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Texas County
Refugio County, Texas
Mission Refugio and south Texas colonial cattle heritage - from Refugio's Mission Nuestra Señora del Refugio (established in 1795 as one of the last Spanish missions in Texas, Mission Refugio gave the town its name and anchors the county's identity as one of the oldest continuously settled areas in Texas - the city of Refugio was a significant site during the Texas Revolution and retains a deep sense of its Spanish colonial and early American heritage) to Refugio County's cattle ranching and oil production (the county's coastal prairie and brush country terrain supports significant cattle ranching in the tradition of south Texas vaquero culture while oil and gas production from the Gulf Coast fields supplements the agricultural economy).
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Office: Refugio County Office of Emergency Management – Refugio, TX; alerts via the ReverseAlert notification system (phone, email, text) for severe weather, road closures, missing persons, and evacuations.
County Judge’s Office: Refugio County Courthouse, 808 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377
Notes: Refugio County was significantly damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and the Texas General Land Office later approved nearly $12 million in disaster recovery infrastructure grants for local roads, sewer, water, and drainage improvements. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-183, US-77, and SH-202 meet at Refugio, the county seat, about 35 miles north of Corpus Christi
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Refugio County lies on the lower Gulf Coast in the Coastal Prairies region.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Refugio County holds genuinely deep Spanish colonial history. The town takes its name from the Nuestra Señora del Refugio Mission, established in 1793 at the junction of the San Antonio and Guadalupe rivers and relocated to the present town site by 1795 after a destructive Indian raid. It was the last Spanish mission in Texas to be secularized (operating continuously until February 1830) after Mexican independence. The Battle of Refugio was fought here March 14, 1836, during the Texas Revolution – most residents subsequently fled to Victoria and Goliad to avoid retribution, and the town was nearly destroyed. Refugio was formally incorporated by an act signed by Sam Houston himself on February 1, 1842. Interestingly, the county seat itself moved away from the town of Refugio for a period in the 1870s – first constitutionally to St. Mary’s, then in 1871 to Rockport – before eventually returning; original county records stayed in Refugio throughout.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Refugio County Veterans Service Office – 808 Commerce Street, Room 100, Refugio, TX 78377; assists with VA disability compensation and pension claims, increases, appeals, Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) for active duty, and supplemental/higher-level VA appeals.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Dennis M. O’Connor Public Library – 815 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377 | (361) 526-2608.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church, with its majestic steeple visible from miles away, stands on the site of the historic Spanish mission and is the iconic symbol of the town. Several historical markers throughout Refugio document the mission’s Spanish colonial past, and a local museum preserves this heritage. Birding is a genuine local pastime – a nearby park is Site CTC 038 on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail (though Lions/Shelly Park has been closed since sustaining Hurricane Harvey damage in 2017). The area was originally home to the Karankawa people, whose favorite camping ground became the mission site.
Notes: This is real, well-documented Spanish colonial and Texas Revolution history – one of the deepest historical files in this project given the county’s small size.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Refugio County Appraisal District – PO Box 156, Refugio, TX 78377-0156 | (361) 526-5994 | Fax: (361) 526-4144 | [email protected] | refugiocad.org
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county animal control department/shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Notes: A genuine gap – 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: Refugio County is the first county in this batch (Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, Rusk, Sabine). The genuine Spanish mission history and the town’s direct incorporation under Sam Houston’s signature are distinctive, checkable pieces of Texas history. 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 Refugio County
Refugio County is south Texas’s Spanish mission heritage and coastal cattle and oil county – Mission Refugio’s centuries-old roots and the county’s vaquero ranching tradition give Refugio County a deep colonial heritage while oil and gas production from coastal fields supplements the livestock economy of one of Texas’s historically oldest counties.
Refugio (the county seat, population ~2,800) is Refugio County’s governmental hub, a south Texas ranch town whose mission heritage and colonial history anchor the community identity along US 77 between Victoria and Corpus Christi.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Refugio County Appraisal District at 420 N. Alamo Street, Refugio, TX 78377, phone 361-526-4066.
Courts & Legal
Refugio County District Court at 808 Commerce Street, Refugio, TX 78377, phone 361-526-2233, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
808 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377
(361) 526-2233
DISTRICT CLERK
808 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377
(361) 526-2233
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Refugio County Clerk’s Office, Refugio (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Refugio 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, Refugio County PO Box 704, Refugio, TX 78377 (361) 526-2233 Refugio County is in South Texas near the Gulf Coast, seated in Refugio.
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 Refugio, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Refugio 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 Refugio 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 Refugio 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
808 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377
(361) 526-2422
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
808 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377
(361) 526-2233
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
808 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377
(361) 526-2233
HHSC Office
808 Commerce St, Refugio, TX 78377
(361) 526-2233
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Refugio County Memorial Hospital – provides emergency medical services along with community education programs including Heart Saver CPR and Stop the Bleed training.
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Refugio
Population: 6,700
Established: 1836
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
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