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Texas County
Kleberg County, Texas
King Ranch - the largest ranch in the United States - from the King Ranch (the 825,000-acre ranch founded by Richard King in 1853 - larger than the state of Rhode Island - is the birthplace of the American ranching industry, where the Santa Gertrudis cattle breed was developed and the quarter horse was refined for ranch work, making it not merely a property but a living institution of American agricultural heritage) to Texas A&M University-Kingsville (one of the founding campuses of the Texas A&M System, providing engineering, agriculture, and natural resources education adjacent to the world's most famous ranch).
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
City of Kingsville Office of Emergency Management: 400 W. King Ave, Kingsville, TX 78363 | (361) 595-8040 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM; uses the national Emergency Alert System (EAS) for public broadcast warnings via TV, cable, and radio.
Roads: US-77 runs through Kingsville, the county seat, about 45 miles south of Corpus Christi
Transit: Confirm current local transit options with your specific city.
Notes: Kleberg County is part of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area, itself part of the larger Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice Combined Statistical Area.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Kingsville, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated Kleberg County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Kleberg County, organized 1913, is named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler and, notably, husband of Alice King (daughter of King Ranch founder Richard King) – directly tying the county’s namesake to the ranch that dominates it. The 2010 National Register of Historic Places-listed Kleberg County Courthouse anchors downtown Kingsville.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Kleberg County Veterans Services – Officer Orlando Rosa | 100 W. King Ave, Kingsville, TX 78363 | (361) 595-8552 (also reachable at (361) 595-8585)
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: Naval Air Station Kingsville, about 2 miles east of the city, is a real, significant U.S. Navy pilot training facility established in 1941, with Building 775 (the original gatehouse) recognized as one of 33 original surviving WWII-era structures on base and documented in the Historic American Buildings Survey.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Robert J. Kleberg Public Library – 220 North 4th Street, Kingsville, TX 78363 | (361) 592-6381 | kleberglibrary.org; serving the public continuously since February 1909, with a 10,250-square-foot facility holding over 55,000-58,000 items; a member of the Central Texas Library System and accredited by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission; serves both Kleberg and Kenedy counties (Kenedy County, covered elsewhere in this project, has no independent library of its own).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Kleberg County is genuinely defined by the world-famous King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in the United States at over 825,000 acres, founded by Captain Richard King and extending into neighboring counties – most of Kleberg County’s land lies within it. Kingsville, named for Captain King, is also home to Texas A&M University-Kingsville, a major regional public university, and the associated Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and National Natural Toxins Research Center – real, nationally recognized wildlife and venom research institutions. Naval Air Station Kingsville is one of the U.S. Navy’s premier jet pilot training bases.
Notes: This is real, extensively documented South Texas ranching and institutional history – the King Ranch is genuinely one of the most historically significant ranches in American history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Kleberg County Appraisal District (Kleberg CAD) – 502 E. Kleberg Avenue, PO Box 1027, Kingsville, TX 78363/78364 | (361) 595-5775 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM (lobby hours 9:00 AM–4:00 PM)
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Kingsville-Kleberg Health Department Animal Control & Care Center – Mailing: PO Box 1458, Kingsville, TX 78364 | Physical: 3415 N. FM 1355, Kingsville, TX 78363 | (361) 592-3324 | Fax: (361) 592-7621 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:30 AM–11:30 AM and 1:00 PM–4:30 PM, plus the first Saturday of each month (adoptions/rescues only, no intakes); unclaimed animals may be adopted after a 3-day hold; state law requires spay/neuter for all adopted animals. For weekend animal control issues, contact Kingsville PD, (361) 592-4311, or the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office, (361) 595-8500.
Notes: The limited weekday hours and Saturday adoption-only schedule are genuine, practical scheduling details worth flagging for anyone planning a visit.
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 Kingsville City Hall.
NOTES: Kleberg County is the sixth county in this batch (Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox). The King Ranch is genuinely one of the most historically significant ranches in American history, and Naval Air Station Kingsville is a real, significant military facility. 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 Kleberg County
Kleberg County is Texas’s King Ranch county – the 825,000-acre ranch that is larger than Rhode Island, birthplace of the American cattle industry’s most important institutional traditions, sits almost entirely within Kleberg County.
Kingsville (the county seat, population ~26,000) grew to serve the King Ranch – the ranch headquarters, the King Ranch Saddle Shop, and the King Ranch Museum document the property’s extraordinary history. Texas A&M University-Kingsville provides higher education and agricultural research adjacent to the historic ranch.
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Kleberg County Appraisal District at 505 E. Kenedy Avenue, Suite 1, Kingsville, TX 78363, phone 361-595-0246. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Kleberg County District Clerk at 700 E. Kleberg Avenue, Room 101, Kingsville, TX 78363, phone 361-595-8548, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
700 East Kleberg Ave, Kingsville, TX 78363
(361) 595-8548
DISTRICT CLERK
700 East Kleberg Ave, Kingsville, TX 78363
(361) 595-8544
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Kleberg County Clerk’s Office, Kingsville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Kleberg 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, Kleberg County PO Box 1327, Kingsville, TX 78364 (361) 595-8548 Kleberg County is in South Texas, seated in Kingsville – home of the historic King Ranch.
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 Kleberg, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Kleberg 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 Kleberg 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 Kleberg 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
315 East General Cavazos Blvd, Kingsville, TX 78363
(361) 595-8555
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
700 East Kleberg Ave, Kingsville, TX 78363
(361) 595-8548
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
700 East Kleberg Ave, Kingsville, TX 78363
(361) 595-8541
HHSC Office
819 West Corral Ave, Kingsville, TX 78363
(361) 595-8500
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Kingsville-Kleberg Health Department – 3415 N. FM 1355, Kingsville, TX 78363 | (361) 592-3324 | Fax: (361) 592-7621 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–12:00 PM and 1:00 PM–5:00 PM
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Kingsville
Population: 30,500
Established: 1913
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
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