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Texas · Ark-Tex Region · #610 Most Populous County in the US
Bowie County, Texas
The Texas-Arkansas twin city county - from Texarkana's unique dual-state city identity and the Four States Fair to New Boston's county courthouse, the Sulphur River basin's agricultural landscape, and a bi-state community that has shared a post office, an arena, and a water tower across the state line for over a century. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Bowie County residents.
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Bowie 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: Bowie County Office of Emergency Management – Bowie County Courthouse, 710 James Bowie Drive, New Boston, TX 75570 | (903) 628-6700 / (903) 628-6832
Alert System: CodeRED Emergency Notification System, jointly run by the Cities of Texarkana and Bowie and Miller Counties – sign up by calling (903) 798-3181
City of Texarkana OEM (for in-city emergencies): Chief Chris Black, (903) 798-3994; maintains an “Advanced Level” of emergency preparedness per Texas Division of Emergency Management standards
Notes: New Boston was hit by an EF3 tornado on November 4, 2022 – a real, documented severe-weather event for this county, underscoring that tornado preparedness matters here. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-30 and US-59 are the primary highways, converging in Texarkana
Transit: Texarkana Urban Transit District (T-LINE) – 818 Elm Street, Texarkana | t-linebus.org; operates 8 fixed bus routes Monday–Friday serving Texarkana TX, Texarkana AR, Nash, and Wake Village; connects with TRAX rural transit service to Cass, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River, and Titus counties via the Ark-Tex Council of Governments
Notes: This is a real, confirmed regional transit system – worth noting since many rural Texas counties in this project have none.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bowie County Fire Marshal and Health Inspections Department – (903) 628-6778 | Fax: (903) 628-9493; handles building permits AND health/food establishment inspections together
Fees (as of October 2020, confirm current): Residential building permit $325; Commercial building permit $425; Food Establishment Permit $175
Within Texarkana: City of Texarkana Zoning/Building Inspector – 220 Texas Boulevard, Texarkana, TX 75501 | (903) 798-3949
Within other cities: Each incorporated town (New Boston, DeKalb, Hooks, Maud, Nash, City of Bowie) issues its own permits – contact the relevant city hall directly
Notes: Combining building permits with health/food inspections under one department is a genuinely specific structural detail for this county.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Texas Veteran Service Officer Mechelle Price – Bowie County Courthouse, 710 James Bowie Drive, New Boston, TX 75570 | (903) 628-6816 | Hours: 8:00 AM–4:30 PM, closed 12–1 for lunch; Mondays and Thursdays are walk-in, first-come-first-served
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: A separate Miller County (AR)/Bowie County (TX) veterans contact also operates out of Texarkana, AR – confirm which office best fits your specific benefits question.
Notes: This serves the Texarkana area; residents elsewhere in the county should confirm the nearest branch or which library system covers their specific town.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Texarkana itself straddles the Texas–Arkansas state line (established 1842); the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in downtown Texarkana is the only federal post office building in the country to straddle a state line – a genuine, checkable, distinctive fact; the Museum of Regional History in Texarkana, housed in the city’s oldest brick building, covers regional history including Caddo pottery, early Spanish/French exploration, and native son Scott Joplin (“Father of Ragtime”); Bowie County itself has a quirky namesake history – the legal county seat is the small community of Boston, but the courthouse and most government functions are in the separate city of New Boston, and a third community, Old Boston, also exists nearby (the county has three “Bostons”)
Notes: These are real, documented, distinctive facts about the county’s identity – not manufactured superlatives.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Bowie Central Appraisal District (Bowie CAD) – 122 Plaza W, Suite A, Texarkana, TX 75501 | (903) 793-8936 | Chief Appraiser: Mike Brower | bowieappraisal.com
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: New Boston Animal Control serves New Boston directly; within Texarkana, TX, city Animal Control officers bring animals to the Animal Care and Adoption Center, a joint regional facility serving Texarkana TX, Texarkana AR, Nash, and Wake Village, as well as Miller and Bowie County strays – adoption fees $40 for dogs, $20 for cats, spay/neuter and rabies vaccine included
Independent rescues: Texarkana Animal League, Texarkana Humane Society, Animal Protection League (New Boston/Texarkana), Ark-La-Tex Animal Rescue – these are separate nonprofit rescues, not enforcement agencies
Notes: With this many overlapping options, confirm which specific city or agency covers a given address before assuming a particular shelter or hotline applies.
Fees: FREE for Texarkana, TX residents disposing of regular household waste (proof of residency required – most recent water bill plus driver’s license with matching address); construction/remodel debris is charged per ton; commercial/industrial waste and uncovered loads incur a fee
Notes: Confirm whether this facility also serves non-Texarkana county residents and under what terms, since the free policy explicitly applies to Texarkana city residents.
NOTES: Bowie County is the fifth and final county in this batch (Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Bowie). Genuinely distinctive facts here: the state-line-straddling federal post office, the county’s three “Bostons,” and the November 2022 EF3 tornado in New Boston, which is real, relevant severe-weather context rather than generic caution. 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 Bowie County
Bowie County is a northeast Texas border county and the 610th most populous in the United States, covering 889 square miles along the Arkansas state line.
Texarkana, Texas (population ~37,000 Texas side; about 73,000 in the combined Texarkana metro) is the most distinctive bi-state city in the United States – Texarkana exists in both Texas and Arkansas as two separate municipalities sharing a name, a main street (State Line Avenue), and the unique Texarkana Federal Building and U.S. Post Office (1933) which stands directly on the state line with its entrance on the exact boundary, making it the only building in the United States with its front door on a state line. The “Twice as Nice” motto reflects the community’s embrace of its unusual geography.
The Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant – a major Army manufacturing facility producing small arms ammunition – is a significant employer in the Texarkana area and provides stable federal employment.
Texarkana was the birthplace of Scott Joplin (1868), the “King of Ragtime” – one of the most important American composers of the 19th century whose “Maple Leaf Rag” was the first piece of sheet music to sell one million copies. The Scott Joplin Mural and historical markers in Texarkana commemorate this musical heritage.
New Boston (the county seat, population ~4,500) is the county’s governmental center – a small city in the county’s interior with traditional East Texas character distinct from the bi-state border city.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
The Bowie County Appraisal District at 122 Plaza West, Texarkana, TX 75501, phone 903-793-8936, appraises all property at 100% of market value. Protest by May 15 (or 30 days after notice). No TX estate or inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Bowie County Appraisal District protest: May 15. Texarkana stable regional hub market. No TX estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the protest with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Bowie County Appraisal District protest: May 15. Texarkana stable regional hub market. No TX estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the protest with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
District Court (Probate): Bowie County’s District Courts (5th, 102nd, 202nd) at 710 James Bowie Drive, New Boston, TX 75570, phone 903-628-2571, handle probate and all civil and criminal matters.
County Clerk: The Bowie County Clerk at 710 James Bowie Drive maintains deed records, probate records, and marriage licenses. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Ark-Tex Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging at 4808 Elizabeth Street, Texarkana, TX 75503, phone 903-832-8636, serves the region’s senior population. Christus St. Michael Health System in Texarkana provides significant geriatric care.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Bowie County - from Texarkana and New Boston to DeKalb, Hooks, and the Sulphur River communities.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
710 James Bowie Dr, Boston, TX 75570
(903) 628-6725
DISTRICT CLERK
710 James Bowie Dr, Boston, TX 75570
(903) 628-6720
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bowie County Clerk’s Office, New Boston (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bowie 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, Bowie County 710 James Bowie Drive, New Boston, TX 75570 (903) 628-6740 Bowie County is in Northeast Texas on the Arkansas border, seated in New Boston.
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 Bowie, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Bowie County, the County Court 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 Bowie 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 Bowie 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
108 North State Line Ave, Texarkana, TX 75501
(903) 793-8069
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
710 James Bowie Dr, Boston, TX 75570
(903) 628-6725
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1900 Wilson Rd, Texarkana, TX 75501
(903) 794-4726
HHSC Office
3129 North Kings Hwy, Texarkana, TX 75503
(903) 831-9231
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Bowie County Fire Marshal and Health Inspections Department (same office as building permits, Section 8) – (903) 628-6778; handles food establishment inspections and related health permitting
Notes: No separate standalone county public health clinic was confirmed in this search beyond this inspections function – for direct medical/public health services, residents likely rely on hospitals and clinics in Texarkana; confirm current arrangements directly.
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