County attorneys are elected by the people to fulfill two main purposes: prosecute people who commit any state public offense and county criminal offense within their county, and act as civil legal representation and offer legal advice on behalf of the county and its officials. But this isn't all they do.

A county commission or county council is the governing body of a county. County commissions exercise both legislative and executive powers, while county councils exercise only legislative powers, with executive powers being delegated to the county executive or mayor. One of the most import jobs county commissioners and councilmembers do is discuss and vote on issues in their county. County commissions and councils must consist of an odd number of members.

Recorders provide a process by which people can go to an office to find documents related to the ownership of properties located throughout the county. They accept, record, organize, and preserve documents relating to ownership of real property. They also help in the property tax system by giving the county assessor ownership records.

County sheriffs enforce criminal laws throughout their counties and serves various kinds of civil process. They also attend the courts and serve as bailiff. They are responsible for keeping and managing county jails.

County clerks have three main duties listed in state law: first, they serve as the clerk to the county commission or council, which includes keeping records of the commission/council's activities in meetings; second, in some counties the clerk serves as the clerk to the district court, which means they keep court records, administer oaths, etc.; and third, they act as the elections officer for their counties. This includes preparing voting equipment (like ballot boxes and ballot forms) and supplying the official report of election results.

County auditors provide internal accounting services for their county. They maintain and examine the county's financial records and accounts and prepare the county budget each year. They also assist the state in tax duties, including calculating the property taxes owed in their county based on the information provided by the county assessor.

A county assessor's responsibility is to assess fair market value of all property in their county in order for the county to calculate property tax. The county assessor works closely with the State Tax Commission and may even help collect taxes if directed by their county commissioners. A county assessor might use aerial photography to get a better idea of what a property is worth.

The county surveyor determines property boundaries and keeps accurate records of those boundaries. By law, county surveyors must be a licensed professional land surveyor. The surveyor also keeps county maps and provides them to other county employees as needed.

A county treasurer's duty is to receive, deposit, and invest all monies coming in to the county, as well as disperse county funds. They also keep records of funds both coming in and going out. The treasurer also generally collects property taxes (though sometimes the county assessor performs that duty). They send out tax notices, make collections, and provide receipts. Treasurers invest county money in order to help counties provide more resources without charging more money to taxpayers.