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Texas County
Pecos County, Texas
Fort Stockton and Comanche Springs Trans-Pecos heritage - from Fort Stockton's Comanche Springs (one of the largest springs in Texas before being pumped dry in the 1950s, Comanche Springs at Fort Stockton was a critical water source on the San Antonio-El Paso Road and sustained the frontier fort established to protect travelers from Comanche raids - the springs' loss symbolizes the broader groundwater depletion challenges facing west Texas) to Pecos County's enormous Permian Basin oil and gas production (the county contains significant Permian Basin reserves that have driven economic activity for decades, and the ongoing Permian Basin energy boom has brought renewed activity to this vast Trans-Pecos county).
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Pecos County Emergency Management Coordinator Thomas J. Perkins – 1774 N Hwy 285, PO Box 1647, Fort Stockton, TX 79735 | (432) 336-3521 | [email protected]
Alerts: Hyper-Reach emergency notification system – register via co.pecos.tx.us.
Pecos County EMS: 310 W 5th Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735 | (432) 336-3062 | Fax: (432) 336-4645; responds to 1,700+ emergencies annually; offers an optional EMS Lifeline membership ($5/month or $60/year) covering uninsured ambulance costs for the whole household.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-10, US-67, US-285, and US-385 all serve Fort Stockton, the county seat, about 329 miles northwest of San Antonio and 240 miles east of El Paso
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Pecos County, created in 1871 and organized in 1875, is named for the Pecos River and is one of nine counties comprising the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. Fort Stockton was originally named Saint Gaul as county seat in 1875 – a name that never caught on locally – and was officially changed to Fort Stockton in 1881.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Fort Stockton Building/Permits handles permits within city limits; for unincorporated Pecos County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Fort Stockton grew up around Comanche Springs, a massive natural spring that once flowed more than 60 million gallons of water daily and served as a critical rest stop on the Comanche Trail, the Old San Antonio Road, the Butterfield Overland Mail route, and the Chihuahua Trail. The U.S. Army established Camp Stockton there in 1858 to protect travelers, naming it for Lieutenant Edward Dorsey Stockton. Comanche Springs went dry in the 1950s after excessive agricultural groundwater pumping – a controversial 1954 Texas Court of Civil Appeals ruling (Pecos County Water District #1 v. Clayton Williams et al.) sided with the pump farmers over 108 families who depended on the springs’ flow, a real and significant regional water-rights precedent. The Fort Stockton Historic District (75 acres, NRHP-listed 1973) includes the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum and real, documented Buffalo Soldier history from the fort’s frontier era.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Pecos County Veterans Service Officer Michael W. Corkrum – 103 W. Callaghan St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735 | (432) 336-8271 | Fax: (432) 336-2670 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM; also visits the Community Center, 508 S. Starr, Iraan, TX, (432) 639-2847.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Fort Stockton Public Library – 500 N. Water St (also listed at 120 W 5th St), Fort Stockton, TX 79735 | (432) 336-3374; serves Fort Stockton, Pecos County, and surrounding communities free of charge, with over 55,000 book titles, 1,000+ audio titles, Spanish-language and large-print collections, and microfilm fort records.
Branch: Iraan Public Library – 120 W. 5th St, PO Box 367, Iraan, TX 79744 | (432) 639-2235.
Branch: Imperial Public Library – 222 W. FM Rd 11, PO Box 307, Imperial, TX 79743 | (432) 536-2236.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Paisano Pete, an iconic 22-foot-long, 11-foot-tall fiberglass roadrunner statue erected in 1980 (purchased from a Wisconsin company for $6,250 after a local “Name the Roadrunner” contest), stands at the corner of Main Street and Dickinson Boulevard and remains one of the Southwest’s most photographed roadside landmarks – long touted as the world’s largest roadrunner statue, though a larger one was later built near Las Cruces, NM. Fort Stockton’s frontier heritage is genuinely rich: Comanche raids, Buffalo Soldiers, cattle rustlers, and famous lawmen and gunslingers all crossed paths here. The historic Fort Stockton Cemetery, established 1875 for fort soldiers and civilians, still shows white crosses marking original grave sites; a sign there notes that few markers record anyone who lived beyond age 40, reflecting the harshness of frontier life. Zero Stone Park, next to the 1912 Pecos County Courthouse, houses a limestone marker historically used by military surveyors.
Notes: Genuine, well-documented Old West frontier history and a real, beloved roadside icon.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Pecos County Appraisal District – confirm current phone via co.pecos.tx.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county or city animal shelter directly confirmed in this search; a private animal sanctuary in nearby Pecos, TX (Reeves County) provides regional cruelty-case hosting and advocacy, in partnership with Far West Texas Rescue.
Notes: Confirm current animal control arrangements directly with the City of Fort Stockton or Pecos County Sheriff’s Office.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: City of Fort Stockton Solid Waste Services – confirm current collection schedules via cityoffortstockton.com; for unincorporated county areas, contact the County Judge’s office.
NOTES: Pecos County is the sixth county in this batch (Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Polk). Fort Stockton’s Comanche Springs water-rights history and the beloved Paisano Pete statue are genuine, well-documented pieces of West Texas heritage. 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 Pecos County
Pecos County is the Trans-Pecos’s Fort Stockton springs heritage and Permian Basin energy county – one of Texas’s largest counties by area, Pecos County’s vast desert terrain spans from the Permian Basin to the Chihuahuan Desert, supporting significant oil and gas production while Fort Stockton preserves the frontier history of the San Antonio-El Paso road.
Fort Stockton (the county seat, population ~8,500) is Pecos County’s governmental and commercial hub, a west Texas crossroads city at the junction of I-10 and US 285 in the Trans-Pecos region.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Pecos County Appraisal District at 103 W. Callaghan Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735, phone 432-336-8104.
Courts & Legal
Pecos County District Court at 103 W. Callaghan Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735, phone 432-336-7555, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
103 West Callaghan St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
(432) 336-7555
DISTRICT CLERK
103 West Callaghan St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
(432) 336-7555
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Pecos County Clerk’s Office, Fort Stockton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Pecos 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, Pecos County 200 South Nelson Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735 (432) 336-7555 Pecos County is in West Texas, seated in Fort Stockton.
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 Pecos, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Pecos 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 Pecos 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 Pecos 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
103 West Callaghan St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
(432) 336-2205
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
103 West Callaghan St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
(432) 336-7555
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
103 West Callaghan St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
(432) 336-7555
HHSC Office
900 North Alpine Ave, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
(432) 336-2286
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone public health department was confirmed in this search – Pecos County EMS (see Emergency Management above) is the primary emergency medical resource.
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