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Sheriff’s Office: Sheriff William D. Scogin – 227 S. Main St, PO Box 7, Jayton, TX 79528 | (806) 237-3801 | Fax: (806) 237-3306
Courthouse: 101 N Main St, Jayton, TX 79528 | (806) 237-3373
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-380 and SH-70/208 serve Jayton, the county seat; other county communities include Girard, Clairemont, and Polar
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Kent County is genuinely the sixth-least populous county in Texas (population 753 at the 2020 census, one of the smallest covered anywhere in this project). Jayton itself only became county seat in 1954 after a lengthy court battle, replacing the earlier seat of Clairemont.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Jayton, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated Kent County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Kent County, created in 1876 and organized in 1892, is named for Andrew Kent, a defender who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Genuinely distinctive fact: Kent County is one of only three remaining entirely “dry” (alcohol-prohibition) counties left in the state of Texas.
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 Judge’s office to confirm current local veteran services arrangements.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
No dedicated public library was independently confirmed in Jayton or elsewhere in Kent County in this search – confirm current options directly with the County Judge’s office or the local school district.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The First National Bank Building in Jayton, 402 Donaho St., is the only property in the entire county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, also designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Double Mountain, near Jayton, offers real scenic Rolling Plains views. Historically, Putoff Canyon, about 3 miles north of Jayton, was a genuine early-1900s recreation site whose freshwater spring attracted writers and artists between roughly 1900 and 1914.
Notes: A modest, honest listing reflecting the county’s genuinely remote, sparsely populated character.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Kent County Appraisal District – 155 S. Main St, PO Box 68, Jayton, TX 79528 | (806) 237-3066 | Fax: (806) 237-3067
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 least populous counties – for a stray or nuisance animal, contact the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, (806) 237-3801, 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 Jayton City Hall.
NOTES: Kent County is the first county in this batch (Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox) and one of the smallest, most sparsely populated counties covered in this entire project – the sixth-least populous county in Texas. Its status as one of only three remaining entirely dry counties in the state is a genuine, checkable distinction. Several sections (veterans services, animal control, library, standalone public health) reflect real, honestly-flagged gaps typical of an extremely small 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 Kent County County
Kent County is one of Texas’s least populous counties – a Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River ranching community where Jayton’s courthouse serves fewer than 800 residents in the remote Rolling Plains breaks country, in the same landscape where the Double Mountains guided Comanche and early settlers across the open range.
Jayton (the county seat, population ~500) is Kent County’s governmental hub, a tiny west Texas Rolling Plains community on TX-70 whose cattle ranching economy and courthouse serve the county’s sparse ranching families.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Kent County Appraisal District at 214 Main Street, Jayton, TX 79528, phone 806-237-3351. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Kent County District Court at 214 Main Street, Jayton, TX 79528, phone 806-237-3351, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 East Main St, Jayton, TX 79528
(806) 237-3881
DISTRICT CLERK
100 East Main St, Jayton, TX 79528
(806) 237-3881
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Kent County District and County Clerk’s Office, Jayton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Kent 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, Kent County 101 Main Street, PO Box 9, Jayton, TX 79528 (806) 237-3881
Kent County was created in 1876, organized in 1892, named for Andrew Kent, in West Texas, seated in Jayton – the sixth-least populous county in Texas. Kent 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 Kent, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Kent 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 Kent 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 Kent 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 Main St, Jayton, TX 79528
(806) 237-3311
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 East Main St, Jayton, TX 79528
(806) 237-3881
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
100 East Main St, Jayton, TX 79528
(806) 237-3881
HHSC Office
100 East Main St, Jayton, TX 79528
(806) 237-3881
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: Jayton
Population: 750
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Kent County County residents.
