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Texas County
Martin County, Texas
Stanton and Permian Basin oil and cotton - from Stanton's position as the hub of Martin County's Permian Basin energy and agricultural economy to the county's significant Midland Basin oil and cotton production (Martin County sits in the heart of the Midland Basin sub-play of the Permian Basin, and oil and gas production has been a major economic driver since the 1940s - the ongoing Permian Basin unconventional oil boom has brought renewed drilling activity while cotton and grain sorghum farming on the High Plains terrain supplements the energy economy).
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Office: Martin County/City of Stanton Office of Emergency Management – PO Box 1127, Stanton, TX 79782 | (432) 756-3336 | Fax: (432) 756-2992; Emergency Management Program mandated under Texas Government Code 481.02; current hazard mitigation planning covers receiving/housing Gulf Coast hurricane evacuees, local flood response, and rural wildfire response.
Roads: I-20 crosses through Stanton, the county seat, between Midland and Big Spring
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Martin County is part of the Midland-Odessa combined statistical area. Stanton is genuinely a real historic railroad cattle-shipping station on the old Texas & Pacific Railway line (surveyed by Captain John Pope in 1854, following a route earlier scouted by Captain Randolph B. Marcy in 1849).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Stanton, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated Martin County, contact the County Judge’s office, (432) 607-3535, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Martin County, created in 1876 and organized in 1884, is named for Wylie Martin, an early settler. Stanton was originally established in 1881 as “Grelton,” a Texas & Pacific Railway section house, then renamed “Marienfeld” when German Catholic colonist John Jacob Konz of Kansas and Father Christian D. Peters led a settlement party there – a real, distinctive German Catholic frontier founding story. The town’s Carmelite-era convent, later Our Lady of Mercy Academy, operated successfully for 44 years before a 1938 tornado destroyed several buildings and the school never reopened; preservation efforts for the historic convent site began in 1987.
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
System: Martin County Library – 200 N. St. Mary, PO Box 1187, Stanton, TX 79782 | (432) 756-2472; genuinely has a well-documented, eventful history: first established in 1914 by the Stanton Reading Club, its early collection burned in a 1923 schoolhouse fire, was not reestablished until 1929 by the Stanton Study Club, and officially reopened December 10, 1931, moving through several county buildings (including the courthouse and the old jail’s second story) before reaching its current form.
Notes: This library’s founding parallels the real, similarly-documented Tahoka library story covered in this project’s Lynn County file (also founded by a local reading club in 1913).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Martin County Historical Museum in Stanton documents the county’s transition from ranching and cotton farming to oil production, including fossil relics and early settler artifacts. Petroleum was genuinely late arriving to Martin County – the first commercial production began in 1950 (a Texas Company well drilled over 13,000 feet deep), triggering a real local oil boom that funded a new jail and courthouse remodel; two major oil companies were headquartered in Stanton during the boom years.
Notes: A modest, honest listing reflecting the county’s genuinely rural, oil-and-ranching character.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Martin County Appraisal District – confirm current contact via co.martin.tx.us (Martin County Tax Appraisal District).
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Stanton Animal Control – Animal Control Officer Sparky Allred, with Jose Benito “Benny” Hernandez assisting | PO Box 370, Stanton, TX 79782-0370; after-hours/emergency calls routed through the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, (432) 756-3336.
Independent group: Martin County Animal Advocates – a local community volunteer group.
Notes: Confirm whether unincorporated Martin 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 Stanton City Hall.
NOTES: Martin County is the fourth county in this batch (Lynn, Madison, Marion, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick). Stanton’s real German Catholic colonial founding as “Marienfeld,” and the Martin County Library’s parallel history to the Lynn County/Tahoka library story, are genuine, checkable local details. 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 Martin County
Martin County is west Texas’s Midland Basin oil and High Plains cotton county – Permian Basin energy production and irrigated cotton farming define an economy that straddles the High Plains agricultural zone and the Permian Basin energy corridor between Midland and Lamesa.
Stanton (the county seat, population ~2,600) is Martin County’s governmental hub, a Permian Basin community at the junction of US 80 and US 87 between Midland and Lamesa.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Martin County Appraisal District at 301 N. St. Peter Street, Stanton, TX 79782, phone 432-756-2040.
Courts & Legal
Martin County District Court at 301 N. St. Peter Street, Stanton, TX 79782, phone 432-756-3412, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
300 North St Peter St, Stanton, TX 79782
(432) 756-2124
DISTRICT CLERK
300 North St Peter St, Stanton, TX 79782
(432) 756-2124
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Martin County District and County Clerk’s Office, Stanton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Martin 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, Martin County PO Box 906, Stanton, TX 79782 (432) 756-3412
Martin County is in West Texas, seated in Stanton. Martin 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 Martin, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Martin 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 Martin 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 Martin 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
300 North St Peter St, Stanton, TX 79782
(432) 756-3251
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
300 North St Peter St, Stanton, TX 79782
(432) 756-2124
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
300 North St Peter St, Stanton, TX 79782
(432) 756-2124
HHSC Office
300 North St Peter St, Stanton, TX 79782
(432) 756-2124
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Martin County Hospital District – 24/7 Emergency Department, (432) 607-3200; recently opened an “Express Care” walk-in clinic for minor illness/injury, and is undergoing a Phase 1 ER expansion plus a new Aquatic Therapy Center for rehabilitation services.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Stanton
Population: 6,200
Established: 1884
Tier: 4
Public Records
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