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Texas County
Polk County, Texas
Lake Livingston and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas - from Lake Livingston (the 90,000-acre Trinity River impoundment - one of Texas's largest lakes and a primary water supply reservoir for Houston - provides exceptional bass fishing, boating, and waterfront living that has driven Polk County's significant retirement and recreation economy) to the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas (one of only three federally recognized tribes in Texas - the Alabama-Coushatta have maintained their Big Thicket homeland in Polk County since the early 19th century, and their cultural center and eco-tourism operations preserve the tribe's heritage).
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Office: Polk County Office of Emergency Management – 602 E Church St, Suite 165, Livingston, TX 77351 | (936) 327-6826 | Fax: (936) 327-6890 | [email protected]
Alerts: AlertMePolkCounty – county emergency notification system (phone, text, email); register online, by phone, or in person at the OEM office.
Notes: OEM also handles rural addressing and mapping, and monitors real prescribed-burn activity in the county. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-190, US-59, and SH-146 meet at Livingston, the county seat, about 75 miles north of Houston
Transit: Brazos Transit District provides curb-to-curb advance-request transit service in Polk County, including Livingston.
Notes: Livingston was originally settled in 1835 as Springfield, renamed in 1846 when designated county seat, honoring founder Moses L. Choate’s former Alabama home. A suspicious 1902 fire, reportedly tied to local liquor prohibition disputes, forced the town to rebuild.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Livingston Building/Permits handles permits within city limits; for unincorporated Polk County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: IMPORTANT FOR INMATEAID READERS: The Allan B. Polunsky Unit, a TDCJ Level V maximum-security prison, sits about 5 miles southwest of Livingston (3872 FM 350 South, Livingston, TX 77351) and is genuinely the sole housing location for all men on Texas’s death row, alongside other high-security populations – capacity approximately 2,984. Executions themselves are conducted separately at the Huntsville Unit. Visitation follows strict, non-contact procedures for death row specifically (Tue/Thu afternoons, Sat evening); general population visits Sat-Sun, 8 AM–5:30 PM. Always confirm current visitation rules and an individual’s custody status directly with TDCJ before traveling.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Polk County Veterans Service Officer Melissa Gates – 602 E Church Street, Livingston, TX 77351 | (936) 327-6838 | Fax: (936) 327-9005; in-person visits currently by appointment.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Livingston Municipal Library – Livingston, TX; confirm current address and hours via cityoflivingston-tx.com.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Polk County holds genuine, deep Native American heritage – the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas occupies over 4,600 acres east of Livingston, on land Sam Houston had declared a reservation in recognition of the tribe’s neutrality during the Texas Revolution; it’s Texas’s oldest Indian reservation, enlarged by the federal government in 1928. The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Cultural Center and Naskila Gaming are real, active tribal attractions. Lake Livingston, an 82,600-acre reservoir on the Trinity River, is the second-largest lake located entirely within Texas, with roughly 450 miles of shoreline in Polk County alone – it is also the largest single-purpose water supply lake in Texas, serving the Lower Trinity River Basin and Houston/Galveston metro area. Lake Livingston State Park, a 635-acre Texas Parks and Wildlife property that opened in 1977, drew nearly 171,000 visitors in 2025. The Polk County Memorial Museum and Heritage Park, marked by an old log-hauling locomotive and the 1933 Jonas Davis Log Cabin, documents local timber and pioneer history.
Notes: Real, extensively documented Native American and lake-recreation heritage.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Polk County Appraisal District – confirm current phone via co.polk.tx.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Polk County Animal Shelter – operated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office; Animal Control Officer Crystal Rogers responds to stray/dangerous animal calls, bites, and livestock issues alongside deputies (a semi-rural county), and maintains the shelter for stray drop-offs.
Independent nonprofit: SPCA of Polk County – 802 South Houston Avenue, Livingston, TX; a no-kill 501(c)(3) since 1978, with a 10,000+ sq ft facility, low-cost spay/neuter clinic, and adoption center; not affiliated with or funded by any government agency.
Notes: Both a county-run shelter and a well-established independent no-kill nonprofit serve the area.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: City of Livingston Solid Waste Services – confirm current collection schedules via cityoflivingston-tx.com; for unincorporated county areas, contact the County Judge’s office.
NOTES: Polk County is the seventh and final county in this batch (Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Polk). Polk County’s Alabama-Coushatta heritage and its status as home to the Polunsky Unit – Texas’s sole death row facility for men – are the two most significant and directly relevant facts for this project’s audience. 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 Polk County
Polk County is East Texas’s Lake Livingston and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe county – the massive Trinity River reservoir and one of Texas’s three federally recognized tribes define a Piney Woods community of ecological and cultural significance.
Lake Livingston’s 90,000 acres – one of the largest reservoirs in Texas – provides Houston’s water supply and drives a major retirement and recreation economy along Polk County’s extensive shoreline.
The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe – maintaining their Big Thicket homeland since the early 19th century – operates cultural programs and eco-tourism.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Polk County Appraisal District at 114 Matthews Street, Livingston, TX 77351, phone 936-327-2174. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Polk County District Clerk at 101 W. Church Street, Livingston, TX 77351, phone 936-327-6804, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
101 West Church St, Livingston, TX 77351
(936) 327-6825
DISTRICT CLERK
101 West Church St, Livingston, TX 77351
(936) 327-6814
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Polk County Clerk’s Office, Livingston (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Polk 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, Polk County 101 West Church Street, Suite 300, PO Drawer 2119, Livingston, TX 77351 (936) 327-6805 Polk County is in East Texas Piney Woods, seated in Livingston.
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 Polk, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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
1610 West Church St, Livingston, TX 77351
(936) 327-6810
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
101 West Church St, Livingston, TX 77351
(936) 327-6825
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1101 West Church St, Livingston, TX 77351
(936) 327-6804
HHSC Office
1300 North Washington Ave, Livingston, TX 77351
(936) 327-6810
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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