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.
Wyoming · Yellowstone Country · #526
Park County Government Offices
At the east gate of Yellowstone National Park, Park County's Cody carries the name and legacy of Buffalo Bill in one hand and the most spectacular approach drive to any national park in America in the other - a small Wyoming county that has built a durable Western heritage and outdoor economy on both.
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: Park County Homeland Security and Emergency Management – 1131 11th Street, Cody, WY 82414 | (307) 527-1860 | Toll-Free: 800-786-2844 ext. 1860 | Fax: (307) 587-4064 | Coordinator: Jeff Martin | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM
Services: Maintains the Park County Emergency Operations Plan, reviewed/updated every two years; participates in the Wyoming Region 6 Hazard Mitigation Plan alongside Big Horn, Hot Springs, and Washakie Counties (2022-2027)
Notes: Park County Fire District #2 covers a 3,200-square-mile district around Cody, one of the largest volunteer fire districts in the United States. Park County Sheriff’s Office maintains dual dispatch centers: Cody (307) 527-8700 and Powell (307) 754-8700.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-14/16/20 serve Cody, the county seat, 52 miles from Yellowstone National Park’s east entrance; Yellowstone Regional Airport provides commercial air service
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Park County Planning and Zoning Department – 1002 Sheridan Ave., Suite 109, Cody, WY 82414 | Cody: (307) 527-8540 | Powell: (307) 754-8540 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM
Services: Zoning/Building permits, floodplain development permits (go before the Board of County Commissioners at public hearing), special use permits, and subdivision review; unincorporated Park County has not adopted independent building codes – new submissions must comply with the state-adopted 2024 International Codes (Fire, Building, Fuel & Gas, Mechanical, Existing Building) and 2023 National Electrical Code
Notes: City of Cody maintains its own SEPARATE Building Division – confirm whether your property falls under city or county jurisdiction.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Park County Veterans Service Office – Cody, WY
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Park County Library System – main branch in Cody
Main Branch: Park County Library – 1500 Heart Mountain St, Cody, WY 82414 | (307) 527-1880 | Fax: (307) 527-1888
Services: Offers an extensive collection of books and materials for research, education, and leisure for all ages
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Park County is genuinely home to the majority of YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – the world’s FIRST NATIONAL PARK, established in 1872 – as well as Shoshone National Forest, AMERICA’S FIRST NATIONAL FOREST, established in 1891; the county seat, Cody, was genuinely founded in 1896 by Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who first passed through the region in 1882 and purchased the Carter ranch in 1894, convincing the Burlington Railroad to extend a line to his new town; Cody personally owned the Hotel Irma downtown, named for his daughter; the BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST, a genuine Smithsonian Affiliate, houses FIVE world-class museums under one roof – the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, and Cody Firearms Museum – plus the McCracken Research Library, featuring artifacts from Buffalo Bill himself alongside possessions of Sitting Bull, Pawnee Bill, and Annie Oakley; the Buffalo Bill Dam, completed in 1910, was genuinely the HIGHEST DAM IN THE WORLD at 325 feet upon completion, built partly on land Cody himself sold to the federal government; the town hosts rodeos from mid-June through August including the three-day Cody Stampede; Old Trail Town preserves 25 authentic historic frontier buildings; the county also contains the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, a Smithsonian-affiliated National Historic Site documenting the WWII confinement of Japanese Americans; Cody is proud gateway to Yellowstone, sitting adjacent to what Theodore Roosevelt called “the most scenic 50 miles in the world”
Notes: Park County’s genuine status as home to most of Yellowstone – the world’s first national park – combined with its real founding by the legendary Buffalo Bill Cody, makes it an extraordinarily rich and well-documented piece of American frontier and conservation history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Park County GIS – accessible via parkcounty-wy.gov
Parcel Search: Park County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Park County Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Park County Animal Shelter (PCAS, formerly Humane Society of Park County) – 3 Arrow Ave / 5537 Greybull Highway, Cody, WY 82414 | (307) 587-5110
Services: A registered Wyoming nonprofit since August 1990, operating a not-for-profit, NO-KILL shelter for the greater Cody and Park County areas since 1996; before PCAS’s founding, more than 100 animals were euthanized annually in Cody – after just one year of operation, that number dropped to fewer than seven; serves law enforcement and community needs, receiving animals from Cody Police Department animal control, community service officers, and patrol officers; runs two annual low-cost spay/neuter clinics for low-income Park County residents (targeting both domestic pets and feral cat colonies, neutering roughly 200 animals per year)
Notes: Contact Park County or the City of Cody directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Park County is genuinely home to most of Yellowstone National Park – the world’s first national park – and its county seat, Cody, was founded by and named for the legendary Buffalo Bill himself. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Park County
Park County’s Cody was founded in 1896 by William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody – scout, showman, and the most famous American of his era – who envisioned it as a gateway to Yellowstone and invested in irrigating the Shoshone River basin to support ranching. His vision was accurate: the Cody Road (U.S. Highway 14/16/20) is widely considered the most scenic approach to Yellowstone, climbing through the Shoshone Canyon past Buffalo Bill Reservoir and dam before entering the park. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody – five museums under one roof covering Western art, natural history, firearms, the Plains Indians, and Buffalo Bill himself – is one of the finest Western heritage museums in the country.
The county’s economy combines tourism (Yellowstone proximity drives strong seasonal visitation), ranching, and the oil and gas production from the Bighorn Basin that underlies the county’s eastern portions. Cody’s Nightly Rodeo runs every summer night from June through August – not as a recreation of rodeo but as an actual competitive event – and has operated continuously since 1938. Heart Mountain, north of Cody, was the site of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, one of the World War II Japanese American internment camps; the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation now operates an interpretive center that is among the most honest and well-executed presentations of the internment experience in the country.
Heritage | Cody anchors Park County, founded by legendary showman William “Buffalo Bill” Cody and serving as the eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park, home to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, one of the most significant Western heritage museum complexes in the country, giving this northwest Wyoming county extraordinary Old West and gateway-tourism significance Outdoors | Yellowstone National Park’s eastern entrance offers extraordinary access to the world’s first national park, while the Shoshone National Forest and Absaroka Mountains provide extensive additional hiking, fishing, and wildlife viewing throughout this world-renowned gateway county Notable | The Buffalo Bill Center of the West remains one of the most significant Western heritage museum complexes in the country, and Cody’s status as Yellowstone’s eastern gateway gives Park County extraordinary tourism significance Library | Park County Library serves the county’s Buffalo Bill-heritage seat city and surrounding Yellowstone-gateway communities
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wyoming assesses residential property at 9.5% of market value. Property owners may appeal to the County Board of Equalization (July 1 deadline). Wyoming has no income, estate, or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
Address: 1002 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414
Phone: (307) 527-8600
Services: District court records and filings
DISTRICT COURT
Address: 1002 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414
Phone: (307) 527-8600
Website: courts.state.wy.us/district-courts/park
Senior Services
Park County Senior Center
1402 Heart Mountain Street, Cody, WY 82414
Phone: (307) 587-6221
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Park County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
1002 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414
(307) 527-8600
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT
1002 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414
(307) 527-8600
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Park County Clerk of District Court, Cody (probate case files – see Probate section above); Park County Clerk’s Office (separate office) for recorded deeds, small-estate affidavits, and summary distribution decrees. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, in Cody, holds significant regional historical archives relevant to family history research.
Local societies
No dedicated Park 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
Park County Clerk of District Court 1002 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, WY 82414
Park County is in Northwest Wyoming, gateway to Yellowstone National Park’s east entrance, county seat Cody. Wyoming has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – it runs its own probate framework under Title 2 of the Wyoming Statutes (“the Wyoming Probate Code”). Probate is filed with the DISTRICT COURT for the county where the decedent lived, administered day-to-day by that county’s Clerk of District Court. Note that Wyoming counties have TWO separate elected clerk offices relevant here: the Clerk of District Court (handles probate case filings) and the County Clerk (a separate office that records deeds, small-estate affidavits, and summary distribution decrees).
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Wyoming Statutes Title 2 governs probate.
Small Estate Affidavit (Wyo. Stat. §2-1-201) – available when the decedent’s entire estate, including personal property (and, per a 2025 update, mineral interests), does not exceed $400,000 (increased from $200,000 effective July 1, 2025, via 2025 Enrolled Act 85/SF0104), less liens and encumbrances. This estate must consist ONLY of personal property (no real estate) for the pure affidavit-to-County-Clerk route. Available 30 days after death; skips court entirely – filed with the County Clerk, who issues a certified copy the claimant presents to banks or other asset holders.
Summary Distribution (Wyo. Stat. §2-1-205) – for small estates up to $400,000 that DO include real property. Requires filing an Application for Decree of Summary Distribution with the District Court (not just the County Clerk); requires 2 consecutive weeks of published notice; the court issues a decree that gets recorded with the County Clerk to clear title.
Full Probate Administration – required for estates exceeding $400,000 or otherwise not eligible for the small-estate or summary paths. File a Petition for Probate with the Park County District Court.
Step 2: filing for administration
File a Petition for Probate with the Park County District Court.
Notice must be published for 3 consecutive weeks (Wyo. Stat. §2-7-201).
Once a personal representative is appointed, creditors have 3 months from the date of first publication to file claims (Wyo. Stat. §2-7-703).
The personal representative pays valid debts and expenses, then distributes remaining assets to heirs/beneficiaries.
Close the estate with a final accounting to the District Court.
Wyoming courts are increasingly moving toward e-filing; check with the Clerk of District Court for current e-filing requirements for pro se (self-represented) filers.
Wyoming does NOT have a statutory percentage fee schedule for personal representatives or attorneys – unlike many states. Fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval (Wyo. Stat. §§2-7-803, 2-7-804).
A bond may be required (Wyo. Stat. §§2-3-102, 2-3-111) unless waived by the will or all beneficiaries.
Wyoming does NOT impose a state estate tax, inheritance tax, or state income tax – one of the most tax-friendly states in the country for estate administration. Only the federal estate tax may apply, with a $15,000,000 per-person exemption for 2026.
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
1131 13th St, Cody, WY 82414
(307) 527-8700
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(307) 527-8600
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health
Park County Public Health, 1002 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414
(307) 527-8570
DFS Office
Park County DFS Office, 1002 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414
(307) 527-8600
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Park County Public Health – Cody, WY
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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: Cody
Population: 30,500
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Park County facilities via Amazon.
