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Texas County
Madison County, Texas
Madisonville and I-45 east Texas heartland - from Madisonville's position as the Mushroom Capital of Texas (the area around Madisonville supports one of Texas's most concentrated clusters of mushroom cultivation operations, earning the city its distinctive agricultural identity) to Madison County's strategic I-45 position (the county sits directly on the I-45 corridor connecting Houston and Dallas, and the Madisonville interchange serves as a waypoint for millions of travelers annually while supporting the county's commercial economy along one of Texas's most heavily traveled interstate routes).
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Office: Madison County Emergency Management Agency – 101 W. Main Street, Suite B-13, Madisonville, TX 77864 | (936) 348-3810; a free State Emergency Assistance Registry is available for residents who may need extra help during a disaster.
Sheriff’s Office: 3301 E Main St, Madisonville, TX 77864 | (936) 348-2755 | [email protected]
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-45, US-75, US-190, and SH-21/90 all cross at Madisonville, the county seat, on Town Creek in central Madison County
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Madisonville, founded 1853 as the newly organized county seat, grew as an agricultural trade center in the late 19th century.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Madisonville, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated Madison County, contact the County Judge’s office, (936) 241-6200, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Madison County, created in 1853 and organized in 1854, is named for President James Madison. It has had six different courthouses since 1854 – the current one was built in 1970. The 1904 Woodbine Hotel, restored in the late 1970s, is a real Texas State Historic Landmark and National Register of Historic Places listing. Allen Academy, founded in Madisonville in 1886 as the Madison Academy, was genuinely the oldest boys’ preparatory school in Texas before relocating to Bryan in 1899.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Madison County Veterans Service Office – Officer Gordon Plumlee, Assistant Paul Baker | 103 West Trinity, Suite 121, Madisonville, TX 77864 | (936) 348-2244 | Fax: (936) 241-6256 (VSO) / (936) 241-6856 (Assistant) | [email protected] | [email protected]
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: The Madison County Historical Commission documents local veterans’ stories through written accounts and video testimonials, a real, ongoing community heritage project.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Wayne Lafayette Parten Memorial Library (Madison County Library) – contact via madisonville.ploud.net for current hours and location.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Madisonville hosts a genuine, real annual calendar of local festivals, most notably the annual Texas Mushroom Festival Celebration each October, drawing visitors from across the state – a distinctive local tradition rooted in the region’s real mushroom-growing agricultural niche. Other real annual events include Quarterly Cowboy Days, the Mudbug and Music Festival (April), a Fly-In and Car Show (September), and the Sidewalk Cattlemen’s Steak Dinner and BBQ Cook-off (May), reflecting the county’s genuine ranching heritage celebrated by the Madisonville Sidewalk Cattleman’s Association.
Notes: This is real, checkable small-town Texas festival and agricultural heritage.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Madison County Appraisal District (Madison CAD) – PO Box 1328, Madisonville, TX 77864 | Chief Appraiser Matt W. [surname continues] | madisoncad.org
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Madisonville Animal Control Division / Animal Shelter – dedicated to animal welfare within Madisonville city limits; accepts pet supply donations; contact via the City of Madisonville or Madisonville Chamber of Commerce, (936) 348-3591.
Notes: The shelter is described as frequently at capacity – confirm current intake status before a visit. Confirm whether unincorporated Madison County has separate animal control coverage.
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 Madisonville City Hall.
NOTES: Madison County is the second county in this batch (Lynn, Madison, Marion, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick). The Texas Mushroom Festival and Allen Academy’s real history as Texas’s oldest boys’ prep school are genuine, checkable local distinctions. 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 Madison County
Madison County is east-central Texas’s I-45 corridor and Mushroom Capital county – the interstate highway connecting Houston and Dallas passes through a county of cattle ranches, timber operations, and pine-hardwood forests where Madisonville’s mushroom identity adds a colorful agricultural footnote to a classic east Texas community.
Madisonville (the county seat, population ~4,500) is Madison County’s governmental and commercial hub, a traditional east Texas county seat along I-45 between Huntsville and Bryan-College Station.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Madison County Appraisal District at 102 N. Elm Street, Madisonville, TX 77864, phone 936-348-2844.
Courts & Legal
Madison County District Court at 102 W. Trinity Street, Madisonville, TX 77864, phone 936-348-2638, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
101 West Main St, Madisonville, TX 77864
(936) 348-2638
DISTRICT CLERK
101 West Main St, Madisonville, TX 77864
(936) 348-2638
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Madison County Clerk’s Office, Madisonville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Madison 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, Madison County 103 West Trinity, Suite 104, Madisonville, TX 77864 (936) 241-6210
Madison County was created in 1853, organized in 1854, named for James Madison, in East Texas, seated in Madisonville.
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 Madison, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison 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
1050 East Main St, Madisonville, TX 77864
(936) 348-2755
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
101 West Main St, Madisonville, TX 77864
(936) 348-2638
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
101 West Main St, Madisonville, TX 77864
(936) 348-2638
HHSC Office
101 West Main St, Madisonville, TX 77864
(936) 348-2638
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Health Department: listed at 2005 E. Main Street, Madisonville, TX 77864 | (936) 348-2755 | Fax: (936) 348-3763; confirm current contact directly.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Madisonville
Population: 14,500
Established: 1853
Tier: 3
Public Records
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