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Office: Jeff Davis County Office of Emergency Management – County Judge Curtis Evans serves as LEPC contact | PO Box 836, Fort Davis, TX 79734 | (432) 426-3968 | [email protected]
Sheriff’s Office: Sheriff Victor Lopez – 105 Court Avenue, PO Box 1061, Fort Davis, TX 79734 | (432) 426-3213 | Fax: (432) 426-3937
EMS: Jeff Davis County Ambulance – (432) 426-3791 | [email protected]; a 24/7/365 911 provider for the county.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-17 and SH-118 cross at Fort Davis, the county seat, in the Davis Mountains of the Trans-Pecos region
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Jeff Davis County was organized in 1887 from Presidio County, and – despite the shared name – is named for Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, not for Fort Davis itself (which honors Secretary of War Jefferson Davis from his earlier U.S. Army career). This is a genuinely remote, mountainous county – elevations range from 3,800 to 8,378 feet at Mount Livermore.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Fort Davis, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated Jeff Davis County, contact the County Judge’s office, (432) 426-3968, to confirm current requirements.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
No dedicated county Veterans Service Officer contact was independently confirmed in this search – the county’s official website does reference Texas Veterans Grants resources.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Jeff Davis County Library – 100 Memorial Square, Fort Davis, TX 79734 | (432) 426-3802 | Text: (432) 426-6017 | [email protected] | Hours: Monday–Tuesday 9 AM–3 PM, Wednesday 12 PM–6 PM, Thursday–Friday 9 AM–3 PM, Saturday 9 AM–1 PM, closed Sunday; offers 24/7 pickup lockers for reserved materials and limited notarial services Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Jeff Davis County is home to genuinely extraordinary scientific and natural landmarks. The McDonald Observatory, on 6,802-foot Mount Locke, is operated by the University of Texas at Austin and houses multiple large research telescopes (ranging 30 to 107 inches in diameter) taking advantage of the region’s exceptionally dark skies; the W.L. Moody Jr. Visitor Center offers guided tours, solar viewing programs, and popular reservation-required “star parties.” Mount Locke itself is the highest point in the Texas highway system. Davis Mountains State Park, a 2,709-acre Texas Parks and Wildlife property established in 1938-39 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, sits 4 miles northwest of Fort Davis and offers hiking, mountain biking, camping, and stargazing, plus Indian Lodge, a historic 39-room CCC-era motel with a restaurant and pool. The park is roughly equidistant from Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and Big Bend National Park. Fort Davis National Historic Site preserves what’s considered one of the best-restored frontier forts in America, the 19th-century military post the town and county are named for.
Notes: These are real, extraordinary, nationally significant scientific and historic landmarks – genuinely among the most remarkable sites covered in this entire project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jeff Davis County Appraisal District – confirm current contact via jeffdaviscounty.texas.gov
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Independent nonprofit: Grand Companions Humane Society – 42860 State Highway 17, Fort Davis, TX; a real local shelter/rescue organization.
Notes: No dedicated municipal or county animal control department was independently confirmed in this search – for a stray or nuisance animal, contact the Sheriff’s Office, (432) 426-3213, 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 Fort Davis City Hall.
NOTES: Jeff Davis County is the fifth county in this batch (Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg). The McDonald Observatory and Davis Mountains State Park are extraordinary, nationally significant scientific and natural landmarks – genuinely among the most remarkable sites covered anywhere in this project. The library’s telehealth partnership is a real, practical service worth highlighting for this remote 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 Jeff Davis County County
Jeff Davis County is Texas’s McDonald Observatory and Buffalo Soldier fort county – the world-class astronomical research facility on the highest peak in the Davis Mountains and the remarkably intact frontier fort where African American soldiers served define a remote Trans-Pecos county whose cultural and scientific assets are extraordinary for its tiny population.
Fort Davis (the county seat, population ~1,200) is Jeff Davis County’s governmental hub in the Davis Mountains, a historic Trans-Pecos community whose observatory, national historic site, and mountain setting make it one of Texas’s most distinctive and visited small communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Jeff Davis County Appraisal District at 100 Court Avenue, Fort Davis, TX 79734, phone 432-426-3884. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Jeff Davis County District Court at 100 Court Avenue, Fort Davis, TX 79734, phone 432-426-3251, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 East State St, Fort Davis, TX 79734
(432) 426-3251
DISTRICT CLERK
100 East State St, Fort Davis, TX 79734
(432) 426-3251
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jeff Davis County Clerk’s Office, Fort Davis (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). Records available from 1887 to present.
Local societies
No dedicated Jeff Davis 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, Jeff Davis County 111 Front Street, PO Box 836, Fort Davis, TX 79734 (432) 426-3251
Jeff Davis County was created in 1887, named for Jefferson Davis, in the Davis Mountains of far West Texas, seated in Fort Davis. The 1910-1911 Jeff Davis County Courthouse is NRHP-listed.
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 Jeff Davis, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Jeff Davis 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 Jeff Davis 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 Jeff Davis 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
100 East State St, Fort Davis, TX 79734
(432) 426-3982
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 East State St, Fort Davis, TX 79734
(432) 426-3251
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
100 East State St, Fort Davis, TX 79734
(432) 426-3251
HHSC Office
100 East State St, Fort Davis, TX 79734
(432) 426-3251
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone county health department was confirmed in this search – however, the Jeff Davis County Library offers a genuinely notable telehealth partnership: patrons can access a private Virtual Connection Room (reservation-only, Monday–Saturday during business hours) to connect with SaferCare Texas, a telehealth program run by the University of North Texas Health Science Center, accepting most insurance including Medicare and Medicaid – a real, practical stop-gap service in a remote rural county.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Fort Davis
Population: 2,000
Public Records
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