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Office: Reagan County Fire & EMS – 811 N. Main Ave, Big Lake, TX 76932 | (325) 884-3650 | Fax: (325) 884-3396; serves both the City of Big Lake and all of Reagan County.
County Judge’s Office: Reagan County Courthouse, 300 N Plaza Ave, Big Lake, TX 76932 | (325) 884-4100
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-67 and SH-137 serve Big Lake, the county seat
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – this is a very small, rural West Texas county.
Notes: Reagan County, created in 1903, is named for John Henninger Reagan, postmaster general of the Confederacy and later a U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, and the first chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas. Big Lake takes its name from a genuinely large dry lake (a “playa”) about two miles south of town – with no outlet and over two sections in size, it’s the largest dry lake in Texas, holding water only temporarily after major rain events.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Big Lake – (325) 884-2511 | Fax: (325) 884-3195; Code Enforcement: (325) 812-4367; for unincorporated Reagan County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Reagan County holds a genuinely monumental place in American educational and economic history. On May 28, 1923, the Santa Rita No. 1 well – spudded on University of Texas-owned land in Section 2, Block 2, near Big Lake – blew in with oil after nearly two years of isolated drilling (workers reportedly heard only the rig, roadrunners, and rattlesnakes). Named for the patron saint of the impossible, the well was championed by WWI veteran Rupert P. Ricker and drillers Frank T. Pickrell and Carl G. Cromwell. It was the first oil discovery on University Lands and the discovery well for the broader Permian Basin – the first royalty payment to the University of Texas Permanent University Fund (PUF), $516.53, was made August 24, 1923; by 1926, the field had endowed the PUF with $4 million. The PUF continues to fund both the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System to this day, making Santa Rita No. 1 one of the most institutionally consequential oil wells in American history. The historic well site (producing until 1990) underwent a major restoration completed in 2021 ahead of its 100th anniversary. Big Lake itself was incorporated in 1923 in the immediate wake of the discovery.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Reagan County Veterans Service Office – Big Lake, TX 76932; confirm current phone via co.reagan.tx.us.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Resource: Reagan County Care Center – a local veteran-serving resource within the Reagan Hospital District.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
No dedicated public library contact was independently confirmed in this search – confirm current library access via co.reagan.tx.us or the City of Big Lake.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The restored Santa Rita No. 1 well site itself is a genuine historic landmark and the centerpiece of the county’s identity – a real memorial to the discovery that opened the Permian Basin to oil production. Big Lake’s history spans oil and gas, ranching, farming, and, more recently, wind energy.
Notes: The Santa Rita No. 1 story is one of the most significant, checkable pieces of Texas economic and educational history covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Reagan County Appraisal District – Chief Appraiser Jacquelyn Botello | 409 2nd St, PO Box 8, Big Lake, TX 76932 | (325) 884-3275 | Fax: (325) 884-2149
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Big Lake Animal Control – contact via City of Big Lake, (325) 884-2511; after-hours on-call, (325) 884-2012.
Notes: Confirm whether unincorporated Reagan County has separate animal control coverage.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: City of Big Lake Landfill – (325) 884-2441; for unincorporated county areas, contact the County Judge’s office.
NOTES: Reagan County is the fifth county in this batch (Potter, Presidio, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Real, Red River). The Santa Rita No. 1 discovery – the genuine origin point of the Permian Basin oil industry and the University of Texas/Texas A&M Permanent University Fund – is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere 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 Reagan County County
Reagan County is Texas’s petroleum birthplace – the Santa Rita No. 1 well that proved the Permian Basin in 1923 at Big Lake launched the Texas oil industry and generated the University of Texas royalties that have funded higher education ever since, making this remote West Texas county one of the most consequential in American economic history.
Big Lake (the county seat, population ~3,000) is Reagan County’s governmental hub on US 67, a West Texas Permian Basin community whose Santa Rita No. 1 heritage, oil industry legacy, and remote desert setting anchor its identity as the county where Texas’s great petroleum era began.
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Reagan County Appraisal District at 200 S. 2nd Street, Big Lake, TX 76932, phone 325-884-3161. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Reagan County District Court at 200 S. 2nd Street, Big Lake, TX 76932, phone 325-884-2736, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
300 Main St, Big Lake, TX 76932
(325) 884-2442
DISTRICT CLERK
300 Main St, Big Lake, TX 76932
(325) 884-2442
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Reagan County District and County Clerk’s Office, Big Lake (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Reagan 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, Reagan County 300 North Plaza Avenue, PO Box 100, Big Lake, TX 76932 (325) 884-2442
Reagan County is in West Texas, seated in Big Lake. Reagan 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 Reagan, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Reagan 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 Reagan 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 Reagan 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
300 Main St, Big Lake, TX 76932
(325) 884-2571
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
300 Main St, Big Lake, TX 76932
(325) 884-2442
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
300 Main St, Big Lake, TX 76932
(325) 884-2442
HHSC Office
300 Main St, Big Lake, TX 76932
(325) 884-2442
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Reagan Hospital District – 1300 North Main, Big Lake, TX 76932 | (325) 884-2561; provides emergency services, the Hickman Rural Health Clinic, lab, imaging, physical therapy, pharmacy, and the Reagan County Care Center (long-term care).
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Big Lake
Population: 3,300
Public Records
TruthFinder
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