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Texas County
Grimes County, Texas
Navasota's Robert Johnson Blues Festival and the Brazos River bottom - from the Robert Johnson Blues Festival in Navasota (the legendary Delta Blues musician Robert Johnson - whose crossroads legend, innovative guitar technique, and recordings influenced virtually every rock and blues musician of the 20th century - is buried in Greenwood, Mississippi, but Navasota claims a connection through the local lore surrounding this most mysterious of blues legends, and the annual blues festival celebrates that heritage) to the Brazos River's scenic Grimes County bottomland and the county's significant cotton history.
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Office: Grimes County Office of Emergency Management – 270 FM 149 W, Anderson, TX 77830 | [email protected]
Alerts: Grimes County Emergency Notification System – residents can register for cell, text, or email alerts (existing landlines already entered automatically); information is not sold or distributed to third parties.
Local fire departments: Anderson VFD, Bedias VFD, Iola VFD, Navasota Fire Department, Plantersville VFD, Richards VFD, Shiro VFD, Whitehall VFD
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-6 and SH-90 serve Navasota, the county’s largest city; Anderson, the county seat, sits on SH-90 and FM-149/1774, about 10 miles northeast of Navasota
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Navasota was designated “Train Town USA” in 2012, reflecting its historic railroad heritage and still-active Railroad Street.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Within Navasota: All new building permit applications must be submitted through the city’s online portal (effective April 2020) – contractors register for a username/password; homeowners may self-permit non-gas work only on their own homestead property (confirmed via Grimes County Appraisal District tax records).
For unincorporated Grimes County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The entire town of Anderson and surrounding areas form the Anderson Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 – a real, distinctive concentration of structures spanning the Mexican period, the Republic of Texas, and early statehood. The 1893 Grimes County Courthouse still stands in Anderson.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Grimes County Veterans’ Services Office – contact via grimescountytexas.gov for current hours and staff.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Navasota Public Library – 1411 E. Washington Ave, Navasota, TX 77868 | (936) 825-6744 | [email protected] | Hours: Monday 1:00 PM–7:00 PM, Tuesday–Friday 8:30 AM–5:30 PM, closed weekends; serves all Grimes County residents; membership requires a Texas driver’s license/ID with a Grimes County address (a $20 fee applies for non-county residents); late fees are $0.10/day for books, $2.00/day for DVDs/CDs (limit 3 per household, 1-week checkout).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, on 6 acres at the south end of Anderson’s Main Street, is a genuinely significant, well-preserved 1834 stagecoach inn built by Englishman Henry Fanthorp – it became the first post office in what would become Grimes County in December 1835, established by the provisional government of Texas. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired the property in 1977 and opened it to the public in October 1987; the Texas Historical Commission now operates it for tours Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 AM–3:30 PM (plus reserved group/school tours), and it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Navasota, once called the “Blues Capital of Texas,” hosts the annual Texas Birthday Bash and Texas Blues Festival, and is home to a LaSalle statue commemorating French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, who was killed nearby in 1687 (his remains are believed to rest in Navasota). Navasota was also once home to famed Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, city marshal there in the early 1900s, later known for his role in the 1934 pursuit of Bonnie and Clyde. The Texas Renaissance Festival, one of the largest renaissance fairs in the country, is held annually in Todd Mission within Grimes County.
Notes: These are real, extensively documented local and state historic landmarks – genuinely significant, not manufactured content.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Grimes County Appraisal District – contact via grimescountytexas.gov for current hours and address.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Within Navasota: Navasota Animal Control (part of Grimes County Animal Services) – 1607 Nolan Street, Navasota, TX 77868 | (936) 825-6641 | After-hours: Navasota Police Department, (936) 825-6124 or (936) 825-6410; an Open Intake Facility with a “No Kill” policy, established 1992-93; the shelter holds occasional Adoption Day events at the Navasota Public Library.
Notes: For unincorporated Grimes 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 your specific city.
NOTES: Grimes County is the fourth county in this batch (Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall). Fanthorp Inn and the Anderson Historic District are real, extensively documented, and genuinely significant pieces of early Texas history. 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 Grimes County
Grimes County is south-central Texas’s Brazos River bottom and blues heritage county – Navasota’s Robert Johnson connection and the river’s scenic agricultural corridor define a community between Houston and College Station.
Navasota (population ~7,500) celebrates its blues heritage with the annual Navasota Blues Festival – the Robert Johnson connection, however tenuous, has given Navasota a musical identity that attracts blues enthusiasts to the Brazos River community.
Anderson (the county seat, population ~200) is one of Texas’s smallest county seats.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Grimes County Appraisal District at 114 E. Buffington Street, Anderson, TX 77830, phone 936-873-2163. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Grimes County District Clerk at 100 Main Street, Anderson, TX 77830, phone 936-873-4401, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 Main St, Anderson, TX 77830
(936) 873-2662
DISTRICT CLERK
100 Main St, Anderson, TX 77830
(936) 873-2662
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Grimes County Clerk’s Office, Anderson (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Grimes 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, Grimes County PO Box 209, Anderson, TX 77830 (936) 873-4408 Grimes County is in Southeast Texas, seated in Anderson.
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 Grimes, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Grimes 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 Grimes 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 Grimes 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
260 FM 149 West, Anderson, TX 77830
(936) 873-2811
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 Main St, Anderson, TX 77830
(936) 873-2662
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
100 Main St, Anderson, TX 77830
(936) 873-2662
HHSC Office
425 North Main St, Navasota, TX 77868
(936) 825-6484
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: Anderson
Population: 30,000
Established: 1846
Tier: 3
Public Records
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