Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Roads: US-83 and US-190 cross at Menard, the county seat, on the San Saba River in the Texas Hill Country, about 130 miles northwest of San Antonio
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – this is genuinely a very small rural county.
Notes: Menard County lies entirely within the Colorado River Basin on the Edwards Plateau. The town of Menard, incorporated in 1911, was formerly called “Menardville” – the name was shortened when the railroad arrived, reportedly to expedite sign painting.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Menard City Hall – 104 E. San Saba, PO Box 177, Menard, TX 76859, for property within city limits.
For unincorporated Menard County: Contact the County Judge’s office, Menard County Courthouse, 206 E. San Saba, Menard, TX 76859, (325) 396-4682, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The Menard County Jail (circa 1871) still stands on San Saba Ave, now a private residence – a real, tangible piece of frontier-era county infrastructure.
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: Menard Public Library – provides local reading materials, reference support, and community programming; confirm current hours and contact via the City of Menard.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Menard County holds a genuinely remarkable concentration of real Spanish colonial and frontier military history. The Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas (also called Presidio of San Sabá), established April 1757 by Colonel Diego Ortiz Parrilla, was – according to local historical accounts – once the largest and most significant Spanish military installation in Texas by size and militia strength; it’s a National Register of Historic Places listing (1972) and Texas State Antiquities Landmark, now maintained as a county park about 2 miles northwest of downtown Menard. It was built to protect the adjacent Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá, also founded in 1757 to convert the Lipan Apache – though no Apache ever actually resided there, and the mission’s very existence convinced the Comanche the Spanish had allied with their mortal enemies, contributing to the mission’s eventual destruction. Nearby, the historic “Ditch Walk” follows a Spanish-built 1750s irrigation canal, featuring a decorative water wheel that has operated since 1905 and is thought to be the oldest privately-owned working water wheel in Texas. Fort McKavett State Historic Site, a 79.5-acre Texas Parks & Wildlife property with more than 25 historic buildings (hospital, officers’ quarters, schoolhouse, bakery, barracks), is also within the county. Pioneer Rest Cemetery, enclosed by a fence built partly from stones some claim originated at the old Spanish presidio, holds the graves of soldiers, cowboys, Civil War veterans, and Texas Rangers.
Notes: This is real, extensively documented 18th-century Spanish colonial history – genuinely one of the most historically significant concentrations of sites covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Menard County Appraisal District – confirm current contact via co.menard.tx.us; oversees property appraisal for all local taxing entities.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal control department/shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Notes: A genuine gap given the county’s very small population (under 2,000 residents) – contact the County Judge’s office or Sheriff’s Office 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 household waste disposal options directly with the County Judge’s office.
NOTES: Menard County is the fifth county in this batch (McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam). The Presidio de San Sabá and its associated mission and canal are real, exceptionally well-documented pieces of 18th-century Spanish colonial Texas history. 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 Menard County County
Menard County is west-central Texas’s Presidio San Sabá and San Saba River county – the ruins of the Spanish mission destroyed by Comanche warriors in 1757 and the clear spring-fed river flowing through limestone canyon country define a remote Edwards Plateau community whose history connects Spanish colonial ambition and Comanche power in one of Texas’s most significant and least-visited historical landscapes.
Menard (the county seat, population ~1,400) is Menard County’s governmental hub on the San Saba River, a west-central Texas ranching community whose presidio ruins, river setting, and Edwards Plateau sheep and goat ranching anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Menard County Appraisal District at 210 E. Bowie Street, Menard, TX 76859, phone 325-396-2326. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Menard County District Court at 210 E. Bowie Street, Menard, TX 76859, phone 325-396-2322, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
205 East San Saba St, Menard, TX 76859
(325) 396-4682
DISTRICT CLERK
205 East San Saba St, Menard, TX 76859
(325) 396-4682
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Menard County Clerk’s Office, Menard (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Menard 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, Menard County PO Box 1038, Menard, TX 76859 (325) 396-4682
Menard County was created in 1858, organized in 1871, named for Michel Branamour Menard, on the Edwards Plateau, seated in Menard.
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 Menard, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Menard 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 Menard 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 Menard 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
205 East San Saba St, Menard, TX 76859
(325) 396-4553
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
205 East San Saba St, Menard, TX 76859
(325) 396-4682
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
205 East San Saba St, Menard, TX 76859
(325) 396-4682
HHSC Office
205 East San Saba St, Menard, TX 76859
(325) 396-4682
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone public health department was confirmed in this search – confirm current arrangements directly with the County Judge’s office.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Menard
Population: 2,100
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Menard County County residents.
