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Utah County
Duchesne County, Utah
The High Uintas Wilderness and the Uintah and Ouray Reservation - from the High Uintas Wilderness (the 460,000-acre wilderness in the Uinta Mountains - the only major east-west trending mountain range in the contiguous United States - whose Kings Peak at 13,528 feet is the highest point in Utah, and whose glacier-carved basins, hundreds of alpine lakes, and roadless backcountry provide the most significant wilderness recreation in the Intermountain West east of the Sierra Nevada) and the Uintah and Ouray Reservation (the second-largest reservation by land area in the United States, home to the Ute Indian Tribe, whose oil and gas royalties from the productive Uinta Basin formations have transformed tribal economic capacity).
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Office: Duchesne County Emergency Management – (435) 738-1132
Alert System: CodeRED (confirm)
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: Northeastern Utah county in the Uinta Basin; significant oil and gas activity; winter storm and wildfire risk; Duchesne is the county seat, though Roosevelt is the largest city
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-40 and US-191, primary routes; heavy oilfield truck traffic tied to significant Uinta Basin drilling activity
Transit: No fixed-route transit; a rural county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Duchesne County Building/Permit Office – (435) 738-1122
Services: Building permits for unincorporated areas
Notes: Duchesne and Roosevelt each handle their own in-city permitting; oil and gas workforce housing has driven periodic permitting surges
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Duchesne County Veterans Service Office (shared/regional arrangement)
State VSO: Utah Office of Veterans and Military Affairs – veterans.utah.gov
VA Medical: George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City (accessible west)
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Duchesne County Library System, Duchesne and Roosevelt branches
Services: Books; e-books; public computers; Wi-Fi
Notes: The county lies within the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, one of the largest Native American reservations accessible anywhere in the United States, home to the Ute Indian Tribe
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Starvation State Park, a significant regional reservoir for fishing and boating; the Uinta Mountains, accessible to the north, one of the few major east-west trending mountain ranges accessible anywhere in the continental United States; significant Uinta Basin oil and gas well fields
Notes: Starvation State Park and access to the Uinta Mountains give Duchesne County significant outdoor recreation appeal alongside its substantial Uinta Basin oil and gas economy
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Duchesne County GIS (confirm URL)
Parcel Search: Duchesne County Assessor site
Addressing/911: Duchesne County 911 Addressing – via County Commission
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Duchesne County Animal Control (confirm current arrangement)
Notes: Uinta Basin winter ozone pollution, one of the more unusual and significant seasonal air-quality challenges accessible anywhere in the United States tied to oil and gas operations combined with winter temperature inversions and snow cover, is a significant regional environmental concern
NOTES
Duchesne County sits at the heart of the oil-and-gas-rich Uinta Basin, an economy layered atop the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, one of the largest Native American reservations accessible anywhere in the United States and home to the Ute Indian Tribe. The basin’s distinctive winter ozone pollution phenomenon, driven by the combination of oil and gas emissions, temperature inversions, and reflective snow cover, is one of the more unusual and closely studied air-quality challenges accessible anywhere in the country.
About Duchesne County
Duchesne County borders the High Uintas Wilderness – the only major east-west mountain range in the US, whose Kings Peak is Utah’s highest point at 13,528 feet, and the Uintah and Ouray Reservation – the second-largest by land area in the US – whose Ute Indian Tribe’s oil royalties have transformed economic capacity.
Duchesne (the county seat, population ~1,700) and Roosevelt (population ~7,000) serve the county’s tribal, energy, and outdoor recreation communities in the Uinta Basin.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Duchesne County Assessor at 734 N. Center Street, Duchesne, UT 84021, phone 435-738-1120. UT primary residential 45% exemption applies.
Courts & Legal
Duchesne County District Court at 734 N. Center Street, Duchesne, UT 84021, phone 435-738-1130, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK/AUDITOR
734 North Center St, Duchesne, UT 84021
(435) 738-1100
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Eighth District Court / Duchesne County Clerk, Duchesne (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Duchesne 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
Eighth District Court, Duchesne County 21554 West 9000 South, PO Box 990, Duchesne, UT 84021 (435) 738-2753
Duchesne County is in Northeast Utah’s Uinta Basin, seated in Duchesne. Utah has NO separate probate court – probate is handled by the District Court. Duchesne County is part of the Eighth Judicial District (Uintah, Duchesne, Daggett), seated in Vernal.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Utah has adopted the Uniform Probate Code (Title 75, Utah Uniform Probate Code) in full – one of about 16 states to do so. This makes Utah’s probate process comparatively streamlined.
Small Estate Affidavit (Utah Code § 75-3-1201) – available when the total estate value (minus liens and encumbrances) is $100,000 or less AND the estate includes NO real property. At least 30 days must have passed since death. This is a true affidavit process – it is NOT filed with the court. The successor fills it out, signs it before a notary, and presents it directly to whoever holds the property (a bank, brokerage, employer, etc.), which is then legally obligated to release the asset. A separate, similar affidavit can transfer title to up to four boats, motor vehicles, trailers, or semi-trailers directly through the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles.
Informal Probate – the most common track in Utah under the UPC. Minimal court involvement; a probate registrar (not a judge) reviews the application and appoints the personal representative administratively when there’s no dispute.
Unsupervised Formal Probate – involves a judge and a court hearing to resolve a specific question (such as confirming a will’s validity) but otherwise proceeds with the same independence as informal probate afterward.
Supervised Formal Administration – full ongoing court supervision, reserved for contested, complex, or high-conflict estates.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files an Application for Informal Probate and Appointment of Personal Representative with the Eighth District Court.
The original will (if one exists) and a certified death certificate are submitted with the application.
The court registrar reviews the application; if in order, Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one) are issued – often without a hearing.
The personal representative provides notice to creditors and known heirs, and inventories the estate’s assets.
The personal representative pays valid debts, expenses, and taxes from the estate.
Remaining assets are distributed to beneficiaries or heirs, and the estate is closed.
What it costs
District court filing fee: $375 statewide (confirm current fee for Duchesne County directly, as fees can be adjusted).
Utah has NO statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” based on time spent, complexity of the estate, and its value.
Small estate affidavit proceedings cost far less since no court filing is required at all – mainly notary and any professional assistance fees.
Utah does NOT impose a state estate tax or 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
20 South 100 East, Duchesne, UT 84021
(435) 738-2451
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
734 North Center St, Duchesne, UT 84021
(435) 738-1100
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
133 South 500 East, Duchesne, UT 84021
(435) 738-2764
DWS Office
100 East 200 South, Duchesne, UT 84021
(435) 738-1180
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: TriCounty Health Department (regional district serving Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah counties) – (435) 789-6863
Services: Immunizations; WIC; environmental health
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Duchesne
Population: 21,500
Established: 1915
Tier: 3
Public Records
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