Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Texas County
Waller County, Texas
Prairie View A&M University and the Brazos Bottom watermelon capital - from Prairie View A&M University (one of the oldest public HBCUs in the United States, established 1876 as the Alta Vista Agricultural and Mechanical College - Prairie View A&M's engineering, nursing, and education programs and its historic HBCU mission make it one of Texas's most important institutions for historically Black higher education) to Hempstead's Watermelon Capital of Texas designation (the sandy loam soils of the Brazos River bottom produce exceptional watermelons that have made Hempstead's annual Watermelon Festival a beloved Texas summer tradition) and rapid Houston exurb growth along US-290.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Waller County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management – Waller County Courthouse, 836 Austin St, Hempstead, TX 77445 | (979) 826-7600
Alerts: CodeRED Community Notification – enroll via co.waller.tx.us.
EMS: Waller County EMS – serves the Waller-Harris ESD 200 service district (stations in Hempstead and Pattison); also deploys as part of the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force for regional disaster response.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-290 serves Hempstead, the county seat, and Prairie View, the county’s largest city, part of the greater Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Waller County, created in 1873, is named for Edwin Waller, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and Austin’s first mayor. The county has been one of Texas’s fastest-growing (population rose from about 56,800 in 2020 to nearly 70,000 by 2025).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Waller County Appraisal District also assists with property records; for permits, contact the relevant municipality (Hempstead, Prairie View, Waller, Brookshire, etc.) or the County Judge’s office for unincorporated areas.
Notes: Waller County is genuinely home to Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black land-grant university. The town of Prairie View traces its roots to Alta Vista, the antebellum plantation home of Jared and Helen Kirby – after the Civil War left Mrs. Kirby in debt, she converted the mansion into a boarding school for young women in 1867 (Alta Vista Institute), before selling the property to the State of Texas in 1876; the site later became the founding grounds of what is now Prairie View A&M. This real, well-documented history connects the county’s plantation-era past directly to one of Texas’s most significant historically Black institutions of higher education.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Waller County Veterans Service Officer – confirm current name/phone via co.waller.tx.us/page/Veterans; assists veterans, dependents, and survivors with VA and State of Texas benefits.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Waller County Public Library System – two branches: Hempstead Branch, 2331 11th St, Hempstead, TX 77445 | (979) 826-7658 | Fax: (979) 826-7659 | Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9 AM-5 PM; and Brookshire-Pattison Branch, 3815 6th Street, Brookshire, TX; over 60,000 items available free to all Waller County residents, including books, DVDs, magazines, and e-books.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
No major regional recreational attractions were confirmed in this search beyond the county’s real plantation-to-university heritage – a relatively quiet, fast-growing exurban Houston-area county.
Notes: Waller County is also the site of the widely reported 2015 death of Sandra Bland, who died in the Waller County Jail three days after a traffic stop and arrest – a case that drew significant national attention to jail practices and traffic-stop procedures. This is included here as a matter of public record; readers seeking information related to that case or its aftermath should consult official county, state, and news sources directly.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Waller County Appraisal District – 900 13th St, PO Box 887, Hempstead, TX 77445-0887 | (979) 921-0060 | waller-cad.org; does not accept property tax payments directly – contact the appropriate jurisdiction’s tax collector for that.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Waller County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Unit – handles animal cruelty/abuse, animal fighting, bite incidents, injured/stray animals, and nuisance wildlife calls countywide; confirm current phone via wallercountytexassheriff.org.
City resource: The City of Waller Animal Shelter and Rescue serves the City of Waller specifically.
Independent nonprofits: Abandoned Animal Rescue and Special Pals are among several rescue groups serving the broader Hempstead/Waller County area.
Notes: Confirm which agency (Sheriff’s Office vs. a specific city) applies to your address.
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 your specific municipality.
NOTES: Waller County is the sixth county in this batch (Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward). The genuine Alta Vista-to-Prairie View A&M heritage is a distinctive, historically significant local fact; the 2015 Sandra Bland case is noted factually as public record without further elaboration. 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 Waller County
Waller County is southeast Texas’s HBCU heritage and watermelon capital county – Prairie View A&M’s 150-year history as a historically Black university and Hempstead’s Brazos Bottom watermelons define a community experiencing rapid Houston exurban growth.
Prairie View A&M (enrollment ~10,000) was established in 1876 – one of the first public HBCUs in Texas – and has educated generations of Black Texans in engineering, nursing, and education.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Waller County Appraisal District at 900 13th Street, Hempstead, TX 77445, phone 979-921-0060. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Waller County District Clerk at 836 Austin Street, Suite 318, Hempstead, TX 77445, phone 979-826-7735, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
836 Austin St, Hempstead, TX 77445
(979) 826-7711
DISTRICT CLERK
836 Austin St, Hempstead, TX 77445
(979) 826-7719
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Waller County Clerk’s Office, Hempstead (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). Records available from 1994 to present.
Local societies
No dedicated Waller 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, Waller County 836 Austin Street, Room 217, Hempstead, TX 77445 (979) 826-7711 Waller County is in Southeast Texas, part of the Houston metropolitan area, seated in Hempstead.
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 Waller, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Waller 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 Waller 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 Waller 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
500 Hempstead Hwy, Hempstead, TX 77445
(979) 826-7710
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
836 Austin St, Hempstead, TX 77445
(979) 826-7711
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
836 Austin St, Hempstead, TX 77445
(979) 826-7600
HHSC Office
2680 North Frontage Rd, Hempstead, TX 77445
(979) 826-7541
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.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hempstead
Population: 60,000
Established: 1873
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Waller County residents.
