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Office: Mills County Emergency Management – Coordinator David Shaw / Sheriff Clint Hammonds | 2111 Priddy Rd, PO Box 1497, Goldthwaite, TX 76844 | (325) 648-2245 | Fax: (325) 648-2806
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-84 and US-183 cross at Goldthwaite, the county seat
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – this is genuinely one of the least populated counties in Texas.
Notes: Mills County was created March 15, 1887 from parts of Brown, Comanche, Hamilton, and Lampasas counties, and named for John T. Mills, a Texas Supreme Court justice. The Colorado River flows through the county, and the historic Regency Bridge, a suspension bridge over the river, is a real regional landmark.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – contact the County Judge’s office, (325) 648-2222, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The 1913 Mills County Courthouse, designed by San Antonio architect Henry T. Phelps in Classical Revival style, replaced an 1890 courthouse that burned in 1912 – a National Register of Historic Places listing (2000), Texas State Antiquities Landmark, and Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and still the most prominent building in Goldthwaite. The original 1888 county jail is separately NRHP-listed. Mills County genuinely brands itself the “Meat Goat Capital of America,” a real official county motto reflecting its significant meat-goat ranching industry.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Resource: Mills County Veterans Office – contact via co.mills.tx.us or the County Judge’s office.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Jennie Trent Dew Library – serves as a genuine community anchor in Goldthwaite, hosting local events beyond its book collection; confirm current hours and address via the Goldthwaite Area Chamber of Commerce.
Notes: Mills County’s first school library dates back to 1915.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Mills County Historical Museum and Goldthwaite Theatre preserve the area’s real ranching and farming heritage. A genuinely evocative piece of local history: Center City, an early rival settlement in eastern Mills County founded by the Jenkins and Morris families in 1854 (originally “Hughes Store”), was platted in 1876 around an ancient live oak tree that locals believed marked the actual geographic center of Texas – the tree served as a temporary courthouse and open-air church. When the Santa Fe railroad chose Goldthwaite over Center City in the late 1880s, Center City’s ambitions faded; its post office closed in 1920, and the town never recovered. The 1905 Confederate Reunion held in Mills County was, by local record, the largest public gathering in county history. Lake Merritt, about 7 miles from Goldthwaite (construction began 1915), offers local recreation.
Notes: The Center City story – a real ghost town shaped by a single railroad decision – is a genuine, evocative piece of Texas frontier history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Mills Central Appraisal District (Mills CAD) – Chief Appraiser Michael Hall | 901 W. 6th St, PO Box 565, Goldthwaite, TX 76844 | (325) 648-2253 | Fax: (325) 648-3458 | Hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:30 AM–5 PM, Friday 7:30 AM–1:30 PM | millscad.org
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 – 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: Mills County is the first county in this batch (Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley). The Center City ghost-town story and the real “Meat Goat Capital of America” motto are genuine, distinctive 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 Mills County County
Mills County is central Texas’s pecan heritage and Colorado River tributary ranch county – the pecan groves along the creek bottoms and the rolling cedar and live oak ranch country define a small community where Goldthwaite serves the surrounding agricultural communities in the transition zone between the Hill Country and the central Texas plains.
Goldthwaite (the county seat, population ~1,800) is Mills County’s governmental hub on US 183, a central Texas agricultural community whose pecan heritage, ranching economy, and Lampasas River access anchor its identity.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Mills County Appraisal District at 1011 Brown Street, Goldthwaite, TX 76844, phone 325-648-2253. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Mills County District Court at 1011 Brown Street, Goldthwaite, TX 76844, phone 325-648-3095, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1010 4th St, Goldthwaite, TX 76844
(325) 648-2711
DISTRICT CLERK
1010 4th St, Goldthwaite, TX 76844
(325) 648-2711
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Mills County District and County Clerk’s Office, Goldthwaite (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Mills 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, Mills County PO Box 646, Goldthwaite, TX 76844 (325) 648-2711
Mills County is in Central Texas, seated in Goldthwaite. Mills 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 Mills, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Mills 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 Mills 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 Mills 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
1010 4th St, Goldthwaite, TX 76844
(325) 648-2733
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1010 4th St, Goldthwaite, TX 76844
(325) 648-2711
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1010 4th St, Goldthwaite, TX 76844
(325) 648-2711
HHSC Office
1010 4th St, Goldthwaite, TX 76844
(325) 648-2711
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.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Goldthwaite
Population: 5,000
Public Records
TruthFinder
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