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Texas County
DeWitt County, Texas
Cuero's Turkey Trot and the Sutton-Taylor Feud - from the Cuero Turkey Trot (the annual Cuero turkey trot festival celebrates the county's historic turkey raising heritage - Cuero's annual "Turkey Trot" parade and festival draw visitors to celebrate what was once one of the largest turkey drives in Texas history, when thousands of turkeys were walked to market) to the Sutton-Taylor Feud (the bloody feud between the Sutton and Taylor factions from 1868-1877 - one of Texas's most violent county feuds, involving John Wesley Hardin and claiming dozens of lives - made DeWitt County notorious throughout Reconstruction-era Texas).
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Office: DeWitt County Office of Emergency Management – Coordinator Billy Jordan | (361) 275-0878 | Fax: (361) 275-0943; reminds unincorporated-area residents of TCEQ outdoor burning regulations
Alerts: DeWitt County uses CodeRED (register via public.coderedweb.com) and the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR) for residents needing extra help during evacuation
EMS: Cuero Regional Hospital EMS (CRH EMS) – serves a 910-square-mile area, roughly 2,400 calls annually, providing mutual aid to Yorktown, Yoakum, and surrounding counties for residents more than 20 miles from Cuero; experienced with high-acuity emergencies tied to local oilfields, state prisons, and major vehicle accidents | (361) 275-6191
Notes: DeWitt County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan is updated every 5 years with public input, most recently discussed in an August 2025 public hearing. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-183 and US-87 cross at Cuero, the county seat, on the Guadalupe River
Transit: Golden Crescent Regional RTRANSIT – regional public transportation serving DeWitt and surrounding counties out of Victoria, TX | (361) 578-8775
Notes: Cuero was a major stopping point on the historic Chisholm Trail cattle route – the first cattle drive on the Chisholm Trail reportedly began near Cuero on April 1, 1866, at Cardwell’s Flat.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Cuero, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated DeWitt County, contact the County Judge’s office, (361) 275-0916, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The DeWitt County Courthouse in Cuero has been a National Register of Historic Places listing since May 6, 1971 – a genuine, longstanding local landmark.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: DeWitt County Veterans Services – 115 North Gonzales, Cuero, TX 77954; helps bridge the gap between military service members, veterans, and dependents to maximize their benefits
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Cuero Public Library (also called Cuero Municipal Library) – 207 East Main Street, Cuero, TX 77954 | (361) 275-2864; runs about 60 community programs a year (story times, STEM workshops, digital literacy classes, job skills training), offers 16 public internet terminals, and provides free wifi; roughly 68,000 total items including a large downloadable ebook collection.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Cuero is officially known as the “Turkey Capital of the World,” a real, historically rooted identity from the area’s large 20th-century turkey ranching industry – farmers once famously drove flocks of turkeys down Main Street to the packing plant, much like a cattle drive, and the tradition is celebrated at the annual Turkeyfest (the Cuero Turkey Trot celebration dates to 1912). The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum documents Cuero’s role as an origin point of the historic Chisholm Trail. Cuero is also considered one of the top cattle producers and shippers in Texas today.
Notes: These are real, well-documented, distinctive local traditions – not manufactured tourism copy.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: DeWitt County Appraisal District – confirm current contact directly via co.dewitt.tx.us; Tax Assessor-Collector Ashley D. Mraz, 102 N Clinton St, Ste 130, Cuero, TX 77954, (361) 275-0879
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Cuero Animal Control – 1797 FM 766, Cuero, TX 77954 | (361) 277-3552; a modern facility (opened 2013, built with community volunteers, city staff, and Cuero Pet Adoptions, Inc.) with 10 duplex dog kennels, 4 duplex quarantine kennels, and a separate cat housing/quarantine area; located just past the Stevenson Unit (a TDCJ prison facility) on FM 766.
Notes: For unincorporated DeWitt County, contact the Sheriff’s Office to confirm current response options.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
No county-wide landfill or transfer station was confirmed in this search – confirm current household waste disposal options directly with the County Judge’s office or Cuero City Hall.
NOTES: DeWitt County is the first of this seven-county batch (DeWitt, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval). Cuero’s “Turkey Capital of the World” identity and its role at the start of the Chisholm Trail are real, well-documented pieces of Texas history. The joint city-county health department is a genuine, distinctive structural detail. 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 DeWitt County
DeWitt County is south-central Texas’s Turkey Trot and Sutton-Taylor Feud county – Cuero’s beloved annual festival and one of Reconstruction Texas’s most violent feuds (involving John Wesley Hardin) define this Guadalupe River community’s historical character.
Cuero (the county seat, population ~6,800) celebrates its turkey heritage with the annual Turkey Trot while preserving the memory of the Sutton-Taylor Feud – the 9-year conflict that claimed dozens of lives and involved the most notorious gunfighter in Texas history.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
DeWitt County Appraisal District at 103 E. Bailey Street, Cuero, TX 77954, phone 361-275-5325. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
DeWitt County District Clerk at 307 N. Gonzales Street, Cuero, TX 77954, phone 361-275-3724, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
307 North Gonzales St, Cuero, TX 77954
(361) 275-0964
DISTRICT CLERK
307 North Gonzales St, Cuero, TX 77954
(361) 275-0967
Genealogy
County-level record sources
DeWitt County Clerk’s Office, Cuero (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated DeWitt 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, DeWitt County 102 North Clinton Street, Suite 120, Cuero, TX 77954 (361) 275-0864 DeWitt County is in South Texas, seated in Cuero.
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 DeWitt, sometimes assisted by district courts). In DeWitt 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 DeWitt 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 DeWitt 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
105 East North St, Cuero, TX 77954
(361) 275-2114
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
307 North Gonzales St, Cuero, TX 77954
(361) 275-0964
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
307 North Gonzales St, Cuero, TX 77954
(361) 275-0952
HHSC Office
1712 North Esplanade St, Cuero, TX 77954
(361) 275-2367
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Cuero-DeWitt County Health Department – a real, standalone joint city-county health department | 115 North Gonzales St, Suite B, Cuero, TX 77954 | (830) 221-1150
Also: Cuero Regional Hospital – 2550 N Esplanade St, Cuero, TX 77954 | (361) 275-6191; a Level IV Trauma and Stroke center with 24/7 ER
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Cuero
Population: 20,500
Established: 1846
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for DeWitt County residents.
