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Texas County
Swisher County, Texas
Tulia and Texas Panhandle High Plains agriculture - from Tulia's position as the hub of Swisher County's agricultural economy to the county's High Plains farming and cattle operations (Swisher County's flat Llano Estacado terrain and Ogallala Aquifer irrigation support cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat production alongside large-scale beef cattle feedlots that have become a significant component of the Panhandle's agricultural economy - the county reflects the intensive High Plains farming and feeding operations that make the Texas Panhandle one of the nation's most productive beef and grain corridors).
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County Judge’s Office: Swisher County Courthouse, 119 S Maxwell Ave, Tulia, TX 79088 | (806) 995-3504
Alerts: Swisher County WENS notification system – texts from 69310, voice calls from (806) 995-3547, email from [email protected].
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-27 and SH-86 serve Tulia, the county seat
Transit: Panhandle Transit – 1-800-800-6162 | panhandlerides.com; regional public transit serving Swisher County residents.
Notes: Swisher County, created in 1876 and organized in 1890, is named for James G. Swisher, a Texas Revolution soldier and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The historic JA Ranch, founded by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair, once extended into six counties including Swisher.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Tulia Building/Permits – confirm current contact via tuliatexas.org; for unincorporated Swisher County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Swisher County is the site of a nationally significant piece of legal history, well documented as public record. On July 23, 1999, undercover agent Tom Coleman, working for a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force, orchestrated a drug sting that led to the arrest of 46-47 Tulia residents, the large majority African American – at the time, more than 10% of the town’s Black population. Coleman’s uncorroborated testimony (with no audio/video surveillance, and no drugs, weapons, or unusual cash found at arrest) led to 38 convictions with sentences as long as 90 years. Subsequent investigation revealed Coleman had an undisclosed theft indictment and other credibility problems that prosecutors withheld at trial. After sustained work by journalists, volunteer attorneys, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the convicted defendants were released in June 2003, and Governor Rick Perry pardoned 35 of them that August. The federally funded narcotics task force responsible was disbanded in 2004, and Coleman himself was later convicted of perjury. A $6 million civil rights settlement, funded by the City of Amarillo and other participating jurisdictions, followed for the wrongly convicted defendants. This history is included here factually because it is directly relevant to anyone researching this county’s legal record.
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
System: Swisher County Library – 127 SW 2nd St, Tulia, TX 79088 | (806) 995-3447; a real, well-documented community institution dating to 1921, when a Tulia Civic League committee planned a subscription library – 56 families paid a $1 annual membership fee by April 1922, and the collection began with 100 books. The library moved to its current 5,000-square-foot location in the Swisher Memorial Building in 1977 (dedicated 1978), joined the Harrington Library Consortium in 1992, and completed computer automation by 1999, including digitizing the historic Tulia Herald newspaper (1918-1962) with Tocker Foundation support.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
No major regional recreational attractions were confirmed in this search – a small, agriculture-focused Texas Panhandle county.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Swisher County Appraisal District – 130 N. Armstrong Ave, PO Box 8, Tulia, TX 79088 | (806) 995-4118 | swisher-cad.org
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Tulia Animal Shelter – contact the Tulia Police Department at (806) 995-3555 to schedule an appointment for shelter visits and adoptions.
Notes: Confirm whether unincorporated Swisher County has separate animal control coverage from the city facility.
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 Tulia.
NOTES: Swisher County is the third county in this batch (Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Terry). The 1999 Tulia drug sting and its aftermath are among the most significant wrongful-conviction cases in modern Texas history and are included here factually as public record – directly relevant to InmateAid’s audience. 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 Swisher County
Swisher County is the Texas Panhandle’s Tulia cotton, grain, and feedlot county – intensive irrigated farming and large beef cattle feeding operations define a classic High Plains agricultural county where Tulia provides the governmental and commercial hub for the surrounding farm and feedlot communities.
Tulia (the county seat, population ~4,600) is Swisher County’s governmental and commercial center, a Panhandle agricultural town serving the surrounding cotton, grain, and cattle operations of the Texas High Plains.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Swisher County Appraisal District at 119 S. Maxwell Avenue, Tulia, TX 79088, phone 806-995-3350.
Courts & Legal
Swisher County District Court at 119 S. Maxwell Avenue, Tulia, TX 79088, phone 806-995-3294, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
119 South Maxwell Ave, Tulia, TX 79088
(806) 995-3294
DISTRICT CLERK
119 South Maxwell Ave, Tulia, TX 79088
(806) 995-3294
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Swisher County District and County Clerk’s Office, Tulia (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Swisher 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, Swisher County 119 South Maxwell Avenue, Tulia, TX 79088 (806) 995-3294
Swisher County was created in 1876, organized in 1890, named for James G. Swisher, a soldier of the Texas Revolution, in the Texas Panhandle, seated in Tulia. Swisher 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 Swisher, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Swisher 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 Swisher 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 Swisher 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
119 South Maxwell Ave, Tulia, TX 79088
(806) 995-3559
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
119 South Maxwell Ave, Tulia, TX 79088
(806) 995-3294
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
119 South Maxwell Ave, Tulia, TX 79088
(806) 995-3294
HHSC Office
119 South Maxwell Ave, Tulia, TX 79088
(806) 995-3294
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Swisher Memorial Healthcare / Tulia Rural Health Clinic – 105 Hospital Avenue, Tulia, TX 79088 | (806) 995-4122
Resource: Panhandle Community Services (WIC, energy assistance, etc.) – (806) 995-4115 or 1-800-800-6162, Monday–Thursday 8 AM–6 PM, Friday 8 AM–12 PM; call 211 for a full directory of local health and human services.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Tulia
Population: 6,900
Established: 1890
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
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