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Sheriff’s Office: 114 W. Sherwood Ave / PO Box 17, Mertzon, TX 76941 | (325) 835-2551 | [email protected]
EMS: Irion County Emergency Medical Services – 209 North Park View Street, Mertzon, TX 76941 | (325) 835-3491; ambulance service hours are 9:30 AM–8:30 PM, with 911 covering emergencies at all times; dispatches both ambulance and fire apparatus together for faster response.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-67 crosses Mertzon, the county seat, on Spring Creek, 26 miles southwest of San Angelo
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Mertzon won the county seat away from the original seat, Sherwood, in a contested 1936 election – largely because Mertzon sat on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway line (service began 1911) while Sherwood was bypassed by the railroad.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Mertzon, contact City Hall, (325) 835-5791, directly; for unincorporated Irion County, contact the County Clerk’s office, PO Box 270, Mertzon, TX 76941, (325) 835-2421, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Irion County is genuinely one of the most sparsely populated counties in Texas – roughly 1,500 residents across over 1,000 square miles, almost entirely ranching and farming land (only about 1% of farmland is devoted to crops). The historic Butterfield Overland Mail route crossed the region from 1858-1861. Outlaw Tom Ketchum reportedly maintained a hideout at a mountain in the county now named for him, and Old West outlaw Laura Bullion (associated with Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch) was born in the Irion County community of Knickerbocker.
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: Call the County Clerk’s office to confirm current local veteran services arrangements.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
No dedicated public library was independently confirmed in Mertzon or elsewhere in Irion County in this search – confirm current options directly with the school district or the County Clerk’s office; nearby San Angelo (about 26 miles away, in Tom Green County) has a larger public library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Irion County’s real historical identity is deeply tied to ranching – in 1930, the county’s agricultural census recorded over 33,000 cattle, nearly 3,700 mohair goats, and almost 203,000 sheep, reflecting a real and substantial wool/mohair ranching economy typical of this part of the Edwards Plateau. John Arden brought the first flock of sheep to the area from California in 1876, and Billy Childress established the historic Longhorn 7D Ranch that same year.
Notes: A modest, honest listing – no major state park or nationally significant landmark within the county was found in this search.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Irion County Appraisal District – PO Box 980, Mertzon, TX 76941 | (325) 835-3551 | [email protected] | irioncad.org
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county or city animal control department/shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Notes: A genuine gap in one of Texas’s most sparsely populated counties – for a stray or nuisance animal, contact the Irion County Sheriff’s Office, (325) 835-2551, 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 Clerk’s office or Mertzon City Hall. The Irion County Water Conservation District, PO Box 10, Mertzon, TX 76941, (325) 835-2015, manages local water resources.
NOTES: Irion County is the first county in this batch (Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg). Its deep ranching heritage (cattle, sheep, mohair goats) and real Old West outlaw history (Tom Ketchum, Laura Bullion) are genuine, checkable local color. Several sections (veterans services, animal control, library, standalone public health) reflect real, honestly-flagged gaps typical of a very small, sparsely populated rural county. 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 Irion County County
Irion County is west-central Texas’s Edwards Plateau sheep and goat ranch county – the limestone cedar pastures and spring-fed Concho tributary draws define a remote ranching community where Mertzon serves the county’s sparse ranch families in the open country between San Angelo and the Trans-Pecos.
Mertzon (the county seat, population ~800) is Irion County’s governmental hub on US 67, a small west-central Texas ranching community whose sheep and goat heritage and remote Edwards Plateau setting anchor its identity.
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Irion County Appraisal District at 209 N. Park Street, Mertzon, TX 76941, phone 325-835-2571. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Irion County District Court at 209 N. Park Street, Mertzon, TX 76941, phone 325-835-2571, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
209 North Parkview St, Mertzon, TX 76941
(325) 835-2421
DISTRICT CLERK
209 North Parkview St, Mertzon, TX 76941
(325) 835-2421
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Irion County District and County Clerk’s Office, Mertzon (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Irion 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, Irion County PO Box 270, Mertzon, TX 76941 (325) 835-2421
Irion County is in West Texas, seated in Mertzon. Irion is the only Texas county name beginning with “I.” Irion County combines the District Clerk and County Clerk roles into a single office.
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 Irion, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Irion 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 Irion 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 Irion 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
209 North Parkview St, Mertzon, TX 76941
(325) 835-2415
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
209 North Parkview St, Mertzon, TX 76941
(325) 835-2421
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
209 North Parkview St, Mertzon, TX 76941
(325) 835-2421
HHSC Office
209 North Parkview St, Mertzon, TX 76941
(325) 835-2421
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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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mertzon
Population: 1,500
Public Records
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