian downtown and the extraordinary Lost Pines ecosystem. The Lost Pines – an isolated stand of loblolly pines approximately 100 miles west of their main East Texas range – represent a remnant of a broader forest that covered more of Texas before post-Ice Age climate change. The Bastrop State Park Lost Pines were devastated by the 2011 Bastrop Complex Fire – the most destructive wildfire in Texas history at the time, burning over 32,000 acres and destroying over 1,600 homes. Recovery of the pine forest has been a decade-long effort.
Elgin (population ~10,000) is known as the Sausage Capital of Texas – the Southside Market & Barbeque has been producing Elgin hot guts (beef sausage) since 1882, and the city’s sausage-making tradition is one of the most authentic in Texas BBQ culture.
Cedar Creek and surrounding unincorporated communities have been among Austin’s fastest-growing residential areas – massive master-planned communities like Bastrop Lakes and Tahitian Village have brought thousands of new residents to communities 30–40 miles east of Austin at dramatically lower land costs.
SpaceX has announced a Starbase Texas orbital launch facility in Boca Chica (Cameron County), but the company’s broader Texas manufacturing footprint and the Austin tech ecosystem drive employment that reaches into Bastrop County.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
The Bastrop County Appraisal District (BCAD) at 212 Jackson Street, Bastrop, TX 78602, phone 512-303-1930, appraises all property at 100% of market value. Protest by May 15. No TX estate or inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: BCAD protest deadline: May 15. Bastrop and Elgin Austin metro east side appreciation extraordinary since 2019. No TX estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the protest with no upfront cost.
Recommended
BCAD protest deadline: May 15. Bastrop and Elgin Austin metro east side appreciation extraordinary since 2019. No TX estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the protest with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
District Court (Probate): Bastrop County’s District Courts (21st, 423rd) at 804 Pecan Street, Bastrop, TX 78602, phone 512-332-7244, handle probate and all civil and criminal matters. County Clerk at same address maintains deed records. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Bastrop County Senior Citizens Center and Bluebonnet Trails Community Services serve the county’s senior population. Ascension Seton Bastrop provides significant healthcare.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Bastrop County - from Bastrop and Elgin to Cedar Creek, Smithville, and the Lost Pines communities.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
803 Pine St, Bastrop, TX 78602
(512) 581-7134
DISTRICT CLERK
804 Pecan St, Bastrop, TX 78602
(512) 581-7130
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bastrop County Clerk’s Office, Bastrop (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bastrop 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, Bastrop County 803 Pine Street, Suite 112, Bastrop, TX 78602 (512) 332-7234
Bastrop County is in Central Texas, part of the Austin metropolitan area, seated in Bastrop. Probate matters here are handled by the County Court at Law.
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 Bastrop, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Bastrop County, the County Court at Law handles probate matters.
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 Bastrop County Clerk.
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 Bastrop 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
26 PR 1492, Bastrop, TX 78602
(512) 581-7100
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
211 Jackson St, Bastrop, TX 78602
(512) 581-7161
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
173 Bastrop Landfill Rd, Bastrop, TX 78602
(512) 581-4270
HHSC Office
425 Grady Kitchens Dr, Bastrop, TX 78602
(512) 321-4084
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: No standalone Bastrop County health department was confirmed in this search – for regional public health and emergency-response laboratory services, the county is served by the Texas Department of State Health Services Austin regional office, (512) 776-3781
Notes: This is a genuine gap in a direct county-level walk-in health office; confirm current arrangements for services like immunizations or WIC directly with the County Judge’s office or a city health provider.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
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