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Texas County
Val Verde County, Texas
Lake Amistad and Seminole Canyon's ancient rock art - from Lake Amistad (the 65,000-acre international reservoir on the Rio Grande - the Amistad National Recreation Area shared by the United States and Mexico provides world-class bass fishing, scuba diving in crystal-clear water, and 850 miles of combined US-Mexico shoreline) to Seminole Canyon State Park (the canyon's rock art panels contain some of the oldest and most extensive pictographs in North America - the Pecos River style paintings, some dating to 4,000 BCE, include the White Shaman mural considered one of the most significant Native American rock art sites in the world).
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Office: Val Verde County Emergency Management Coordinator – confirm current phone via valverdecounty.texas.gov; County Annex, 315 E. Chapoy St, Del Rio, TX 78840
Fire/Rescue: Val Verde County Fire Rescue – provides fire, EMS, and search and rescue services countywide with mutual aid to neighboring communities.
City OEM: City of Del Rio Office of Emergency Management – confirm current phone via cityofdelrio.com.
Notes: The Texas Animal Health Commission’s Executive Director has issued an order restricting animal movement in Edwards, Sutton, and Val Verde counties due to New World Screwworm – confirm current status before moving livestock or pets in/out of the area. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-90 and US-277 serve Del Rio, the county seat, about 154 miles west of San Antonio
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Val Verde County was organized in 1885 from Crockett, Kinney, and Pecos counties. “Val Verde” means “green valley” in Spanish and commemorates the 1862 Battle of Val Verde in New Mexico Territory, where soldiers of Sibley’s Brigade captured several artillery pieces during the Confederate invasion of the territory. From 1869-1882, the Black Seminole Scouts, a paramilitary unit of 50 men under John Lapham Bullis, genuinely defended the Texas border west of Fort Clark against raids – real, documented frontier military history.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Val Verde County Health Department / Risk Management – building and sign permits required in the Amistad and land-use area only | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 AM–12 PM and 1 PM onward; also handles plat review, food-establishment permitting, and general health-code enforcement (weeds, junk vehicles, dilapidated structures) – note this county sits within 100 miles of an international border, so some services differ from typical Texas counties.
Notes: The community of San Felipe (later “San Felipe Del Rio,” now Del Rio) was settled in 1868 near San Felipe Springs. Del Rio Bank and Trust Company, organized in 1910, is a year older than the city government itself and has served Val Verde County for over a century.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Val Verde County Veteran Services – Officer Luis Maldonado | 508 E. 11th St, Del Rio, TX 78840 | (830) 774-7548 | Fax: (830) 774-7550
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Val Verde County Library – Del Rio, TX; confirm current address/phone via valverdecounty.texas.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Amistad National Recreation Area, established November 11, 1965 and managed by the National Park Service, covers 58,500 acres around Amistad Reservoir at the confluence of the Rio Grande, Devils River, and Pecos River – a real, major regional destination drawing over 900,000 visitors in 2022. Val Verde Winery, founded in 1883, is genuinely Texas’s oldest continuously operating winery, still family-run with tastings available. The Whitehead Memorial Museum documents local frontier and border history. Archaeological evidence shows people inhabited the rock shelters and caves of the Lower Pecos Canyon District near present-day Comstock as early as 6,000-10,000 years ago – some of the oldest documented human habitation sites in this project’s Texas coverage.
Notes: Genuine, extensively documented Rio Grande/border-region recreation and one of the oldest verified human habitation histories covered so far.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Val Verde County Appraisal District – confirm current phone via valverdecad.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Del Rio Animal Care & Control – 203 Avenue P, Del Rio, TX 78840 | (830) 774-8628 or 8629; call ahead before bringing an animal to surrender, as intake capacity is limited at times. Lost-pet checks and adoptable-pet listings available via 24PetConnect.
Independent nonprofit: Animal Advocacy & Rescue Coalition (AARC) – a foster-based rescue that also provides community outreach (bathing, tick removal, spay/neuter referrals) to Del Rio residents.
Notes: Confirm whether unincorporated Val Verde 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 Del Rio.
NOTES: Val Verde County is the second county in this batch (Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward). The real Amistad National Recreation Area, Val Verde Winery, and ancient Lower Pecos Canyon habitation sites are distinctive, checkable local facts; the active New World Screwworm animal-movement restriction is important current safety context. 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 Val Verde County
Val Verde County is southwest Texas’s Lake Amistad and ancient rock art county – the international reservoir and Seminole Canyon’s 6,000-year-old pictographs make this Rio Grande border county home to extraordinary natural and cultural heritage.
Del Rio (the county seat, population ~35,000) serves as the binational hub for the Del Rio-Ciudad Acuña metro area. Lake Amistad’s bass fishing draws anglers from across the country.
Seminole Canyon’s White Shaman mural – painted approximately 4,000 years ago – is one of the most significant Native American rock art sites in the world.
All Services
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Val Verde County Appraisal District at 401 N. Main Street, Del Rio, TX 78840, phone 830-774-7501. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Val Verde County District Clerk at 400 Pecan Street, Del Rio, TX 78840, phone 830-774-7538, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
400 Pecan St, Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 774-7500
DISTRICT CLERK
400 Pecan St, Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 774-7500
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Val Verde County Clerk’s Office, Del Rio (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Val Verde 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, Val Verde County 400 Pecan Street, 1st Floor, Del Rio, TX 78840 (830) 774-7564 Val Verde County is in Southwest Texas on the Rio Grande, seated in Del Rio.
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 Val Verde, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Val Verde 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 Val Verde 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 Val Verde 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
1204 Ackerly Blvd, Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 774-7550
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
400 Pecan St, Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 774-7500
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
802 Bedell Ave, Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 774-7590
HHSC Office
3110 Veterans Blvd, Del Rio, TX 78840
(830) 774-8501
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Val Verde Regional Medical Center – Emergency Department, 801 N. Bedell Ave, Del Rio, TX 78840 | (830) 703-1702 | Fax: (830) 778-3785
Resource: Val Verde Health Clinic – 1771-1779 N Bedell Ave, Del Rio, TX 78840 | (830) 775-7555
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Del Rio
Population: 49,000
Established: 1885
Tier: 3
Public Records
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