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Texas County
Goliad County, Texas
Goliad Massacre and Spanish colonial heritage - from Presidio La Bahia and the Goliad Massacre (in March 1836, General Santa Anna ordered the execution of over 400 Texas prisoners of war at Goliad - a war crime that shocked the world and became a rallying cry of the Texas Revolution alongside the Alamo - the Presidio La Bahia where the massacre occurred is one of the best-preserved Spanish colonial forts in North America and a Texas State Historic Landmark) to Mission Espiritu Santo (the reconstructed Spanish mission in Goliad State Park offers one of Texas's finest examples of colonial mission architecture, providing historical context for the county's centuries-long Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and Texan heritage layers).
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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.
EMS: Goliad County EMS – provides 24/7 pre-hospital emergency medical care countywide.
Notes: Goliad County’s website lists a Declaration of Local State of Disaster related to border/immigration matters, part of a broader set of declarations several Texas counties have issued in recent years – confirm current status directly with the county if this is relevant to your situation. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-183 and US-59 cross at Goliad, the county seat, on the San Antonio River
Transit: Rural Transit service is available through the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission, (361) 645-2144 or (361) 578-1587.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Goliad Building Inspection Department – ensures commercial and residential construction within city jurisdiction meets recognized safety standards; contact City Hall directly.
For unincorporated Goliad County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Goliad County Indigent Health and Veterans Services – administered alongside the County Indigent Health Care Program (CIHCP), which helps low-income Texas residents who don’t qualify for other state/federal health coverage access care; contact via co.goliad.tx.us
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Goliad County Library – confirm current hours and contact via co.goliad.tx.us/page/goliad.library; features a rotating bestsellers list. Note: some GIS/mapping datasets list the “Joe Barnhart Bee County Library” as serving part of Goliad County – confirm which specific library serves your address, since Bee County borders Goliad County.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Goliad is one of the most historically significant sites in Texas. Presidio La Bahía, established in its current form in 1749 by the Spanish Army, is a National Historic Landmark (designated 1967) and is considered the world’s finest surviving example of a Spanish frontier fort – the only fully restored Spanish presidio west of the Mississippi River. It was the site of the Battle of Goliad (October 1835) and, most significantly, the Goliad Massacre on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, when over 300 Texian prisoners under Col. James Fannin were executed by Mexican forces – an event that gave rise to the rallying cry “Remember Goliad!” alongside “Remember the Alamo!” at the Battle of San Jacinto. The Presidio hosts an annual Goliad Massacre & Living History Program each March, running since 1986 and drawing thousands of visitors; admission is $5 adults, $3 senior/veteran/teacher/first responder, $2 children 6-17, free for children 5 and under. Adjacent Goliad State Park and Historic Site (188.3 acres, established 1936, on the National Register of Historic Places since 2001) preserves Mission Espíritu Santo and offers camping, an amphitheater, and the El Camino Real de los Tejas Visitors Center. Fannin Battleground State Historic Site marks the nearby Battle of Coleto Creek location. Goliad, originally named La Bahía, was renamed in 1829 as an anagram of the surname of Mexican independence hero Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
Notes: This is real, extensively documented, nationally significant Texas Revolution history – genuinely central to the state’s founding story, not manufactured tourism content.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Goliad County Appraisal District – 161 N Welch St, Goliad, TX 77963 | (361) 645-2507
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Within Goliad: City of Goliad Animal Control Department – handles daily animal care and shelter cleaning; livestock permits and animal cage requests available via city forms; cages are not serviced Friday–Sunday.
Independent nonprofit: Goliad Pet Adoption, Inc. – P.O. Box 304, Goliad, TX 77963, (361) 894-2591 or (361) 645-1503 (contact: Dawn Blackmon).
Notes: For unincorporated Goliad County, contact the Sheriff’s Office to confirm current response options.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: City of Goliad Utilities Department administers water, sewer, and garbage services within city limits; a recycling center is available for accepted items. For unincorporated Goliad County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current arrangements.
NOTES: Goliad County is the sixth county in this batch (Gaines, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales). Presidio La Bahía and the Goliad Massacre represent some of the most historically significant, extensively documented Texas Revolution history covered in this entire project. 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 Goliad County
Goliad County is south Texas’s colonial massacre heritage and Spanish mission county – Presidio La Bahia and the Goliad Massacre make this small south Texas county one of the most historically significant in the entire state, while the surrounding ranch country and San Antonio River valley maintain the agricultural character of one of Texas’s oldest counties.
Goliad (the county seat, population ~1,900) is Goliad County’s governmental and historical hub, a south Texas town whose extraordinary colonial and revolutionary heritage draws Texas history enthusiasts from across the state.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Goliad County Appraisal District at 127 N. Court Street, Goliad, TX 77963, phone 361-645-3478.
Courts & Legal
Goliad County District Court at 127 N. Court Street, Goliad, TX 77963, phone 361-645-3294, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
127 North Courthouse Sq, Goliad, TX 77963
(361) 645-3294
DISTRICT CLERK
127 North Courthouse Sq, Goliad, TX 77963
(361) 645-3294
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Goliad County District and County Clerk’s Office, Goliad (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Goliad’s Texas Revolution history, including the Goliad Massacre site and Presidio La Bahía, makes the county a significant destination for Texas history researchers.
Local societies
No dedicated Goliad 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, Goliad County 127 North Courthouse Square, PO Box 50, Goliad, TX 77963 (361) 645-3294
Goliad County is in South Texas, seated in Goliad – a town with deep roots in the Texas Revolution, site of the Goliad Massacre.
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 Goliad, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Goliad 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 Goliad 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 Goliad 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
425 South Commercial St, Goliad, TX 77963
(361) 645-3454
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
127 North Courthouse Sq, Goliad, TX 77963
(361) 645-3294
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
127 North Courthouse Sq, Goliad, TX 77963
(361) 645-3311
HHSC Office
127 North Courthouse Sq, Goliad, TX 77963
(361) 645-3311
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Goliad Health Department – (361) 645-2595
Hospitals: CHRISTUS Spohn and Otto Kaiser Memorial Hospital serve the county with emergency services.
Also: Goliad Family Practice – (361) 645-8235
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Goliad
Population: 7,500
Established: 1836
Tier: 4
Public Records
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