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Office: Upton County Sheriff’s Office – 1106 N. Grand, Rankin, TX 79778 (headquartered inside the Upton County Courthouse, 205 E. 10th Street) | Non-emergency (432) 693-2422 | Fax (432) 693-2303; Sheriff Sara Brown. Deputies provide primary law enforcement in unincorporated areas and support the towns of Rankin, McCamey, and Midkiff as needed.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-67 and US-385 serve Rankin, the county seat, on the Edwards Plateau in West Texas’s Permian Basin; McCamey is the county’s largest city.
Notes: Upton County was created in 1910. McCamey, founded in 1925 after wildcatter George B. McCamey’s discovery well set off an oil boom that swelled the town from open land to roughly 10,000 residents within six months, later saw its population fall sharply through the Great Depression before stabilizing.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Upton County Courthouse – 205 E. 10th Street, Rankin, TX | (432) 693-2861.
Notes: Small population; permitting activity centers mainly on oilfield and wind-energy infrastructure.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Upton County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via co.upton.tx.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Rankin Public Library and McCamey Public Library – confirm current addresses/phones via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: McCamey is genuinely, officially the “Wind Energy Capital of Texas,” a title conferred by Texas legislative resolution on February 22, 2001; the area’s Southwest Mesa Wind Project, commissioned in 1999, was among the earliest commercial wind farms in Texas, and McCamey remains ringed by large-scale wind development today, including the 500-megawatt High Lonesome wind farm spanning Upton and Crockett Counties. The Mendoza Trail Museum in McCamey preserves oil-boom artifacts alongside Native American relics and Wild West-era items.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via co.upton.tx.us.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Upton County Appraisal District – confirm current contact via co.upton.tx.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via co.upton.tx.us; Upton County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Upton County Transfer Station – contact Commissioners Court for hours/location. Environmental complaints: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) – tceq.texas.gov | (512) 239-1000; oilfield-related concerns: Texas Railroad Commission – rrc.texas.gov.
Notes: Oil and gas extraction alongside wind energy development are the county’s dominant environmental and economic considerations.
NOTES: Upton County pairs its traditional Permian Basin oil economy with McCamey’s genuine, legislatively recognized status as a wind-power pioneer – one of the earliest significant commercial wind-energy hubs in Texas, dating to the late 1990s. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Upton County County
Upton County is West Texas’s Permian Basin Midland Basin oil county – the petroleum production that has sustained the county’s economy for a century and the flat Chihuahuan Desert landscape define a remote community where Rankin serves the county’s energy industry workers and ranching families.
Rankin (the county seat, population ~700) is Upton County’s governmental hub on US 67, a small West Texas Permian Basin community whose oil heritage, desert setting, and ranching economy anchor its identity.
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Upton County Appraisal District at 205 E. 10th Street, Rankin, TX 79778, phone 432-693-2810. TX appraised at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Upton County District Court at 205 E. 10th Street, Rankin, TX 79778, phone 432-693-2861, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
205 East 2nd St, Rankin, TX 79778
(432) 693-2861
DISTRICT CLERK
205 East 2nd St, Rankin, TX 79778
(432) 693-2861
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Upton County District and County Clerk’s Office, Rankin (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Upton 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, Upton County PO Box 465, Rankin, TX 79778 (432) 693-2861
Upton County was created in 1887, organized in 1910, on the Edwards Plateau in West Texas, seated in Rankin (largest city McCamey). Upton 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 Upton, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Upton 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 Upton 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 Upton 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
205 East 2nd St, Rankin, TX 79778
(432) 693-2333
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
205 East 2nd St, Rankin, TX 79778
(432) 693-2861
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
205 East 2nd St, Rankin, TX 79778
(432) 693-2861
HHSC Office
205 East 2nd St, Rankin, TX 79778
(432) 693-2861
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Upton County Health services, delivered via regional West Texas partnership – confirm current contact via co.upton.tx.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Rankin
Population: 3,300
Public Records
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Search public records for Upton County County residents.
