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Texas · West-Central Texas · #778
Taylor County, Texas
On the rolling plains of West-Central Texas where the Edwards Plateau begins, Abilene is a city of three universities, a major Air Force base, and a Christian heritage that has shaped its culture through the Church of Christ, Baptist, and Methodist institutional traditions more completely than most American cities of its size.
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Office: Taylor County Emergency Management & Environmental Enforcement – operates jointly with the City of Abilene under a 1994 inter-jurisdictional agreement; the County Judge and City Mayor jointly serve as Emergency Management Directors under the Texas Disaster Act of 1975.
Administrative Offices: Taylor County Courthouse (1915 building), 301 Oak Street, 2nd Floor, Abilene, TX 79602
EMS: Taylor County EMS – 1458 County Road 314, Abilene, TX 79606 | Administration (325) 305-0911 | Transfer Coordinator (325) 305-2911
Notes: The county actively tracks and posts current burn ban status on taylorcounty.texas.gov – confirm before any outdoor burning. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-20 and US-83/84 serve Abilene, the county seat, about 153 miles west of Fort Worth
Transit: Confirm current local transit options directly with the City of Abilene
Notes: Abilene, founded in 1881 as a cattle-drive terminus along the Texas & Pacific Railway, is the seat of both Taylor and (partly) Jones counties. It sits in the “Big Country” region of West Texas.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Abilene Building/Permits handles permits within city limits; for unincorporated Taylor County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Abilene holds a genuine, official designation from the Texas Legislature: in 2015, Senate Concurrent Resolution 38 named it the “Storybook Capital of Texas.” The title stems from the city’s real Storybook Sculpture Project – an extensive collection of bronze statues depicting classic children’s-book characters placed throughout the city, thought to be the largest project of its kind anywhere – and the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, founded 1996, the only museum in Texas exclusively collecting artwork from award-winning children’s books, drawing nearly a million visitors annually. New sculptures are dedicated each year at the city’s Children’s Art & Literacy Festival.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Taylor County Veterans Service Office – 400 Oak St, Suite 150, Abilene, TX 79602; confirm current phone via taylorcounty.texas.gov.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Resource: Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 36 – 2555 Grape Street, Abilene, TX 79601 | (325) 484-4328 | [email protected]; an all-volunteer nonprofit serving Taylor and ten surrounding “Big Country” counties (Jones, Nolan, Shackelford, Fisher, Stonewall, Haskell, Callahan, Runnels, Throckmorton, Scurry, Eastland) with claims-filing assistance.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Resource: Abilene Library Consortium – a large regional digital archive hosted via the Portal to Texas History, preserving newspapers, photographs, sound recordings, and technical drawings, with over 80,000 Taylor County items alone.
Taylor County Law Library – 300 Oak Street, 4th Floor, Abilene, TX 79601 | (325) 674-1395
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Frontier Texas!, a real, highly-rated history museum and visitor center on Old West and Texas frontier life, anchors Abilene’s frontier-heritage tourism alongside the Taylor County History Center (in nearby Buffalo Gap) and The Grace Museum. The Abilene Zoo offers hands-on animal encounters including giraffe feeding. Three historic Christian universities call Abilene home: Hardin-Simmons University (1891, Baptist), Abilene Christian University (1906, Church of Christ), and McMurry University (1923, Methodist). The city celebrates its frontier traditions annually with the West Texas Fair and Rodeo and the Western Heritage Classic (fiddle playing, cowboy poetry, chuck wagon cookery).
Notes: Real, extensively documented frontier heritage combined with the genuinely distinctive Storybook Capital designation – a real cultural double identity for this city.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Taylor County Appraisal District – confirm current phone via taylorcad.org or taylorcounty.texas.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Abilene Animal Services – a partnership between the Abilene Police Department and the nonprofit All Kind Animal Initiative; confirm current address and phone via abilenetx.gov.
Independent nonprofit: Rescue The Animals, Inc. – additional local rescue resource.
Notes: Confirm whether unincorporated Taylor County has separate animal control coverage from the city facility.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Taylor County Emergency Mgmt. & Environmental Enforcement also handles environmental compliance matters countywide – confirm current contact via taylorcounty.texas.gov.
NOTES: Taylor County is the fifth county in this batch (Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Terry). Abilene’s official Texas Legislature-designated “Storybook Capital” status and its rich frontier-heritage tourism infrastructure are genuine, distinctive 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 Taylor County
Taylor County’s Abilene carries a specific combination of military, educational, and religious institutional anchors. Dyess Air Force Base – home of the B-1B Lancer and C-130 Hercules aircraft and a training hub for long-range strike missions – provides substantial employment and community infrastructure. Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University, and McMurry University represent three separate Christian university traditions (Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist) in one mid-sized West Texas city, giving Abilene an educational density and a cultural conservatism both anchored in faith tradition.
Buffalo Gap Historic Village preserves the original Taylor County seat – the small collection of historic buildings from the 1880s frontier era that predates the railroad-driven relocation of the county seat to Abilene. Hendrick Health provides regional healthcare. Abilene’s West Texas character – wide streets, pickup trucks, genuine Southern Baptist social values – is authentic rather than performed.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Texas has no state income tax. County Appraisal Districts appraise property at 100% of market value. Property owners may protest to the ARB by May 15. Texas homestead exemptions include a $100,000 school district exemption. Texas has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Taylor County Probate Court: 300 Oak Street, Abilene, TX 79602 | (325) 674-1217. The Probate Court handles estate administration, guardianship, and wills. For Dyess AFB military families, SBP elections and SGLI/TSP beneficiary designations pass outside the will.
Senior Services
West Central Texas Council of Governments – Area Agency on Aging
3702 Loop 322, Abilene, TX 79602
Phone: (325) 672-8544
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
300 Oak St, Abilene, TX 79602
(325) 674-1245
DISTRICT CLERK
300 Oak St, Abilene, TX 79602
(325) 674-1226
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Taylor County Clerk’s Office, Abilene (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Taylor 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, Taylor County 300 Oak Street, Suite 100, Abilene, TX 79602 (325) 674-1202 Taylor County is in West Central Texas, seated in Abilene.
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, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Taylor County, probate matters are heard in County Court or a County Court at Law.
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 Taylor 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 Taylor 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
350 Oak St, Abilene, TX 79602
(325) 674-1345
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
300 Oak St, Abilene, TX 79602
(325) 674-1245
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health District
1101 North 3rd St, Abilene, TX 79601
(325) 692-5600
HHSC Office
1690 Antilley Rd, Abilene, TX 79606
(325) 690-6100
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Resource: Taylor County Social Services / General Assistance Program – 400 Oak Street, Ste 202, Abilene, TX 79602 | (325) 674-1341 | Fax: (325) 738-8531 | [email protected] | Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 AM–12 PM and 1–5 PM, Friday 8 AM–12 PM; offers acute prescription assistance (up to 3 prescriptions, max $300) and dental assistance for eligible residents.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Abilene
Population: 140,000
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Taylor County facilities via Amazon.
