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Utah County
San Juan County, Utah
Monument Valley and Bears Ears - the most photographed landscape in America - from Monument Valley (the iconic sandstone buttes - the Mittens, Merrick Butte, and the West and East Mitten - rising from the red desert floor within the Navajo Nation in San Juan County have appeared in more Western films and advertisements than any landscape in the world - John Ford's Stagecoach and dozens of other Westerns made Monument Valley the defining image of the American West) to Bears Ears National Monument (the 1.36-million-acre monument protecting the Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites, cedar mesa canyon country, and sacred sites of five Native nations - the Navajo, Hopi, Ute Mountain Ute, Ute Indian Tribe, and Zuni - whose creation and subsequent political battles define the most contentious public lands dispute of the 21st century).
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Office: San Juan County Emergency Management – (435) 587-3225
Alert System: CodeRED (confirm)
FEMA Region: Region 8
Notes: The largest county by area accessible anywhere in Utah, situated in the state’s remote southeastern corner; flash flooding in canyon terrain and extreme summer heat; Monticello is the county seat; a significant portion of the county lies within the Navajo Nation, one of the largest Native American reservations accessible anywhere in the United States
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-191 and US-163, primary routes through remote desert and canyon terrain
Transit: No fixed-route transit; extremely rural and remote
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: San Juan County Building/Permit Office – (435) 587-3225
Services: Building permits for unincorporated areas
Notes: Monticello and Blanding each handle their own limited in-city permitting; significant tourism-related development near Monument Valley and Bears Ears drives local permitting activity
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: San Juan 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 north, though very distant)
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: San Juan County Library System, Monticello and Blanding branches
Services: Books; e-books; public computers; Wi-Fi
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, one of the most iconic and internationally recognized desert landscapes accessible anywhere in the American West, straddling the Utah-Arizona border and administered by the Navajo Nation; Bears Ears National Monument, one of the most archaeologically and culturally significant public lands accessible anywhere in the country, established to protect thousands of Native American cultural sites; Natural Bridges National Monument
Notes: San Juan County contains one of the most iconic landscapes accessible anywhere in American cinema and photography at Monument Valley, alongside Bears Ears National Monument, one of the most archaeologically significant protected areas accessible anywhere in the United States, established in significant part due to advocacy from a coalition of Native American tribes including the Navajo Nation
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: San Juan County GIS (confirm URL)
Parcel Search: San Juan County Assessor site
Addressing/911: San Juan County 911 Addressing – via County Commission
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: San Juan County Animal Control (confirm current arrangement)
Notes: Bears Ears National Monument land management, a subject of significant ongoing federal policy debate over monument boundaries, and Navajo Nation land and water rights coordination are significant local environmental and jurisdictional considerations
NOTES
San Juan County, the largest county by area accessible anywhere in Utah, contains one of the most iconic landscapes accessible anywhere in American popular culture at Monument Valley, alongside Bears Ears National Monument, one of the most archaeologically and culturally significant protected areas accessible anywhere in the country. The county’s significant Navajo Nation population and territory give it one of the most substantial and complex tribal land and governance relationships accessible anywhere in Utah county government.
About San Juan County
San Juan County contains Monument Valley and Bears Ears – the sandstone buttes that are the most photographed landscape in America and the most politically contested national monument of the modern era define a southeast Utah county of extraordinary natural and Indigenous cultural heritage, and the Navajo Nation occupies significant portions of the county.
Monticello (the county seat, population ~2,000) and Blanding (population ~3,600) serve the county’s Navajo, agricultural, and tourism communities at the Colorado Plateau’s canyon country heart.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
San Juan County Assessor at 117 S. Main Street, Monticello, UT 84535, phone 435-587-3221. UT primary residential 45% exemption applies.
Courts & Legal
San Juan County District Court at 117 S. Main Street, Monticello, UT 84535, phone 435-587-3222, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK/AUDITOR
117 South Main St, Monticello, UT 84535
(435) 587-3223
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Seventh District Court / San Juan County Clerk, Monticello (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Given the significant Navajo Nation presence in San Juan County, tribal genealogical and historical resources may supplement state records for many families here.
Local societies
No dedicated San Juan 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
Seventh District Court, San Juan County 297 South Main Street, PO Box 68, Monticello, UT 84535 (435) 587-2122
San Juan County is in Southeast Utah, seated in Monticello. Utah has NO separate probate court – probate is handled by the District Court. San Juan County is part of the Seventh Judicial District (Carbon, Emery, Grand, San Juan), seated in Price. San Juan County includes a significant portion of the Navajo Nation.
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.
Note: for estates involving trust or restricted land held in the Navajo Nation or other tribal jurisdiction, additional or separate federal/tribal probate processes may apply alongside Utah state probate.
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 Seventh 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 San Juan 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
297 South Main St, Monticello, UT 84535
(435) 587-2237
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
117 South Main St, Monticello, UT 84535
(435) 587-3223
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
735 South Main St, Monticello, UT 84535
(435) 587-2021
DWS Office
641 East Center St, Blanding, UT 84511
(435) 678-1400
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: San Juan County Health Department – (435) 678-1104
Services: Immunizations; WIC; environmental health; substantial Navajo Nation health coordination given the significant tribal population within the county
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Monticello
Population: 15,000
Established: 1880
Tier: 3
Public Records
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