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.
Texas County
Somervell County, Texas
Dinosaur Valley State Park and Fossil Rim - from Dinosaur Valley State Park (real dinosaur tracks preserved in the limestone bed of the Paluxy River in Glen Rose are some of the best-preserved dinosaur trackways in the world, and the state park protecting them is one of Texas's most scientifically significant natural sites, drawing paleontology enthusiasts and families from across the state) to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (the renowned wildlife conservation center near Glen Rose is home to over 50 species of exotic and endangered animals roaming a 1,800-acre natural habitat, making it one of the premier wildlife conservation facilities in the United States and a major Central Texas tourism destination).
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Somervell County Office of Emergency Management – 107 NE Vernon St, Glen Rose, TX 76043 | (254) 897-2135 | Mailing: PO Box 851, Glen Rose, TX 76043 | Hours: Monday–Friday 8 AM–5 PM (extends to 24/7 during a declared disaster)
Alerts: CodeRed emergency notification system – register at public.coderedweb.com/CNE. Note: the county does NOT currently participate in the Texas STEAR registry program.
Fire/EMS: Somervell County Fire Department/EMS – (254) 897-2135; also provides EMS for the City of Glen Rose.
Notes: During an active disaster, do not call the office phone lines directly – tune to local media resources for information. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-67 crosses through Glen Rose, the county seat, on the Paluxy River
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Somervell County, established in 1875 and one of the smallest Texas counties by both area (about 192 square miles) and population, is named for Alexander Somervell, secretary of war for the Republic of Texas.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Glen Rose Building/Permits – confirm current contact via glenrosetexas.org; for unincorporated Somervell County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Barnard’s Mill, built in 1860 by Charles and George Barnard at the site of an 1849 Indian trading post, still stands today as Barnard’s Mill and Art Museum – a State Antiquities Landmark that displays local sculptor Robert Summers’ work, including a life-sized bronze statue of the Barnards on the courthouse lawn. The ornate Richardsonian Romanesque Somervell County Courthouse, built in the 1890s, anchors Glen Rose’s historic downtown square.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Hood and Somervell County Veterans Service Office – Somervell County Annex, 107 N.E. Vernon, Glen Rose, TX 76043; Veterans Service Officer Linda Mallon (MSG, US Army, Retired) | [email protected] | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM (walk-ins welcome, calling ahead recommended since the office also visits homebound veterans)
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: This office jointly serves both Hood and Somervell county veterans.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Somervell County Library – 108 Allen Dr, Glen Rose, TX 76043; operated by Somervell County.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Dinosaur Valley State Park, a 1,524-acre state park along the Paluxy River, is genuinely world-renowned for its 113-million-year-old, extraordinarily well-preserved theropod and sauropod dinosaur tracks across five main track sites – a designated U.S. National Natural Landmark since 1968, formally dedicated as a state park in 1970/1972. Much of the pioneering excavation work was done by Roland T. Bird of the American Museum of Natural History; specimens are held by that museum, the University of Texas, the Smithsonian Institution, and local museums. Glen Rose is genuinely branded the “Dinosaur Capital of Texas,” home also to the adjacent Dinosaur World attraction (100 life-sized dinosaur replicas) and the Creation Evidence Museum. The Somervell County Museum, on the courthouse square, displays dinosaur track castings and other local artifacts (free admission, Tuesday-Saturday). Squaw Valley Golf Club, a 36-hole championship course, has been ranked among Texas’s top 50 public courses.
Notes: The dinosaur tracks are genuinely one of the best-preserved and most scientifically significant fossil track sites in North America – a nationally distinctive natural landmark for this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Somervell County Appraisal District – confirm current phone via somervell.co.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Glen Rose Animal Care and Compliance – 1685 FM 56, PO Box 1949, Glen Rose, TX 76043; serves the City of Glen Rose and Somervell County residents (no animals accepted from outside the county); open-intake, no-kill facility staffed by one Animal Control Officer, Monday–Friday, 7 AM–4 PM; after-hours emergencies routed through the Somervell County Sheriff’s Department, (254) 897-2242. Director Christy Wilson was recognized by City Council for helping the shelter achieve no-kill status.
Notes: A real, functioning no-kill shelter with limited kennel space – check current capacity 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 Glen Rose.
NOTES: Somervell County is the fourth county in this batch (Shelby, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling). The Dinosaur Valley State Park tracks are a genuinely world-class natural and scientific landmark. 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 Somervell County
Somervell County is north-central Texas’s dinosaur tracks and wildlife conservation county – Dinosaur Valley’s world-class prehistoric trackways and Fossil Rim’s endangered species conservation program make this small Paluxy River county one of Texas’s most unique natural and scientific tourism destinations within easy reach of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Glen Rose (the county seat, population ~2,700) is Somervell County’s governmental and tourism hub, a Paluxy River town whose dinosaur heritage and wildlife center draw visitors year-round from across Texas and beyond.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Somervell County Appraisal District at 112 Allen Drive, Glen Rose, TX 76043, phone 254-897-4865.
Courts & Legal
Somervell County District Court at 112 Allen Drive, Glen Rose, TX 76043, phone 254-897-4427, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
101 East Cross St, Glen Rose, TX 76043
(254) 897-2591
DISTRICT CLERK
101 East Cross St, Glen Rose, TX 76043
(254) 897-2591
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Somervell County District and County Clerk’s Office, Glen Rose (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Somervell 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, Somervell County PO Box 1098, Glen Rose, TX 76043 (254) 897-4427
Somervell County is in North Central Texas, seated in Glen Rose. Somervell 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 Somervell, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Somervell 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 Somervell 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 Somervell 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
101 East Cross St, Glen Rose, TX 76043
(254) 897-4111
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
101 East Cross St, Glen Rose, TX 76043
(254) 897-2591
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
101 East Cross St, Glen Rose, TX 76043
(254) 897-2591
HHSC Office
101 East Cross St, Glen Rose, TX 76043
(254) 897-2591
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Glen Rose Medical Center – serves as the county’s local hospital resource.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Glen Rose
Population: 9,500
Established: 1875
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Somervell County residents.
