The Historic Courthouse is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays, except for holidays. You may contact the following offices at these numbers:
HEALTH DEPT. - Call 417-466-2201 or visit web site.
COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE - Call 417-466-2638 or visit web site.
COLLECTOR'S OFFICE - Call 417-466-2410. Receipts and statements are available on the web site, www.lawrencecountycollector.com You can now pay by phone: 1-800-652-0405
RECORDER'S OFFICE - 417-466-2670 or visit web site.
ASSESSOR'S OFFICE - Call 417-466-2831, fax 417-466-3931 or e-mail lcmoassessor@sofnet.com. You can now file assessment lists online: www.lawrencecountymoassessor.com
COUNTY COMMISSION - Call or leave message at 417-466-3666.
MT. VERNON LICENSE OFFICE - Call 417-466-4087.
UNIVERSITY EXTENSION OFFICE - Call 417-466-3102.
TREASURER'S OFFICE - Call 417-466-2662.
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE - Call 417-466-2846.
Election
Aug. 4, 2026
Calendar
Aug. 4
Primary Election
County news
Collector's office hiring seasonal help
Lawrence County Collector's Office will be hiring part-time seasonal help. Must be a high school graduate. Apply in person at the Historic Courthouse.
Late personal property assessments accepted - but penalty
If you were a resident of, a property owner in, or operated a business in Lawrence County, Mo., as of Jan. 1, you should should ahve filled out a personal property assessment list and returned it to the Lawrence County Assessor's Office in the Historic Courthouse by March 1. Failure to return your assessment list by that date will result in a penalty.
For assistance, call 417-466-2831 or visit the assessor's office in the lower floor of the Historic Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, Mt. Vernon. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Center Creek bridge on Lawrence 1030 closed
(Lawrence County Commission, April 21, 2025) A Lawrence County bridge over Center Creek on Lawrence 1030 has been closed and won’t reopen until repairs - or replacement - can be completed.
Western County Commissioner Chris Prater said the action followed a state inspection in which the bridge, #3980005, was issued a Critical Inspection Finding due to severe undermining of the abutments and other concerns.
“In the interest of public safety, the bridge should be closed as soon as possible,” the notice from MoDOT said.
Prater said signs closing the bridge were posted April 21, and barricades would be in place this week.
The Lawrence County Commission visited the site Monday to see the condition firsthand. Weekend flooding appeared to have exacerbated the situation, Prater said.
The bridge is located in the western part of the county in Common II Road District.
County adopts updated health ordinances
(Nov. 27, 2024) Lawrence County Commission has adopted updated health ordinances. pertaining to wastewater treatment systems and food establishments.
Sign up for free property fraud notifications
Concerned about title theft? Lawrence County Recorder of Deeds Denise Massie invites people to sign up for a free notification if a deed is recorded in your name. Click here and follow the prompts.
A recent "On Your Side" episode featured another way people are trying to make money off services that are already provided in the local recorder's office.
Notice of Use Tax
(Lawrence County Clerk Tammy Riebe, Sept. 20, 2021) Lawrence County, Missouri previously adopted a use tax, which is currently in effect. A use tax is the equivalent of a sales tax on purchases made from out-of-state vendors by in-state buyers and on certain taxable business transactions. The use tax rate for Lawrence County is currently 2.125 percent which is equal to the total local sales tax rate. Certain purchases from out-of-state vendors will become subject to an expansion of the use tax effective on January 1, 2023, as provided by state law.
If any local sales tax is repealed or the rate is reduced or raised by voter approval, the local use tax rate shall also be deemed to be repealed, reduced, or raised by the same action.
I, Tammy Riebe, County Clerk for Lawrence County, Missouri, do hereby certify that the foregoing is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, correct. Dated this 3rd day of September 2021.
Census Bureau puts county's population at 38,001
The U.S. Census Bureau puts Lawrence County's 2020 population at 38,001, slightly below the 2010 figure of 38,634. However, another indicator suggests more people are living in Lawrence County than did in 2010. There has been a 1.4 percent increase in individual and household personal property assessment lists returned to the county assessor in the same time period.
The Census Bureau ranks Lawrence County as 31st in population in Missouri's listing of 114 counties and the City of St. Louis.
Lawrence County experienced population drops in 1910, 1920, 1930, 1950 and 1960; but it recorded steady growth from 1960 through 2010.
THE CANNON IS BACK - After a decade-long absence, the replica Civil War cannon has been repaired and returned to the south lawn of the Historic Courthouse. The county's maintenance supervisor, Marion Chrysler, poses with the team that worked with her through the day June 19 to get it braced and back into place. Behind her, from left, are Caleb Chrysler, Jésus Ortiz and Kevin Funcannon. The City of Mt. Vernon also assisted with the project. The cannon was donated in 2001 by Barry and Marti Ruark in memory of Marti's mother and stepfather, Mary and Darrell Trogdon. Darrell Trogdon built the 3" ordnance rifle in the early 1970s and used it in reenactments at Wilson's Creek and other locations. It was dedicated at the courthouse in 2001 to honor all veterans. In 2016, it was removed for repairs. The wheels were rebuilt; but it remained in storage until Chrysler joined the courthouse and took the repair on as a project.