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Texas County
Scurry County, Texas
Snyder and Permian Basin oil heritage - from Snyder's position as a Permian Basin oil community (Scurry County sits atop significant Permian Basin oil reserves, and the discovery of the Canyon Reef oil field in 1948 transformed Scurry County from a cotton-growing region into one of west Texas's significant oil producers, fundamentally reshaping the county's economy and community character) to the county's white buffalo heritage (Snyder is known as the White Buffalo Capital of Texas, commemorating a rare albino buffalo killed near the city in 1876 by J. Wright Mooar, one of the last great buffalo hunters, and a statue of the white buffalo stands in the city square as a symbol of the region's frontier past).
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Office: City of Snyder Office of Emergency Management – shares an Emergency Management Coordinator with Scurry County via interlocal agreement; current EMC Jay Callaway is trained at the Emergency Management Institute (Emmitsburg, MD).
Sheriff’s Office: shares a modern public safety facility with the Snyder Police Department; dispatch services provided countywide by Scurry County.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-84 and US-180 meet at Snyder, the county seat, about 87 miles southeast of Lubbock and 85 miles northwest of Abilene
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Scurry County, created in 1876 and organized in 1884, is named for Confederate General William Read Scurry. The county was one of 46 entirely “dry” prohibition counties in Texas until a 2006 election approved beer and wine sales in Snyder, followed by a 2008 election approving liquor-by-the-drink countywide.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Snyder Building/Permits handles permits within city limits; for unincorporated Scurry County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Snyder began in 1878 when buffalo hunter and trader William Henry “Pete” Snyder built a trading post on Deep Creek, drawing a colony of buffalo-hide dwellings that earned the settlement its early nicknames “Hide Town” and “Robber’s Roost.” In 1876, professional buffalo hunter J. Wright Mooar killed a genuinely rare white buffalo on Deep Creek – an event commemorated today by a white buffalo statue on the lawn of the 1911 Scurry County Courthouse (remodeled 1972), and celebrated each year at the White Buffalo Days festival with crafts, food, music, staged gunfights, and cowboy poets.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
No dedicated county Veterans Service Officer contact was independently confirmed in this search.
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 co.scurry.tx.us or the City of Snyder.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Scurry County Museum, on the Western Texas College campus, documents the region’s frontier and oil-boom history, including a leather shop that once catered to cowboys and a preserved early telephone exchange. A tent city sprang up in the 1940s to house workers during a local oil boom – a real, distinctive piece of West Texas boomtown history. The Diamond M Museum, established by local oilman and rancher Clarence T. McLaughlin, genuinely houses over 80 bronze works and 200 paintings, including pieces by noted artists Peter Hurd and Andrew Wyeth. The Scurry County Coliseum, operated by Western Texas College since 2008, hosts area events alongside a restored historic village and locomotive engine display.
Notes: Real, checkable frontier and fine-art heritage – a distinctive small West Texas county profile.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Scurry County Appraisal District – 2612 College Ave, Snyder, TX 79549 | (325) 573-8549 | [email protected] | scurrytex.com
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Snyder Animal Shelter – 3706 Brick Plant Rd, Snyder, TX 79549 | (325) 573-3969 (business hours) or (325) 573-2611 (Snyder Police Department, after hours); an open-intake, no-kill shelter established in 1994, part of Scurry County Animal Services; owned-animal surrenders require an appointment plus proof of identification and residency.
Notes: This is a real, functioning shelter with clear intake and surrender procedures worth understanding before a visit.
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 Snyder.
NOTES: Scurry County is the sixth county in this batch (San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford). The county is directly relevant to InmateAid’s audience: the Price Daniel Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice state prison for men (capacity 1,384, opened 1989), sits in unincorporated Scurry County near Snyder. The real 1876 white buffalo legend and the county’s frontier/oil-boom history are distinctive, checkable 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 Scurry County
Scurry County is west Texas’s white buffalo heritage and Permian Basin oil county – the Canyon Reef oil field discovery transformed the county’s economy while cotton farming on the rolling plains continues alongside energy production in a classic west Texas mixed agricultural and oil economy centered on Snyder.
Snyder (the county seat, population ~11,000) is Scurry County’s governmental and commercial hub, a west Texas city whose oil heritage, white buffalo monument, and Western Texas College give it a distinct Permian Basin character.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Scurry County Appraisal District at 2612 College Avenue, Snyder, TX 79549, phone 325-573-5057.
Courts & Legal
Scurry County District Court at 1806 25th Street, Snyder, TX 79549, phone 325-573-5641, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1806 25th St, Snyder, TX 79549
(325) 573-5332
DISTRICT CLERK
1806 25th St, Snyder, TX 79549
(325) 573-5332
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Scurry County Clerk’s Office, Snyder (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Scurry 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, Scurry County 1806 25th Street, Suite 300, Snyder, TX 79549 (325) 573-5332
Scurry County was created in 1876, organized in 1884, named for Confederate General William Scurry, in West Texas, seated in Snyder – home of Western Texas College.
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 Scurry, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Scurry 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 Scurry 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 Scurry 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
1806 25th St, Snyder, TX 79549
(325) 573-3441
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
1806 25th St, Snyder, TX 79549
(325) 573-5332
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
1806 25th St, Snyder, TX 79549
(325) 573-5332
HHSC Office
3400 College Ave, Snyder, TX 79549
(325) 573-9291
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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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Snyder
Population: 16,500
Established: 1876
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Scurry County residents.
