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Sheriff’s Office: Loving County Sheriff’s Office – non-emergency line (432) 377-2411; contact via lovingcountytxsheriff.org.
Courthouse: 100 Bell St, PO Box 193, Mentone, TX 79754 | (432) 309-9500 | Fax: (432) 789-2194
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-302/RM-652 serve Mentone, the county seat, in far West Texas near the New Mexico border
Transit: No public transit system exists – this is genuinely the least populous county in the entire United States.
Notes: Loving County is remarkable in scale: its 2020 census population was just 64 (some recent estimates put it as low as 51-52), making it officially the least populous county in the entire United States with a permanent population. Mentone, the county seat, is the county’s ONLY community – Loving County has no incorporated communities at all. Despite this, Loving County genuinely has the highest median per-capita and household income of any county in Texas, owing to its oil and gas industry.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – contact the County Judge’s office directly, given the county’s extraordinarily small population.
Notes: Loving County was created in 1887 (split from Reeves County), merged back into Reeves County ten years later, and reorganized in 1931 – making it the only Texas county ever organized twice. It is named for Oliver Loving, an early Texas cattleman (co-founder of the historic Goodnight-Loving Trail) who was mortally wounded by Native Americans near Pecos in 1867 while driving cattle. The 1931 Loving County Courthouse in Mentone, designed in the Moderne architectural style, is the tallest building in the county and its only real symbol of county government – a genuine National Register of Historic Places listing. Between 1931 and 2004, only 726 civil cases were ever filed there, most involving car accidents or oil-and-gas business disputes; the county’s first felony conviction came in 1936, when an oilman was sentenced to four years for stealing $4,000 worth of piping.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
No dedicated county Veterans Service Officer contact was independently confirmed in this search – given the extraordinarily small population, contact the County Judge’s office directly.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
No dedicated public library was independently confirmed in this search, consistent with the county’s extraordinarily small population.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Loving County’s real character is defined by its extreme remoteness and sparse population – 680 square miles of flat West Texas desert terrain, with oil pump jacks genuinely outnumbering residents roughly ten to one. The county’s real, distinctive history ties to Oliver Loving and the Goodnight-Loving Trail, one of the most significant Old West cattle-drive routes in American history.
Notes: A genuinely honest listing – Loving County has essentially no formal recreational infrastructure, and its true “attraction” is its extraordinary emptiness and history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Loving County Appraisal District – Chief Appraiser Alicia McGehee | PO Box 352, Mentone, TX 79754 | (432) 377-2201 | Fax: (432) 253-3622 | lovingcad.org
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal control department/shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Notes: A genuine, honest gap in the least populous county in the entire United States – contact the Sheriff’s Office, (432) 377-2411, to confirm current response options for any animal-related concern.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
No county-wide landfill or transfer station was confirmed in this search – confirm current arrangements directly with the County Judge’s office.
NOTES: Loving County is the seventh county in this batch (Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock) and genuinely the least populous county in the entire United States – a remarkable, real distinction directly shaping every section of this file. Its ties to Oliver Loving and the Goodnight-Loving Trail are real, significant pieces of American Old West history. Nearly every service category here reflects an honest, unavoidable gap given the county’s extraordinarily small scale – not a research failure, but the genuine reality of this unique place. 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 Loving County County
Loving County is the least populous county in the United States – approximately 64 residents, no incorporated city, no school, and no hospital, sustained entirely by Permian Basin oil production and the constitutional requirement that Texas maintain county government in all 254 counties regardless of population.
Mentone (the county seat, population ~20) is Loving County’s governmental hub, the smallest county seat in America – a handful of structures in the Chihuahuan Desert that constitutes the governmental center of the nation’s emptiest county.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Loving County Appraisal District at 100 Bell Street, Mentone, TX 79754, phone 432-377-2301. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Loving County District Court at 100 Bell Street, Mentone, TX 79754, phone 432-377-2301, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 West Court House Rd, Mentone, TX 79754
(432) 377-2441
DISTRICT CLERK
100 West Court House Rd, Mentone, TX 79754
(432) 377-2441
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Loving County District and County Clerk’s Office, Mentone (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The NRHP-listed 1935 Loving County Courthouse is a notable local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Loving 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, Loving County PO Box 194, Mentone, TX 79754 (432) 377-2441
Loving County was founded February 26, 1887, named for Oliver Loving, in far West Texas, seated in Mentone – the LEAST POPULOUS COUNTY IN THE UNITED STATES with a permanent population (64 as of 2020). The 1935 Loving County Courthouse, designed in Moderne style, is NRHP-listed and the tallest building in the county. Loving 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 Loving, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Loving 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 Loving 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 Loving 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 West Court House Rd, Mentone, TX 79754
(432) 377-2441
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 West Court House Rd, Mentone, TX 79754
(432) 377-2441
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
100 West Court House Rd, Mentone, TX 79754
(432) 377-2441
HHSC Office
100 West Court House Rd, Mentone, TX 79754
(432) 377-2441
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone county health department was confirmed in this search – as one local official has been quoted saying, “If we have two people with the flu, that’s an epidemic” – a real, honest reflection of the county’s tiny scale. Contact the County Judge’s office directly for any health-related needs.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mentone
Population: 65
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Loving County County residents.
