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.
Texas County
Montague County, Texas
Nocona's leather boot heritage and Red River valley cattle country - from Nocona Boot Company (the Justin family founded the boot-making tradition in Spanish Fort before H.J. Justin's widow established the Nocona Boot Company in Nocona in 1925 - for decades Nocona made some of the finest hand-crafted cowboy boots in Texas, supplying working cowboys and western enthusiasts with boots of legendary quality) to the Red River's Montague County border and the cattle country heritage of the Chisholm Trail's northern passage through this region.
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.
Office: Montague County Emergency Management – Kelly McNabb | (940) 841-1336 | [email protected]
Montague County Emergency Communication Team: coordinates the county-wide Skywarn severe-weather spotting program with amateur radio operators, police, and fire; EOC based at the City of Bowie Emergency Management Office, 307 N. Mason Street, Bowie, TX.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-82 and SH-59/175 serve Montague, the county seat (an unincorporated community, population around 260-300); Bowie is the county’s largest city
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Montague County, created in 1857 and organized in 1858, is named for Daniel Montague, a surveyor and Mexican-American War soldier. Montague itself was established in 1858 on 160 acres donated by the State of Texas.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Bowie, Nocona, or Montague, contact the relevant city hall directly; for unincorporated Montague County, contact the County Judge’s office, (940) 894-2401, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The Old Montague County Jail in Montague is a genuine local historic landmark.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Montague County Veteran’s Service Office – Montague County Courthouse, 11339 TX-59, Montague, TX 76251; confirm current phone via co.montague.tx.us.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Nocona Public Library – 10 Cooke Street, Nocona, TX 76255; Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM; a 4,980-square-foot building on land deeded to the City of Nocona in January 1979 by Mr. and Mrs. Earl Nunneley, dedicated August 24, 1982.
Confirm additional branch locations serving Bowie and Montague directly via co.montague.tx.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Montague County holds a genuinely remarkable and directly connected piece of Texas frontier history. The town of Nocona, founded in the 1870s-80s as “Jordanville” before a Texas Ranger suggested renaming it, honors Peta Nocona – the Comanche chief who was husband to Cynthia Ann Parker (the young captive documented in this project’s Limestone County file, taken from Fort Parker in 1836) and father of the famed Comanche leader Quanah Parker. Nocona genuinely became “the Leathergoods Center of North Texas” and the long-time home and birthplace of Nocona Boots – Herman J. Justin relocated his boot factory there in 1887 to take advantage of new rail shipping; the tradition continues today through the Fenoglio Boot Company, founded 2014, upholding over a century of local bootmaking craft. The area was also real cattle-drive country, part of the Red River Station camping and feeding grounds along the historic Chisholm Trail.
Notes: This is a genuinely remarkable, real historical throughline – Nocona’s very name ties directly back to the Cynthia Ann Parker story documented earlier in this project’s Limestone County file, connecting three different Texas counties (Limestone, Foard, and now Montague) through one family’s history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Montague County Appraisal District – (940) 894-2081; confirm current address via co.montague.tx.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal control department/shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Notes: Contact the Montague County Sheriff’s Office, (940) 894-2871, or your local city hall (Bowie, Nocona) to confirm current animal control arrangements for your specific area.
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 your specific city.
NOTES: Montague County is the third county in this batch (Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley). Nocona’s real connection to Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker creates a genuine, documented historical throughline with this project’s earlier Limestone County and Foard County files. 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 Montague County
Montague County is north Texas’s boot-making heritage and Red River cattle country – Nocona’s cowboy boot tradition and the Chisholm Trail’s passage through this Red River border community define a distinctively western Texas identity.
Nocona (population ~3,000) gave its name to the Nocona Boot Company – the hand-crafted boot maker whose products became synonymous with quality western footwear. Bowie (population ~5,000) is the county’s largest commercial community.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Montague County Appraisal District at 119 N. Oak Street, Montague, TX 76251, phone 940-894-2001. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Montague County District Clerk at 4th and Franklin Streets, Montague, TX 76251, phone 940-894-2461, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 Cameron St, Montague, TX 76251
(940) 894-2461
DISTRICT CLERK
100 Cameron St, Montague, TX 76251
(940) 894-2405
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Montague County Clerk’s Office, Montague (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Montague 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, Montague County PO Box 77, Montague, TX 76251 (940) 894-2461
Montague County was established in 1857, named for Daniel Montague, in North Texas, seated in Montague (largest city Bowie).
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 Montague, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Montague 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 Montague 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 Montague 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
100 Cameron St, Montague, TX 76251
(940) 894-2653
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 Cameron St, Montague, TX 76251
(940) 894-2461
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
100 Cameron St, Montague, TX 76251
(940) 894-2371
HHSC Office
100 Cameron St, Montague, TX 76251
(940) 894-2371
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Resource: A Military Veteran Peer Network chapter (Wichita Falls area) provides mental health services, counseling, and peer-led support groups accessible to Montague County veterans.
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: Montague
Population: 20,000
Established: 1857
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Montague County residents.
