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Texas County
Zapata County, Texas
Falcon Lake and Rio Grande bass fishing - from Falcon Lake (the massive international reservoir on the Rio Grande shared between the United States and Mexico is one of the world's premier bass fishing destinations, with Falcon Lake's warm waters and abundant structure producing trophy largemouth and striped bass that draw anglers from around the globe to Zapata County) to the county's bicultural Rio Grande border character (Zapata County's predominantly Hispanic community maintains deep cultural and family ties across the US-Mexico border, with Spanish as the primary language of daily life and a cultural identity shaped by centuries of ranching traditions on both sides of the Rio Grande).
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Office: Zapata County – Zapata County Courthouse, 200 7th Ave, Zapata, TX 78076 | (956) 765-9920
Fire/EMS: Zapata County Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services – 1207 Kennedy Street, Zapata, TX 78076 | (956) 765-9942 | Fax: (956) 765-8922; responds to fires, medical emergencies, motor vehicle accidents, rescue calls, and hazardous materials incidents, with additional stations in Zapata and Lopeño.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-83 and SH-16 meet at Zapata, the county seat, on the Rio Grande south of Laredo
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Zapata County, on US-83 in the Rio Grande Plain region, is named for local rancher Antonio Zapata. It covers 999 square miles bordered by Webb County (north), Jim Hogg and Starr counties (east), and Mexico (west), with elevations from 200-700 feet.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Zapata Building/Permits – confirm current contact via co.zapata.tx.us; for unincorporated Zapata County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Zapata has a genuinely unusual and dramatic local history: the original townsite now lies entirely submerged beneath Falcon Reservoir, created in the mid-20th century for flood control along the Rio Grande. Over 600 families were relocated and nearly all the original buildings demolished when the dam was built (impoundment began August 25, 1953, dedicated by Presidents Eisenhower and Adolfo Ruiz Cortines of Mexico that October) – a real, significant local upheaval whose displaced community rebuilt “new” Zapata near the current shoreline.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Zapata County Veteran Services Officer Manuel Uribe – 200 E. 7th Avenue, Ste. 241, Zapata, TX 78076 | (956) 324-1716 | Fax: (956) 765-9909 | Mailing: PO Box 367, San Ygnacio, TX 78067 | Hours: Thursdays and Fridays, 8 AM-12 PM
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Olga V. Figueroa Zapata County Public Library – confirm current address/phone via co.zapata.tx.us; offers a Children’s Section with fiction, non-fiction, biography, and Spanish-language materials, plus technology literacy programs for the community.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Falcon International Reservoir (Falcon Lake), an 83,654-acre reservoir on the Rio Grande shared between the U.S. and Mexico and jointly operated by the International Boundary and Water Commission, is genuinely one of Texas’s premier bass fishing destinations. Falcon State Park offers camping and lake access. The Zapata County Museum of History, opened in 2011 near the new town center, houses the salvaged photographs and historical artifacts from the original, now-submerged townsite – a real, moving preservation effort. The San Ygnacio Historic District preserves genuine Spanish/Mexican colonial-era ranching architecture. An annual Fajita Cookoff is held each November in Zapata.
Notes: The submerged-original-town story and the binational reservoir are genuinely distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Zapata County Appraisal District – Chief Appraiser Roberto Montes, Jr. | 200 E. 7th Ave, Ste. 240, Zapata, TX 78076 | (956) 765-9988 | Fax: (956) 765-9991 | zapatacad.com
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Zapata County Animal Shelter – 605 US-83 (also listed as 2505 US Highway 83), Zapata, TX 78076 | Lost pet checks: (956) 765-6201; adoptions during regular business hours only, animal control response available 7 days a week; owned-animal surrenders require an appointment plus proof of identification and residency.
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 Zapata.
NOTES: Zapata County is the first of the two final counties needed to complete all of Texas (Zapata, Zavala). The genuine story of the original town submerged beneath Falcon Reservoir and its binational lake heritage 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 Zapata County
Zapata County is South Texas’s Falcon Lake bass fishing and Rio Grande border county – the world-class fishery on the international reservoir draws anglers from around the globe while the county’s bicultural community and ranching heritage reflect the deep South Texas border culture of the middle Rio Grande valley.
Zapata (the county seat, population ~5,000) is Zapata County’s governmental and commercial hub, a Rio Grande border town whose fishing tournament economy and cultural identity are defined by its position along Falcon Lake and the international border.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Zapata County Appraisal District at 207 US Hwy 83, Zapata, TX 78076, phone 956-765-9988.
Courts & Legal
Zapata County District Court at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, phone 956-765-9915, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
200 East 7th Ave, Zapata, TX 78076
(956) 765-9930
DISTRICT CLERK
200 East 7th Ave, Zapata, TX 78076
(956) 765-9930
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Zapata County Clerk’s Office, Zapata (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Zapata 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, Zapata County 200 East 7th Avenue, Suite 138, Zapata, TX 78076 (956) 765-9915 Zapata County is in South Texas on the Rio Grande, seated in Zapata.
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 Zapata, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Zapata 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 Zapata 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 Zapata 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
200 East 7th Ave, Zapata, TX 78076
(956) 765-9928
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
200 East 7th Ave, Zapata, TX 78076
(956) 765-9930
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
200 East 7th Ave, Zapata, TX 78076
(956) 765-9930
HHSC Office
200 East 7th Ave, Zapata, TX 78076
(956) 765-9930
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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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Zapata
Population: 14,500
Established: 1858
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Zapata County residents.
