Kaufman County

Kaufman County Offices

Kaufman County Town List

Kaufman county is in the northeastern part of Texas. The county seat is in Kaufman.  

Its largest city is Forney, with an approximate area of 38.4 km² and other cities include Kaufman, Kaufman, Terrell, Kemp, Rosser, Scurry, Crandall, Elmo, Talty, Oak Ridge, Oak Grove, Cottonwood, Grays Prairie, and Post Oak Bend City.  

History   

William P. King was the first settler at Kaufman County and among the forty explorers from Holly Springs and Mississippi. The pioneers bought headright certificates from the Republic of Texas.  

Kaufman County was part of Henderson County until its establishment in February 1848. The county was named after a diplomat & member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas known as David Spangler Kaufman. 

In March 1851, settlers later renamed King Forts as Kaufman following four elections making it the county seat. In 1873 during the establishment of Rockwall County, settlers reduced the northern boundary of Kaufman’s County. However, its limits have remained unchanged since then.   

There was Congressional Reconstruction after the end of the Civil War. However, freedom did not bring better educational opportunities for the Black or African American population. The population of Kaufman County nearly tripled from 15,448 in 1880 to 40,905 in 1930.  

The African American population also rose from 13% to 29% during the fifty years. During the same period, the number of farms experienced an all-time rise from 1,594 to 5,131. 

Geography 

Kaufman County has a total area of 788 square miles (Blackland Prairie region). It is 32°35′ on the northern latitude and 96°18′ on the western latitude.  

The undulating terrain consists mainly of prairies elevating from 300 to 500 feet above sea level. There are two large rivers throughout the county: the East Fork Trinity and the Sabine. 

The following counties border Kaufman County: 

1. Hunt County borders it to the northern side 
2. Van Zandt to the east 
3. Henderson to the south 
4. Dallas to the west 
5. Ellis to the southwest 
6. Rockwall to the northwest 

Kaufman County Demographics  

According to the 2019 Census, approximately 136,154 people are living within the county’s borders. The ethnic makeup of people living within the county’s boundaries was, about 81.3% identify themselves as white, 13.9% black or African American, 59.8% white but not Hispanic and Latinos, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 2.2% of more than two races. 

About 27.9% of the households have children under the age of 18 years old. Approximately 7.2% of the population consists of children under five years of age.  

Roughly 11.8% of persons are 65 years and above. About 82.9% of the population aged 5+ years speaks English at home. Meaning 17.1% of the population speaks another language at home apart from English. Six thousand nine hundred seven (6,907) veterans were residing in the county between 2015 – 2019.   

Kaufman County Offices  

Several Kaufman County Offices serve different purposes. You can locate these offices throughout the county.  

The Kaufman county government is responsible for providing public services such as law enforcement, emergency management, registering voters, road maintenance, conducting elections, issuing vehicle registrations, solid waste disposal, libraries, collecting property taxes, and maintaining public records, fire protection, zoning, economic development, etc.  

Here are some of the county offices: 

County Judge: Hal Richards is the county judge who has served Kaufman County as the county’s judicial branch head since January 1st, 2019. He oversees the meeting agendas, court calendars, and all legal matters about the county.  

Hal Richards also handles civil issues, including small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, family law, juvenile delinquency, traffic violations, etc. His office is at 100 W. Mulberry Kaufman, TX 75142. You can contact him via phone at 469-376-4139.   

Sheriff: Bryan Beavers is the sheriff of Kaufman county. He oversees law enforcement activities in the county and provides security for the residents. His office is at 1900 E. US Hwy. 175 / PO Drawer 849 Kaufman, TX 75142. Contact him by calling 972-932-4337.  

Commissioners Court: This is a body made up of commissioners who oversee the operations of the county. The Commissioners Court has 4 Precinct Commissioners, namely: 

• Precinct 1 Commissioner: Mike Hunt, his office is at 3001 S. Washington St. Kaufman, Texas 75142. You can contact him at 469-376-4156. 
• Precinct 2 Commissioner: Skeet Phillips, his office is at 200 E. Main Forney, TX 75126. You can contact him at 469-376-4600. 
• Precinct 3 Commissioner: Terry Barber, his office is at 601 E Nash Terrell, TX 75160. You can contact him via phone at 972-563-5362. 
• Precinct 4 Commissioner: Ken Cate’s office is at 103 N. Main Street Kemp, TX 75143. You can contact him via phone at 469-376-4620 or send mail at [email protected].  

County Clerk: Laura Hughes is the clerk of Kaufman county. Her office is at 100 W Mulberry St. Kaufman, TX 7514. You can contact her office at (469) 376-4740. 

District Attorney: Erleigh Norville Wiley is the district attorney of Kaufman county. She handles criminal cases involving state laws and misdemeanor offenses.   

Her office is on the second floor of Courthouse 100 W Mulberry St. Kaufman, TX 7514. Call her office at (469) 376-4760.  

District Clerk: Rhonda Hughey is the district clerk. The Kaufman County District Clerk’s Office is at 100 W. Mulberry St. Kaufman, TX 75142. The District Clerk’s main telephone number is 972-932-0279, or send a fax at 972-932-1337. 

County Tax Assessor-Collector: Brenda Samples (R) is the Kaufman County Tax Assessor-Collector. Her office is at 100 N. Washington St. P.O. Box 339 

Kaufman, TX 75142. You can reach her via tax office phone at (469) 376-4596.  

Kaufman County Economy   

Since 1840, Kaufman county has relied on agriculture and ranching for economic growth. Agriculture has been the primary source of income for the county throughout the years. There are still some farmers who practice crop farming today despite the proximity to the Dallas metropolitan area.  

Agriculture remains one of the most important economic activities in the county. It provides jobs for many residents, and many families depend on their farmland for survival.  

Other than that, there have been several oil & gas activities operating in Kaufman County. These companies provide jobs for residents.   

Settlers discovered oil wells in the early 1900s. This led to the rapid development and employment of workers in the industry.