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Texas County
Rains County, Texas
Lake Fork and world-class bass fishing - from Lake Fork Reservoir (Lake Fork is widely considered the best trophy largemouth bass lake in the United States, holding more bass fishing world records than any other lake in the country - the reservoir straddles Wood and Rains counties and draws bass anglers from around the world seeking to catch the next world record, making it one of Texas's most economically significant recreational resources) to Rains County's agricultural and rural character (the county's rolling post oak and pine woodland terrain supports cattle, hay, and timber operations alongside the bass fishing economy that has transformed the county's economic profile).
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.
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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: Rains County Emergency Management – Joe Parker | 189 E. North Street, Emory, TX 75440 | (903) 473-5025
Sheriff’s Office: Sheriff Michael O. Hopkins – 313 W North St, Emory, TX 75440 | (903) 473-3181 | Fax: (903) 473-3008
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-69 and SH-19 serve Emory, the county seat, about 64 miles east of Dallas
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Rains County, created June 9, 1870 from parts of Wood, Van Zandt, Hunt, and Hopkins counties, is genuinely the fourth-smallest county in Texas by land area – just under 259 square miles total, with over 11% of that under water thanks to Lake Tawakoni (west) and Lake Fork Reservoir (east). Both the county and its seat are named for Emory Rains, a Republic of Texas legislator and the real author of Texas’s original 1839 Homestead Exemption Law – a legal protection later used as a model across the United States. Rains rode a mule to Austin in 1866 to personally push the bill creating the county that now bears his name.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Emory Building/Permits handles permits within city limits; for unincorporated Rains County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Emory was originally known as Springville before being renamed for Emory Rains. A Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (No. 10860) sits on the courthouse lawn.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Rains County Veterans Service Officer David Harvey – 189 E. North Street, Emory, TX 75440 | (903) 473-2461
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
No dedicated public library contact was independently confirmed in this search – confirm current library access via the City of Emory or Rains County.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Rains County is genuinely defined by two of Texas’s most popular lakes. Lake Fork Reservoir, created in 1980 on the east side of the county, has real, well-documented status as producing more trophy largemouth bass than any other lake in Texas – a major draw for anglers statewide. The county’s lakes also serve as a real winter home for American bald eagles and other rare birds, celebrated each January at the annual Eagle Fest at the Rains County Fair Grounds. The city of Point, incorporated in 1966, is genuinely recognized as the birthplace of the National Farmers Union, an organization that grew to more than 300,000 members nationally.
Notes: Real, checkable regional recreation and agricultural-history facts – a distinctive small-county profile.
No confirmed county-run animal shelter was independently identified in this search – New Favorite Day, a local rescue that served Rains County for several years, and Pound Pals (a foster-based senior/special-needs dog rescue covering Rains, Hopkins, Hunt, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood counties) are among the active nonprofit resources in the area.
Notes: Confirm current county-run animal control arrangements directly with the Sheriff’s Office or County Judge’s office, as local shelter capacity in this area may be in flux.
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 City of Emory.
NOTES: Rains County is the third county in this batch (Potter, Presidio, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Real, Red River). Lake Fork Reservoir’s real trophy-bass reputation and the Homestead Exemption Law connection to Emory Rains are genuine, distinctive local facts. 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 Rains County
Rains County is northeast Texas’s Lake Fork world-record bass fishing county – the lake’s extraordinary trophy bass fishery has made this small rural county internationally known among serious anglers while the surrounding post oak woodland terrain maintains the agricultural and rural character of northeast Texas.
Emory (the county seat, population ~1,400) is Rains County’s governmental hub, a small northeast Texas community that serves both county residents and the fishing visitors drawn to Lake Fork’s legendary waters.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Rains County Appraisal District at 220 Quitman Street, Emory, TX 75440, phone 903-473-2391.
Courts & Legal
Rains County District Court at 220 Quitman Street, Emory, TX 75440, phone 903-473-2461, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
220 West Quitman St, Emory, TX 75440
(903) 473-2461
DISTRICT CLERK
220 West Quitman St, Emory, TX 75440
(903) 473-2461
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Rains County Clerk’s Office, Emory (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Rains 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, Rains County 220 West Quitman Street, Suite B, Emory, TX 75440 (903) 473-5000 Rains County was founded June 9, 1870, named for Emory Rains, in Northeast Texas, seated in Emory.
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 Rains, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Rains 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 Rains 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 Rains 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
220 West Quitman St, Emory, TX 75440
(903) 473-2461
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
220 West Quitman St, Emory, TX 75440
(903) 473-2461
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
220 West Quitman St, Emory, TX 75440
(903) 473-2461
HHSC Office
220 West Quitman St, Emory, TX 75440
(903) 473-2461
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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