Marriage License

A Hardin County marriage license: both of you, in person, before 4:30

The marriage license desk in Hardin County is the County Clerk's office, Suite B-110 on the first floor of the courthouse at 300 W. Monroe in Kountze. Both of you need to come in together with valid photo ID, and you fill out the application there. This isn't an online errand or something one partner can knock out alone.

Watch the clock: licenses go out from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm, and if you roll in after 4:30 you're coming back the next day. The standard fee is $81. But finish the state's Twogether in Texas premarital education course, a free, eight-hour class on marriage skills, and the fee drops to $21. Bring the completion certificate and the clerk knocks $60 off on the spot.

One more thing to keep in mind: Texas has a 72-hour waiting period between getting the license and the ceremony for most couples, so don't leave it to the morning of the wedding.

Source to confirm: Hardin County - County Clerk

More Hardin County notes

Property Tax

Hardin County has two separate property tax offices

One office sets your property value and another collects the tax. They are not the same office, and you deal with each one for different things.

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Homestead Exemption

A homestead exemption can lower your property tax bill

If your Hardin County home is your main residence, you can apply for a homestead exemption that reduces the taxable value.

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National Preserve

Big Thicket National Preserve is free to enter and spans 113,000 acres

Big Thicket National Preserve covers more than 113,000 acres across seven Southeast Texas counties and is free to visit, with over 30 miles of trails.

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Hunting

Hunting in Big Thicket requires a free preserve permit plus a Texas license

You can hunt white-tailed deer, feral hogs, squirrels, and waterfowl inside Big Thicket National Preserve, but you need both a Texas hunting license and a free NPS permit.

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