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Texas County
Houston County, Texas
Davy Crockett National Forest and Crockett's frontier heritage - from the Davy Crockett National Forest (the 161,500-acre national forest covering much of Houston County - the Four C National Recreation Trail, paddling on the Neches River, and longleaf pine restoration make it one of East Texas's finest natural areas) to Crockett's distinction as one of Texas's oldest towns (established in 1837 and named for the Alamo hero - Crockett is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in Texas, and the Houston County Courthouse dates to 1939) and the Neches River's scenic East Texas corridor.
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Office: Houston County Office of Emergency Management/Fire Marshal – 600 Bradshaw St, Crockett, TX 75835 | (936) 544-7175; residents can self-report storm/weather damage directly to the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) via the TDEM call center, 1-844-844-3089.
City of Crockett Emergency Management: directed by Fire Chief Jason Frizzell, coordinated through the Crockett Fire Department; the Emergency Management Plan is reviewed and practiced twice monthly.
EMS: Houston County EMS (AMR-Lifeguard Ambulance Service) – 1106 E Loop 304, Crockett, TX 75835 | (936) 544-4505 | Dispatch (936) 449-7007; the contracted 911 EMS provider for the county.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-287 and SH-19 cross at Crockett, the county seat, in the East Texas Piney Woods region
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: IMPORTANT – Houston County has no connection to the City of Houston (in Harris County), roughly 100 miles to the south, other than sharing the same namesake, Sam Houston. Houston County’s original boundaries also included all of present-day Anderson and Trinity Counties and portions of Henderson and Polk Counties.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Crockett, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated Houston County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Crockett, the county seat, is named for frontiersman and Alamo defender Davy Crockett, who reportedly passed through the area on his way to the Alamo in 1836.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Houston County Veteran Service Officer Michael Maiden – HC Courthouse Annex, 401 East Goliad, Suite 203, Crockett, TX 75835 | (936) 544-3255, ext. 315
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: J.H. Wootters Crockett Public Library – serves both the City of Crockett and Houston County; provides a genealogical research center for the county alongside standard library services; contact via crocketttexas.org/public-library.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Houston County is home to genuinely significant early Texas and natural history. The site of the San Francisco de los Tejas Mission – the first Spanish mission established in East Texas, in 1690 – sits within the county, a real, historically important marker of early European contact with Native Texan peoples. Davy Crockett National Forest, a 160,647-acre U.S. Forest Service property spanning Houston and neighboring Trinity County, includes the 45-acre Ratcliff Lake and offers hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking across pine-hardwood Piney Woods terrain. A county historical museum occupies a former railroad depot at 303 S. First Street in Crockett, and roughly 200 Texas Historical Commission markers document local sites and events across the county. Houston County Lake and Lake Ratcliff provide additional local fishing and recreation.
Notes: These are real, extensively documented historic and natural landmarks – genuinely significant early Texas history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Houston County Appraisal District – 1512 TX-304 Loop, Crockett, TX 75835
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Within Crockett: City of Crockett Animal Control Officer – enforces Chapter 4 of the Crockett Code of Ordinances; non-emergency reports go through the Houston County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher, (936) 544-2862, option 3; for emergency animal cruelty situations, call 911.
Notes: No dedicated countywide (unincorporated) animal control department was independently confirmed in this search – contact the Sheriff’s Office to confirm current response options outside city limits.
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 Crockett City Hall.
NOTES: Houston County is the third county in this batch (Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson). The distinction between this county and the City of Houston (which it has no direct relationship to) is a genuine, important naming clarification. The San Francisco de los Tejas Mission site and Davy Crockett National Forest are real, historically and naturally significant landmarks. 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 Houston County
Houston County is East Texas’s Davy Crockett National Forest county – one of Texas’s oldest towns, named for the Alamo hero, is surrounded by 161,500 acres of national forest along the Neches River.
Crockett (the county seat, population ~6,500) was established in 1837 and named for Davy Crockett – one of Texas’s oldest continuously inhabited communities serves as the gateway to the national forest that shares the frontier hero’s name. The Neches River provides paddling and fishing recreation.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Houston County Appraisal District at 218 S. 1st Street, Crockett, TX 75835, phone 936-544-9884. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Houston County District Clerk at 401 E. Houston Avenue, Suite 101, Crockett, TX 75835, phone 936-544-3255, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
401 East Houston Ave, Crockett, TX 75835
(936) 544-3255
DISTRICT CLERK
401 East Houston Ave, Crockett, TX 75835
(936) 544-2354
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Houston County Clerk’s Office, Crockett (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Houston 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, Houston County PO Box 370, Crockett, TX 75835 (936) 544-3255 Houston County is in East Texas, seated in Crockett.
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 Houston, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston 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
401 East Houston Ave, Crockett, TX 75835
(936) 544-2862
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
401 East Houston Ave, Crockett, TX 75835
(936) 544-3255
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
401 East Houston Ave, Crockett, TX 75835
(936) 544-3255
HHSC Office
1400 East Houston Ave, Crockett, TX 75835
(936) 544-4088
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: Crockett
Population: 22,500
Established: 1837
Tier: 3
Public Records
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