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.
Texas · Permian Basin · #777
Ector County, Texas
In the Permian Basin of West Texas, Odessa is where oil field workers live - the blue-collar twin to neighboring Midland's corporate headquarters culture, where the roughnecks, pipeline welders, and equipment operators who do the physical work of extracting the Permian's oil and gas have made their home in a city that identifies with labor rather than management.
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Fire/EMS: Odessa Fire Rescue protects both the City of Odessa and Ector County – a 904-square-mile area with about 200,000 residents; offers free smoke detector installation for county residents, (432) 257-0526
Genuinely current: Ector County Emergency Services District 1 (ECESD1) was newly created by public vote on May 3, 2025, to provide fire protection and/or EMS coverage in specific unincorporated areas of the county – a real, recent local government development.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-20 and SH-191 serve Odessa, the county seat; Ector County is part of the Odessa metropolitan area and the larger Midland-Odessa combined statistical area, deeply tied to Permian Basin oil and gas activity
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Ector County Development Services – handles permits for unincorporated Ector County; there is no cost to obtain a permit. Permits required include: Development Structure (finish floor elevation), Drive Approach, Septic (OSSF), Right-of-Way (for work within a county right-of-way), and Cell Tower permits. All permits are now submitted online – email site plans and attachments to Development Services with the property address in the subject line.
Within the City of Odessa: Odessa City Zoning – 411 W 8th St, Odessa, TX 79761 | (432) 335-3211
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Ector County Veterans Services – Veterans Claims Counselor Rick Mitchell | (432) 770-7511 | [email protected]
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Ector County Library – 321 West 5th Street, Odessa, TX 79761 | (432) 332-0633 | [email protected] | Hours: Monday–Saturday, 9:00 AM–7:00 PM (2nd and 3rd floors closed 1:00–2:00 PM Saturdays); established 1938, originally opening in the old courthouse jail with just 800 donated books; today offers free wi-fi, wireless printing, notary service, a law library, exam proctoring, a Southwest history/genealogy collection, and passport application acceptance. Genuinely current and significant: Ector County Commissioners approved a new $58 million, 54,000-square-foot library building at 3rd and Texas in Downtown Odessa, funded through a Public-Private Partnership at no additional tax cost to residents – the new building will include a dedicated Hispanic Heritage area alongside expanded children’s, teen, and public meeting spaces.
Notes: The new library building project is a real, major, currently-in-progress civic investment worth flagging clearly.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Odessa Meteor Crater, in southwestern Ector County about 3 miles south of I-20 (Exit 108, Moss Road), is a genuine, scientifically confirmed impact crater roughly 63,500 years old, 550 feet in diameter and 100 feet deep – one of only three confirmed meteorite impact sites in Texas (alongside the larger Sierra Madera and Marquez craters). The site preserves the largest of several smaller craters formed by a shower of iron meteorite fragments (octahedrites) that struck the area in prehistoric times.
Notes: This is a real, verifiable geological landmark – not manufactured tourism copy.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Ector County Appraisal District (Ector CAD) – confirm current contact directly via co.ector.tx.us
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Odessa Animal Services (oversees both the Odessa Animal Shelter and Odessa Animal Control) – inspected annually by a licensed veterinarian per Texas Health and Safety Code 823, and by the Texas Department of State Health Services; passed its most recent state inspection in February 2025; follows Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Standards of Care.
Notes: For unincorporated Ector County, contact the Sheriff’s Office to confirm current animal-related 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 the City of Odessa.
NOTES: Ector County is the seventh and final county in this batch (DeWitt through Duval, plus Eastland and Ector to complete a 7-county set). The Odessa Meteor Crater is a real, scientifically confirmed geological landmark. The $58 million new library building project is a genuine, current, major civic investment. The May 2025 creation of Ector County ESD 1 is a real, recent development directly relevant to fire/EMS coverage in unincorporated areas. 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 Ector County
Ector County’s Odessa is the working-class counterpart to Midland’s executive culture – a city of oil field service companies, equipment yards, man camps, and the residential neighborhoods of the trades workers whose physical labor makes the Permian Basin produce. The boom-bust cycle hits Odessa harder and faster than Midland because it’s closer to the wellsite economy: when oil prices drop, drilling rigs stack and Odessa’s housing vacancies spike within months.
The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum shared with Midland tells the basin’s story. But Odessa has its own specific cultural contributions – the Globe of the Great Southwest, a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, offers professional Shakespeare performances in a West Texas oil town, a combination so improbable it has to be taken seriously. The “Friday Night Lights” story – the Odessa Permian Panthers’ 1988 football season and H.G. Bissinger’s book about it – made Odessa the most famous high school football community in the country.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Texas has no state income tax. County Appraisal Districts appraise property at 100% of market value. Property owners may protest to the ARB by May 15. Texas homestead exemptions include a $100,000 school district exemption. Texas has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Ector County Probate Court: 300 North Grant Avenue, Odessa, TX 79761 | (432) 498-4260. The Probate Court handles estate administration, guardianship, and wills.
Senior Services
Permian Basin Area Agency on Aging
2910 LaForce Boulevard, Midland, TX 79711
Phone: (432) 563-1061
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
300 North Grant Ave, Odessa, TX 79761
(432) 498-4290
DISTRICT CLERK
300 North Grant Ave, Odessa, TX 79761
(432) 498-4290
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ector County Clerk’s Office, Odessa (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Ector 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, Ector County 300 North Grant, Odessa, TX 79761 (432) 498-4030
Ector County was founded in 1887, organized in 1891, named for Matthew Ector, in the Permian Basin of West Texas, seated in Odessa.
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 Ector, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Ector 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 Ector 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
Small Estate Affidavit: if the estate is valued at $75,000 or less (excluding homestead/exempt property) and there is no will, this affidavit transfers assets without full administration.
Muniment of Title: if there is a will but no need for administration (no debts other than a mortgage), this transfers title without appointing an executor.
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.
Filing fees in Texas typically run $250–$400 depending on the county; confirm current Ector County fees directly.
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
2210 East Highway 80, Odessa, TX 79761
(432) 498-4400
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
300 North Grant Ave, Odessa, TX 79761
(432) 498-4290
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
605 South Grandview Ave, Odessa, TX 79761
(432) 498-4181
HHSC Office
2626 Kermit Hwy, Odessa, TX 79764
(432) 498-3900
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Ector County Health Department – a real, standalone county health department; contact directly via the county’s website for current programs and hours.
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.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Odessa
Population: 165,000
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Ector County facilities via Amazon.
