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Fire: Matador/Motley County Volunteer Fire Department – 1000 Eubank St, Matador, TX 79244; 24 volunteer firefighters.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-62/70 and SH-70 cross at Matador, the county seat, about 95 miles east of Lubbock
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – this is genuinely one of the least populous counties in Texas (around 1,000 residents).
Notes: Motley County, organized in 1891, and its seat, Matador, are both named for the historic Matador Ranch.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – contact the County Judge’s office, (806) 347-2621, given the county’s very small population.
Notes: Matador itself has a genuinely colorful founding story: when the county organized in 1891, the state required a county seat to have at least 20 businesses – so Matador Ranch cowhands, encouraged by ranch manager Henry H. Campbell, set up temporary, fraudulent “businesses” using ranch supplies just to meet the requirement; the only real, lasting business at the time was a saloon (the Dew Drop Saloon, which closed when local prohibition passed in 1893). Campbell became the county’s first elected judge, and cowboy Joe Beckham the first sheriff.
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: Motley County Library – 1105 Main Street, Matador, TX 79244 | (806) 347-2717 | Hours: Monday 2-5 PM, Tuesday-Thursday 1-6 PM, Friday 9 AM-2 PM; founded in 1981, holds over 10,000 items (books, CDs, DVDs), serves the county’s roughly 1,300-1,400 residents with free access to all Texas residents, and offers DSL internet access.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Motley County is genuinely defined by the historic Matador Ranch, one of the great open-range cattle operations of the American West. Founded in 1879 at Ballard Springs by Henry H. “Hank” Campbell (a Civil War veteran) and Chicago banker Alfred M. Britton, the ranch was purchased in 1882 by a Scottish investment syndicate that formed the Matador Land & Cattle Company, Ltd. – at its height, the ranch controlled 1.5 million acres of owned and leased range across Motley, Floyd, Dickens, and Cottle counties, plus additional leased pastures in the Dakotas, Montana, and Canada, and owned 90,000 cattle. Corporate offices remained in Scotland until the ranch’s 1951 liquidation; the historic headquarters was later purchased by Koch Industries, which operates it today as the Matador Cattle Company. The Motley County Historical Museum, housed in the 1928 Old Traweek Hospital, documents this ranching legacy alongside veterans, Native American, and local school history, plus a diorama of early Matador. The historic Motley County Jail and Hangman’s Gallows are genuine local landmarks – the jail itself was the subject of a short story by acclaimed American author William Saroyan (“Hello Out There”) and an independent film, “Lonesome Matador,” which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Nearby, Caprock Canyons State Park (in the Flomot area) offers hiking, camping, horseback riding, and swimming, and the Pease River tributaries near Roaring Springs provide additional swimming access.
Notes: This is genuinely one of the most historically significant American ranching operations covered in this entire project, with real, documented international (Scottish) ownership and a surprising connection to major American literature and film.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Motley County Appraisal District – confirm current contact via co.motley.tx.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal control department/shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Notes: A genuine, honest 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: Motley County is the seventh and final county in this batch (Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley). The Matador Ranch’s real Scottish ownership and its documented literary/film connections make this one of the most distinctive ranching histories covered in this project. 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 Motley County County
Motley County is the Texas Panhandle’s Matador Ranch heritage and caprock breaks county – the legendary Scottish-financed ranch that defined open-range cattle culture and the dramatic Llano Estacado escarpment define a remote county where Matador serves fewer than 1,200 residents in the rolling breaks country.
Matador (the county seat, population ~600) is Motley County’s governmental hub on TX-70, a small Texas Panhandle community whose historic ranch heritage, caprock breaks setting, and cattle ranching economy anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Motley County Appraisal District at 701 Dundee Street, Matador, TX 79244, phone 806-347-2621. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Motley County District Court at 701 Dundee Street, Matador, TX 79244, phone 806-347-2334, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
104 East Main St, Matador, TX 79244
(806) 347-2621
DISTRICT CLERK
104 East Main St, Matador, TX 79244
(806) 347-2621
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Motley County District and County Clerk’s Office, Matador (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Motley 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, Motley County PO Box 660, Matador, TX 79244 (806) 347-2621
Motley County is in West Texas, seated in Matador. Motley 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 Motley, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Motley 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 Motley 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 Motley 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
104 East Main St, Matador, TX 79244
(806) 347-2225
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
104 East Main St, Matador, TX 79244
(806) 347-2621
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
104 East Main St, Matador, TX 79244
(806) 347-2621
HHSC Office
104 East Main St, Matador, TX 79244
(806) 347-2621
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone public health department was confirmed in this search – Dr. A.E. Traweek, Motley County’s first public health officer, established the historic Traweek Hospital in 1928 (now the county museum); confirm current health service arrangements directly with the County Judge’s office.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Matador
Population: 1,100
Public Records
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