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Texas · South Plains · West Texas · #167 Most Populous County in the US
Lubbock County, Texas
The Hub City of the South Plains - Texas Tech University, the birthplace of Buddy Holly, and the heart of the most productive cotton-growing region in the world. Where West Texas begins and the Llano Estacado stretches endlessly to the horizon. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Lubbock County residents.
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Lubbock County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Lubbock County Office of Emergency Management/LEPC – 916 Main Street, Suite 401 (Lubbock County Courthouse), Lubbock, TX 79401 | (806) 775-7300 | PO Box 10536, Lubbock, TX 79408
City of Lubbock Office of Emergency Management: contact via mylubbock.us/departments/emergency-management; maintains the Outdoor Warning System (OWS) sirens for severe weather.
Alerts: LBKAlert – City of Lubbock’s emergency notification system, register at lbkalert.com or text options to 888-777 (English or Spanish available). The State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry (STEAR) is also available for residents with medical dependencies or disabilities who want first responders to check on them during disasters/extended outages.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-27 and US-84 cross at Lubbock, the county seat and largest city, known as the “Hub City” of West Texas
Transit: Citibus provides public transit within the City of Lubbock; confirm current routes and schedules directly.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Lubbock County Public Works/Road and Bridge – (806) 775-1664; for property within Lubbock, Idalou, Shallowater, Slaton, or Wolfforth, contact the relevant city hall directly.
Notes: Lubbock County holds 4 historic districts and 16 individually listed properties on the National Register of Historic Places, including one National Historic Landmark.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Resource: City of Lubbock Veterans Advisory Committee – contact via ci.lubbock.tx.us.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: Lubbock has an active local veterans community – American Legion Post 575 hosts an annual free Memorial Day breakfast for all area veterans and their families.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Lubbock Public Library – multiple locations throughout the city; confirm current branch hours and addresses directly via mylubbock.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lubbock is genuinely the birthplace and hometown of rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Buddy Holly, honored at the Buddy Holly Center (established 1999, housed in the city’s restored 1928 Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway depot) – the Center holds Holly’s actual Fender Stratocaster and his iconic horn-rimmed glasses, plus the Texas Musician Hall of Fame and multiple art galleries; a large sculpture of Holly’s glasses stands outside, and Crickets drummer Jerry Allison’s restored childhood house was relocated to the site in 2013. Texas Tech University, one of the state’s major public research universities, hosts the National Ranching Heritage Center – a genuine, extensive museum featuring nearly 50 authentic historic ranch buildings dating from the late 18th to mid-20th century – alongside the broader Museum of Texas Tech University, which includes the Moody Planetarium and Lubbock Lake Landmark research site.
Notes: This is real, extensively documented American music and ranching history – genuinely significant cultural landmarks.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Lubbock Central Appraisal District (LCAD) – PO Box 10536, Lubbock, TX 79408-3536; administers homestead, disabled veteran, senior, and agricultural-use exemptions; confirm current phone via lubbockcad.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Lubbock Animal Services & Adoption Center – a City of Lubbock public health and safety department; the largest animal shelter on the South Plains, caring for over 15,000 animals annually; an open-door shelter offering lost-and-found services, adoptions, humane education, and cruelty investigations; also accepts animals from outside city limits for a fee.
Independent nonprofits: Several active rescue organizations serve the area, including Lubbock Pets Alive (founded 2018), South Plains SPCA, and others.
Notes: Given the shelter’s high annual intake volume (15,000+), confirm current hours and intake policies directly before a visit.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Facilities: Citizen Convenience Centers, the West Texas Regional Disposal Facility (WTRDF), and the Caliche Canyon Landfill serve Lubbock and the surrounding area; confirm current hours via mylubbock.us (closed on major holidays).
NOTES: Lubbock County is the final county in this batch (Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock) and a major West Texas urban center. Buddy Holly’s real hometown legacy and the National Ranching Heritage Center are genuinely significant cultural landmarks. 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 Lubbock County
Lubbock is the capital of the South Plains and the economic hub of a vast agricultural region stretching across the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico. The city earned its nickname “Hub City” honestly – it is the geographic, commercial, medical, and educational center for dozens of smaller communities across a region with few alternatives. The Llano Estacado (Staked Plains) – the vast flat tableland on which Lubbock sits – is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, producing approximately 10% of the nation’s cotton from the rich but finite Ogallala Aquifer that underlies the South Plains.
Texas Tech University (enrollment ~40,000) is the city’s dominant institution – a major research university with a nationally recognized law school, medical school, and engineering programs. The Texas Tech Red Raiders compete in the Big 12 Conference; Jones AT&T Stadium (capacity 60,000+) and the rivalry with Texas A&M and UT Austin define Lubbock’s fall calendar. Texas Tech’s Health Sciences Center (separate institution, also in Lubbock) is the primary medical training and research institution for West Texas and a major healthcare employer.
Buddy Holly – the rock and roll pioneer who invented much of what became the genre’s vocabulary in the late 1950s – was born and raised in Lubbock. The Buddy Holly Center museum and the life-size Buddy Holly statue on the Walk of Fame on Crickets Avenue honor his legacy. Holly died in the February 3, 1959 plane crash in Iowa – “The Day the Music Died” of Don McLean’s “American Pie” – along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, at age 22. The impact of a single West Texas kid on the history of popular music is difficult to overstate.
Downtown Lubbock has seen meaningful revitalization in recent years – the Depot District entertainment corridor, the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences (opened 2020, a major performing arts center that attracted national attention for its acoustic design), and residential and retail investment along Broadway have given Lubbock’s urban core renewed energy.
County government is a Commissioner’s Court (County Judge plus four commissioners) with separately elected offices for the Appraisal District, Clerk, District Clerk, Sheriff, Tax Assessor-Collector, and District and County Attorneys.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Texas has no state income tax – property taxes fund local government, schools, and special districts. The Lubbock Central Appraisal District (2109 Avenue Q, Lubbock, 806-762-5000) determines all property values at 100% of estimated market value as of January 1.
Texas homestead exemptions:
– School district homestead exemption: $100,000 reduction in appraised value for school district taxes (increased from $40,000 by Texas voters in 2023)
– Local option 20% exemption: Many Lubbock County taxing units offer an additional 20% homestead exemption – verify which apply to your specific address
– Age 65+ / disabled school district tax freeze: Once qualified and applied, school district taxes are frozen permanently – one of the most valuable senior tax benefits available
The ARB protest process:
File a Notice of Protest with the Lubbock Appraisal Review Board (ARB) by May 15 (or within 30 days of your appraisal notice, whichever is later). The informal hearing with an appraisal district appraiser is the most productive first step – bring comparable sales, licensed appraisal, or photos of property condition.
After the ARB, further appeal options include binding arbitration (properties under $5 million), SOAH, or Lubbock County District Court.
No Texas estate tax. No Texas inheritance tax. Texas is a community property state.
OWNWELL CTA: Lubbock County ARB protest deadline May 15. Senior/disabled school tax freeze is permanent once applied – apply at age 65 if you own your home. Homestead exemption increased to $100,000 in 2023 – verify your exemption reflects the new amount. Ownwell manages the ARB protest with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Lubbock County ARB protest deadline May 15. Senior/disabled school tax freeze is permanent once applied - apply at age 65 if you own your home. Homestead exemption increased to $100,000 in 2023 - verify your exemption reflects the new amount. Ownwell manages the ARB protest with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
The Lubbock County District Court at 904 Broadway, Suite 207, Lubbock (806-775-1000) handles civil and criminal matters. The Lubbock County Probate Court (County Court at Law) at 904 Broadway (806-775-1000) handles all estate administration, guardianships, and trusts. The Lubbock County District Clerk (806-775-1064) and Lubbock County Clerk (806-775-1076) maintain court and land records – searchable online at co.lubbock.tx.us.
Texas probate: Muniment of Title for qualifying estates. Small estate affidavit under $75,000. Texas recognizes Transfer on Death deeds and Lady Bird Deeds. Community property state.
Texas Tech and agricultural estate planning: Lubbock County’s combination of a major university and a vast agricultural economy creates two distinct planning communities. Texas Tech faculty and administrators participate in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) with irrevocable survivor benefit elections. Cotton farming families face multi-generational land succession challenges, including Ogallala Aquifer water rights (separately owned, separately valued, and critically important to the land’s productivity) that must be specifically addressed in estate plans – water rights that are severed from the surface estate can dramatically affect land value.
Senior Services: The Lubbock County Area Agency on Aging (806-775-2673) at 1301 Broadway, Suite 200, Lubbock coordinates senior centers, home-delivered meals, transportation, SHIP Medicare counseling, caregiver support, Adult Protective Services, and connections to Texas Medicaid long-term care programs.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
904 Broadway St, Lubbock, TX 79401
(806) 775-1043
DISTRICT CLERK
904 Broadway St, Lubbock, TX 79401
(806) 775-1000
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Lubbock County Clerk’s Office, Lubbock (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Lubbock 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, Lubbock County PO Box 10536, Lubbock, TX 79408 (806) 775-1630
Lubbock County is in West Texas on the South Plains, seated in Lubbock – one of the largest cities in the region.
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, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Lubbock County, probate matters are heard in County Court or a County Court at Law.
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 Lubbock 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 Lubbock 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
916 Texas Ave, Lubbock, TX 79401
(806) 775-1400
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1308 Crickets Ave, Lubbock, TX 79401
(806) 775-1339
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health Department
806 13th St, Lubbock, TX 79401
(806) 775-2933
HHSC Office
1301 East Slaton Rd, Lubbock, TX 79404
(806) 745-9911
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Confirm current public health department contact via lubbockcounty.gov or ci.lubbock.tx.us; Lubbock, as a regional hub, has substantial hospital and medical infrastructure serving the broader South Plains area.
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