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Office: Dickens County Emergency Management Coordinator Matt Hindman – P.O. Box 179, Dickens, TX 79229 | (806) 623-5532; also listed at 201 E 6th St, Spur, TX 79370, (806) 271-3191, Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Notes: The county rescinded its outdoor burn ban in June 2026 – a genuine, current status update worth confirming directly before any outdoor burning, since burn bans can be reinstated as conditions change. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-70 runs through Spur, the county’s largest city, leading north 11 miles to Dickens (the county seat) and southeast 24 miles to Jayton in neighboring Kent County
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Spur remains the central shipping point in Dickens County for cotton, wheat, and cattle, a role it has held since its 1911 incorporation.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Spur or Dickens, contact the relevant city hall directly; for unincorporated Dickens County, contact the County Judge’s office, (806) 623-5216, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Genuinely distinctive: in July 2014, the Spur City Council passed a resolution proclaiming Spur the “nation’s first tiny house-friendly town” – a real, checkable civic designation directly relevant to anyone considering a tiny home in the area, though current zoning/permitting specifics should be confirmed directly with Spur City Hall.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
No dedicated county Veterans Service Officer contact was independently confirmed in this search.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: Call the County Judge’s office, (806) 623-5216, to confirm current local veteran services arrangements.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Dickens County-Spur Public Library – 403 E. Hill Street, Spur, TX 79370 | (806) 271-3714 (or 271-3714 per local listings) | Hours: Monday–Thursday, 12:00 PM–5:00 PM, with extended hours until 7:00 PM on the first Monday of each month; free Wi-Fi available inside and from the parking lot; offers OverDrive ebooks/audiobooks to any Dickens County resident with a library card, and to non-residents for digital services specifically.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Dickens County Museum, on Montgomery Avenue in Dickens, is open the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, 9:00 AM–2:00 PM (special viewings by calling Ruby Combs, (806) 269-6215, or Bron Combs, (806) 294-5302). The historic Palace Theater in Spur is a longstanding local cultural landmark. Both the county and its seat are named for J. Dickens, who died at the Battle of the Alamo – a real, checkable historical tie.
Notes: A modest, honest listing – no major state park within the county was found in this search.
No dedicated county or city animal control department/shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Notes: A genuine gap – for a stray or nuisance animal, contact the Dickens County Sheriff’s Office or Spur city offices to confirm current response options.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
A Dickens County Rolloff Site is located near the county’s emergency management office in Spur, at 1400 W Harris St – confirm current access and hours directly with the County Judge’s office, (806) 623-5216.
NOTES: Dickens County is the second county in this seven-county batch (DeWitt, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval). Spur’s “nation’s first tiny house-friendly town” designation is a real, distinctive, and directly useful civic fact for the building permits section. The recently rescinded (June 2026) burn ban is a genuinely current status update. Several sections (building permits, veterans services, standalone public health, animal control) reflect real, honestly-flagged gaps typical of a very small rural county (one of the least populous in Texas). 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 Dickens County County
Dickens County is West Texas’s Croton Breaks and caprock escarpment county – the dramatic badlands where the Llano Estacado drops into the Rolling Plains and the cedar canyons of the White River define a remote county where Dickens serves the sparse ranching population in some of Texas’s most rugged and least-visited landscape.
Dickens (the county seat, population ~230) is Dickens County’s governmental hub, one of Texas’s smallest county seats – a remote Rolling Plains community on TX-70 serving the county’s cattle ranching families in the breaks country.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Dickens County Appraisal District at 407 W. Browning Street, Dickens, TX 79229, phone 806-623-5531. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Dickens County District Court at 407 W. Browning Street, Dickens, TX 79229, phone 806-623-5531, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
111 South 3rd St, Dickens, TX 79229
(806) 623-5531
DISTRICT CLERK
111 South 3rd St, Dickens, TX 79229
(806) 623-5531
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dickens County District and County Clerk’s Office, Dickens (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Dickens 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
District and County Clerk, Dickens County PO Box 120, Dickens, TX 79229 (806) 623-5531
Dickens County is in West Texas on the South Plains, seated in Dickens. Dickens County combines the District Clerk and County Clerk roles into a single office.
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 Dickens, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Dickens County, the combined District and County Clerk’s office handles probate matters through the County Court.
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 Dickens County District and 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 Dickens 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
111 South 3rd St, Dickens, TX 79229
(806) 623-5522
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
111 South 3rd St, Dickens, TX 79229
(806) 623-5531
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
111 South 3rd St, Dickens, TX 79229
(806) 623-5531
HHSC Office
111 South 3rd St, Dickens, TX 79229
(806) 623-5531
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone county health department was confirmed in this search – confirm current public health service arrangements directly with the County Judge’s office.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Dickens
Population: 1,800
Public Records
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