Loving County, Texas

6 local notes for Loving County — practical, plain-English, and pointed at the official source to confirm. West Texas / Permian / Trans-Pecos.

Money & Taxes

Property Tax

Who Handles Property Taxes in Loving County

Loving County has both an appraisal district and a tax assessor-collector, but the county tax office does not collect property taxes locally.

Home & Property

Mineral Rights

Mineral Rights and Surface Rights Can Be Separate

In Loving County, buying land does not always mean you own the oil and gas beneath it — the mineral estate may already belong to someone else.

Water Supply

Water Is Scarce and Saline in Loving County

Loving County gets about 10 inches of rain a year, and past irrigation projects failed because groundwater here is often too salty to use.

Cars & Driving

Roads & Services

Loving County Is Extremely Remote — Plan Accordingly

Loving County has almost no services — the only town is tiny Mentone — so anyone traveling through or moving here needs to plan for fuel, supplies, and emergencies well in advance.

Outdoors

Hunting & Wildlife

Hunting in Loving County: Mostly Private Land

Loving County sits in the Trans-Pecos region where mule deer and pronghorn live, but nearly all land is private — access requires landowner permission.

History & Culture

County History

Loving County Was Organized Twice — Oil Made It Stick

Loving County was first organized in 1893 under fraudulent circumstances and collapsed; it was reorganized in 1931 after oil was discovered, and its population has remained among the smallest of any county in the country.