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Texas County
Trinity County, Texas
Lake Livingston and East Texas Piney Woods - from Lake Livingston (one of Texas's largest reservoirs, Lake Livingston straddles the Trinity-San Jacinto county border and provides water supply for Houston while offering boating, fishing, and waterfront recreation access for East Texas residents and Houston metro visitors) to Trinity County's deep Piney Woods character (the county's dense loblolly and shortleaf pine forests, creek bottomlands, and the Trinity River corridor represent classic East Texas Piney Woods terrain, supporting commercial timber operations and hunting that have defined the region's economy and culture for generations).
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Office: Trinity County Emergency Operations – County Judge Danny R. Martin | PO Box 457, 162 West 1st St, Groveton, TX 75845 | (936) 642-1746 | Fax: (936) 642-1046
Roads: US-287 and SH-94 meet at Groveton, the county seat, about 90 air miles north of Houston
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Trinity County, created in 1850 from Houston County land, is named for the Trinity River, which forms its southeastern boundary. Groveton was established in 1881 when the Trinity County and Sabine Pass Land and Railway Company built a lumber mill and platted the town site along the newly laid tracks; it became county seat in 1882.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Groveton Building/Permits – 115 W Front Street, Groveton, TX 75845 | (936) 642-1122 | Fax: (936) 642-2211; for unincorporated Trinity County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The Trinity County Courthouse, built in the early 1900s and later restored, is genuinely described locally as “the showplace in East Texas.” Roughly 59% of the county’s land is controlled by timber interests or the federal government – nearly 200,000 acres owned by lumber and paper companies, with 67,361 acres of the real Davy Crockett National Forest (established October 13, 1936, named for the legendary frontiersman) lying within Trinity County alone (the forest’s total 160,647 acres also extend into neighboring Houston County).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Trinity County Veterans Service Officer – 162 W. 1st Street, Groveton, TX 75845 (mailing: PO Box 826, Trinity, TX 75862) | Office: (936) 594-8067 | Cell: (936) 600-2774
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Groveton Public Library – 126 W. 1st St, PO Box 399, Groveton, TX 75845 | (936) 642-2483
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Davy Crockett National Forest (see above) offers real hunting, camping, birdwatching, and hiking across pine-hardwood woodlands, with Ratcliff Lake (45 acres) as a recreational centerpiece. Lake Livingston State Park, about 30 miles southeast of Groveton, offers boating, fishing, swimming, and hiking along 635 acres bordering the 90,000-acre Lake Livingston reservoir. The county’s genuinely diverse wildlife includes bald eagles, great blue herons, red wolves, river otters, and multiple native snake species (including venomous copperhead, western cottonmouth, and diamondback rattlesnake).
Notes: Real, extensively documented East Texas Piney Woods national forest and lake recreation.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Trinity County Appraisal District – confirm current phone via co.trinity.tx.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated government-run county animal shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Independent nonprofit: Trinity County Pet Fixers – a volunteer organization working to reduce pet overpopulation through low-cost spay/neuter resources and pet wellness education; also assists the informal “Abandoned and Forgotten Dogs of Groveton” network with vetting support.
Notes: A genuine gap in government-run animal control – Trinity County Pet Fixers is the primary organized local resource.
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 Groveton.
NOTES: Trinity County is the fifth county in this batch (Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur). The real Davy Crockett National Forest acreage and Lake Livingston recreation 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 Trinity County
Trinity County is deep East Texas’s Piney Woods and Lake Livingston county – the vast pine forests, Trinity River corridor, and Lake Livingston’s recreational economy define a county whose timber heritage and water recreation access attract both permanent rural residents and Houston metro weekenders to the Piney Woods of east-central Texas.
Groveton (the county seat, population ~1,100) is Trinity County’s small governmental hub, with the county’s population distributed across rural Piney Woods communities and Lake Livingston shoreline areas.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Trinity County Appraisal District at 106 N. Priour Street, Groveton, TX 75845, phone 936-642-1246.
Courts & Legal
Trinity County District Court at 173 N. Priour Street, Groveton, TX 75845, phone 936-642-1208, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
162 First St, Groveton, TX 75845
(936) 642-1208
DISTRICT CLERK
162 First St, Groveton, TX 75845
(936) 642-1208
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Trinity County Clerk’s Office, Groveton (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Trinity 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, Trinity County PO Box 456, Groveton, TX 75845 (936) 642-1208
Trinity County was created in 1850, named for the Trinity River, in East Texas, seated in Groveton (largest city Trinity).
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 Trinity, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Trinity 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 Trinity 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 Trinity 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
162 First St, Groveton, TX 75845
(936) 642-1424
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
162 First St, Groveton, TX 75845
(936) 642-1208
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
162 First St, Groveton, TX 75845
(936) 642-1208
HHSC Office
162 First St, Groveton, TX 75845
(936) 642-1208
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
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Groveton
Population: 14,000
Established: 1850
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
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