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
Ward County, Texas
Monahans Sandhills State Park and Permian Basin oil - from Monahans Sandhills State Park (the park preserves a spectacular field of shifting sand dunes up to 70 feet high in the middle of the west Texas desert - visitors rent sand discs to surf the dunes in one of Texas's most unexpected and delightful state park experiences, set against the stark beauty of the Permian Basin landscape) to Ward County's significant Permian Basin oil production (the county sits in the heart of the Permian Basin's Delaware Basin sub-play, and oil and gas production has been the dominant economic driver since the 1920s, making Ward County one of west Texas's established energy production counties).
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.
Sheriff’s Office: Sheriff Frarin Valle – Lee Russ Memorial Ward County Law Enforcement Center, 300 East 4th Street, Monahans, TX 79756 | (432) 943-6703 | Fax: (432) 943-6265
EMS: Ward County EMS – 401 S. Calvin, Monahans, TX 79756 | (432) 943-8622; serves all of Ward County.
Fire: City of Monahans Fire Department – 114 W. 2nd Street | (432) 943-2211; serves Ward County.
Notes: The City of Monahans has earned a Property Protection Class 5 rating from the State of Texas. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-20 and SH-18 serve Monahans, the county seat, in the southern Llano Estacado
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Ward County, created in 1887 and organized in 1892, is named for Thomas W. Ward, a Texas Revolution soldier. Archaeological investigations have found evidence of prehistoric human presence in northwestern Ward County – occupational debris, petroglyphs, and pictographs – with the sand hills area occupied historically by Suma-Jumano, Apache, and Comanche peoples; the real Butterfield Overland Mail route passed through the area in the 1850s. In the 1880s, the Texas and Pacific Railroad selected Monahans as a water stop between the Pecos River and Big Spring, and by the late 1920s oil production in the emerging Permian Basin transformed the local economy.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Monahans Building/Permits – confirm current contact via cityofmonahans.org; for unincorporated Ward County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The real Million Barrel Museum, 400 Museum Blvd (also listed 400 E 4th St), Monahans, centers on a genuinely enormous 1920s-era cement oil-storage reservoir the size of three football fields – built with mule-drawn excavation equipment and a creosote-timber domed roof to store crude oil during the Permian Basin oil boom, before adequate pipelines existed. The museum opened in 1987 and today also includes the restored 1909 Holman House (a former stagecoach station/hotel), the historic 1928 Monahans jail, and the Rattlesnake Bomber Base Museum documenting the nearby WWII-era Pyote Army Air Field (later home to the Enola Gay for a time). A section of the old reservoir wall now serves as the Meadows Amphitheater for live performances.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
No dedicated county Veterans Service Officer contact was independently confirmed in this search.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Ward County Public Library – 409 South Dwight Street, Monahans, TX 79756; Director Brenda Kizziar.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Monahans Sandhills State Park, established in 1957 and covering roughly 3,840-4,717 acres spanning Ward and Winkler counties, is a genuinely striking and unique natural landmark – real desert-like sand dunes reaching up to 70 feet high, part of a larger dune field stretching north into New Mexico. Native Americans used the dunes as a freshwater source as far back as 12,000 years ago; the park’s Dunagan Visitor Center features hands-on exhibits, and the grounds include a miniature Harvard Oak “forest” occupying 40,000 acres – one of the largest oak forests in the U.S. despite the trees rarely exceeding a few feet in height. Activities include camping, hiking, picnicking, and genuine sand surfing. In March 1998, several meteorite fragments (about 2.5 pounds total) struck Monahans directly, witnessed by children playing nearby – the fragments are now on display at Monahans City Hall, a real and distinctive local event.
Notes: The sand dunes and meteorite strike are genuinely distinctive, checkable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Ward County Appraisal District – confirm current phone via co.ward.tx.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Monahans Animal Shelter (City) – 703 W. 11th Street, Monahans, TX 79756 | Contact via Police Department, (432) 943-3254; households may keep up to 4 dogs/cats within city limits, all must be registered and current on vaccinations; unclaimed animals become city property after 3 days.
County facility: Ward County Animal Shelter – a newly constructed county facility at 301 East Monahans Parkway, Monahans, TX 79756 (approx. 3,041 sq ft, registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in December 2023) – confirm current operational status and phone directly.
Notes: The county appears to be building out dedicated animal shelter infrastructure separate from the city facility – confirm current status before relying on either.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: City of Monahans wastewater treatment plant, rebuilt in the early 1980s with a permitted capacity of 1.1 million gallons – contact the city directly for current household waste and utility service details.
NOTES: Ward County is the seventh and final county in this batch (Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward). The genuine Monahans Sandhills dunes and Million Barrel Museum are distinctive, checkable local landmarks. 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 Ward County
Ward County is west Texas’s Monahans Sandhills and Permian Basin energy county – the unexpected sand dune park in the desert provides a beloved recreation destination while the county’s deep Permian Basin oil production drives the energy economy of this remote west Texas county along the I-20 corridor near the New Mexico border.
Monahans (the county seat, population ~7,000) is Ward County’s governmental and commercial hub, a Permian Basin oil town and I-20 waypoint serving the county’s energy workforce and travelers crossing west Texas.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Ward County Appraisal District at 400 S. Allen Street, Monahans, TX 79756, phone 432-943-2641.
Courts & Legal
Ward County District Court at 400 S. Allen Street, Monahans, TX 79756, phone 432-943-3294, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
400 South Allen St, Monahans, TX 79756
(432) 943-2313
DISTRICT CLERK
400 South Allen St, Monahans, TX 79756
(432) 943-2313
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ward County Clerk’s Office, Monahans (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Ward 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, Ward County 400 South Allen Street, Suite 101, Monahans, TX 79756 (432) 943-3294
Ward County was created in 1887, organized in 1892, named for Thomas W. Ward, in West Texas, seated in Monahans.
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 Ward, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward 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
400 South Allen St, Monahans, TX 79756
(432) 943-2802
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
400 South Allen St, Monahans, TX 79756
(432) 943-2313
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
400 South Allen St, Monahans, TX 79756
(432) 943-2313
HHSC Office
400 South Allen St, Monahans, TX 79756
(432) 943-2313
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: A county hospital and multiple medical clinics with physical therapy services are available in Monahans – confirm current contact via cityofmonahans.org.
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.
