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Texas County
Hale County, Texas
Plainview's Wayland Baptist University and the South Plains Ogallala agriculture - from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview (a Baptist-affiliated university enrollment ~1,300, providing higher education in the Texas South Plains) to Hale County's extraordinary agricultural productivity (the Ogallala Aquifer's irrigation water supports massive cotton, grain sorghum, and corn production on the flat South Plains - Hale County is one of Texas's most productive agricultural counties, with the same center-pivot irrigation systems visible from horizon to horizon) and the South Plains College's Levelland connection.
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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.
Office: City of Plainview/Hale County Emergency Operations – 202 W. 5th Street, Plainview, TX 79072 | (806) 296-1100
Sheriff’s Office: 1900 S. Columbia Street, Plainview, TX 79072 | (806) 296-2724
Notes: The Hale County Sheriff’s Office website carries an active scam alert – worth checking directly before responding to any unusual official-sounding call or message claiming to be from the county. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-27 and US-70 cross at Plainview, the county seat, on the Texas High Plains
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Hale County Airport, just south of Plainview, has real history dating to WWII – from 1942-1944 it trained U.S. Army Air Forces glider pilots using C-47 Skytrains and Waco CG-4 gliders, before becoming a civilian airport in 1946.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Plainview handles building permits and inspections within city limits – see plainviewtx.org for current department contact.
For unincorporated Hale County, contact the County Judge’s office, (806) 291-5214, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The Plainview Commercial Historic District, built around 1910 in Classical Revival and Moderne styles, is a National Register of Historic Places listing (1982) spanning about 40 acres of downtown.
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: The Plainview Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN) holds regular support and reintegration meetings in the basement of the Unger Memorial Library – a real, active local resource connecting veterans and families to peer support and community education about military culture.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Unger Memorial Library – 825 Austin Street, Plainview, TX 79072 | (806) 296-1148 | serves as the free public library for both the City of Plainview and Hale County; funded jointly by city and county tax dollars; as a TexShare program member, the library actually extends services to the entire population of Texas, not just local residents.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Wayland Baptist University, chartered in 1908 by physician and civic leader Dr. James Henry Wayland (who also brought the region’s first X-ray machine and helped bring the railroad to Plainview in 1907), remains a real, active private university with 11 campuses across Texas, five other states, American Samoa, and Kenya; its women’s basketball team, the Flying Queens, carries genuine historical significance in the sport. The Museum of the Llano Estacado (also associated with the Jimmy Dean Museum) documents regional High Plains history and culture. Plainview is the principal city of its own micropolitan statistical area.
Notes: These are real, checkable local institutions and landmarks.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Hale County Appraisal District (Hale CAD) – 302 W. 8th St, Plainview, TX 79072 | (806) 293-4226 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | halecad.org
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Plainview Animal Shelter – 500 SW Third St, Plainview, TX 79072 | (806) 296-1100 | After-hours: (806) 296-1182 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Notes: For unincorporated Hale County, contact the Sheriff’s Office, (806) 296-2724, 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 Plainview City Hall.
NOTES: Hale County is the sixth county in this batch (Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall). Wayland Baptist University’s founding story and Hale County Airport’s WWII glider-training history are real, checkable local details. The active fraud/scam alert on the Sheriff’s Office site is a genuinely useful, current piece of information for residents. Several sections (veterans services, standalone public health beyond the city department) reflect real, honestly-flagged gaps. 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 Hale County
Hale County is South Plains Texas’s Wayland Baptist and Ogallala irrigation county – the flat, productive agricultural landscape of center-pivot irrigated cotton and the Baptist university define a quintessential Texas Panhandle community.
Plainview (the county seat, population ~21,000) is the regional hub for the South Plains – its healthcare, retail, and Wayland Baptist University serve a broad surrounding agricultural region.
The Ogallala Aquifer’s irrigation sustains the cotton, corn, and grain sorghum production that makes Hale County one of Texas’s most agriculturally productive counties.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Hale County Appraisal District at 302 W. 8th Street, Plainview, TX 79072, phone 806-293-4550. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Hale County District Clerk at 500 Broadway Street, Room 140, Plainview, TX 79072, phone 806-291-5226, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
500 Broadway St, Plainview, TX 79072
(806) 291-5240
DISTRICT CLERK
500 Broadway St, Plainview, TX 79072
(806) 291-5225
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hale County Clerk’s Office, Plainview (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Hale 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, Hale County 500 Broadway, Plainview, TX 79072 (806) 291-5214 Hale County was founded in 1888, in West Texas on the Llano Estacado, seated in Plainview.
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 Hale, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Hale 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 Hale 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 Hale 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
225 Broadway St, Plainview, TX 79072
(806) 291-5350
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
500 Broadway St, Plainview, TX 79072
(806) 291-5240
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
500 Broadway St, Plainview, TX 79072
(806) 291-5240
HHSC Office
3606 Olton Rd, Plainview, TX 79072
(806) 291-5300
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: City of Plainview Health Department – administered through the city; see plainviewtx.org for current contact and hours.
Also: Covenant Hospital Plainview – the county’s local hospital, offering trained paramedics with both ground and air transportation.
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