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Idaho · Upper Snake River Plain · #514
Madison County, Idaho
In the upper Snake River Plain at the foot of the Teton Range, Madison County's Rexburg is the most comprehensively LDS community in the lower 48 - and home to BYU-Idaho, whose 20,000 students have made Rexburg one of the fastest-growing small cities in America by the straightforward mechanism of adding more young people than almost anyone expected.
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Office: Madison County Sheriff’s Office – Rexburg, ID 83440 | (208) 359-6200 (confirm current number via co.madison.id.us). I.N. Corey served as the county’s first sheriff, appointed in 1913.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Madison County has a genuine, significant history of disaster response: on June 5, 1976, the Teton Dam – an earthen dam on the Teton River between Fremont and Madison Counties – catastrophically failed as it was being filled for the first time, releasing an estimated 80 billion gallons of water. Madison and Fremont County sheriffs and their deputies responded to warnings from dam operators and worked to evacuate residents largely by word-of-mouth, personally calling and driving to homes in the floodwaters’ path – an effort credited with preventing far greater loss of life. The disaster still claimed 11 lives and roughly 13,000-16,000 livestock, and displaced thousands of residents, primarily from Rexburg and Sugar City; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) provided emergency shelter and food in the aftermath. This history is referenced here factually and with appropriate care.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-20 serves Rexburg, the county seat and largest city, in Idaho’s Upper Snake River Valley.
Notes: Madison County was created from Fremont County by an Enabling Act of the Idaho Legislature on February 18, 1913, named for fourth U.S. President James Madison. Its creation was celebrated with a large community gathering in Rexburg attended by over 5,000 people, featuring a barbecue of two steers, six pigs, six lambs, and two thousand loaves of bread.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Madison County Courthouse – 134 E. Main Street, Rexburg, ID | (208) 589-9872.
Notes: Estate case files from 1914 to 1976 were lost in the Teton Dam flood; fortunately, the Probate Register of estates and claims survived and remains searchable at the courthouse today.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Madison County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via co.madison.id.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Rexburg Public Library (Rexburg) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Museum of Rexburg (which preserves Teton Dam flood history and hosts community remembrance events), the Teton Dam viewing site near Newdale, and Cartier Slough Wildlife Management Area are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, significant history of the 1976 Teton Dam disaster – and the local sheriffs’ credited role in the evacuation effort – is among the most historically important local facts covered in this project, presented with appropriate care given the loss of life involved.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Madison County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via co.madison.id.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via co.madison.id.us; Madison County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Madison County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via co.madison.id.us.
NOTES: Madison County is the thirty-third county completed in Idaho’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, significant history of the 1976 Teton Dam disaster is among the most historically important local facts covered in this project, presented with appropriate care. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Madison County
Madison County’s Rexburg is a genuinely unusual American city. Brigham Young University-Idaho, with approximately 20,000 students and a year-round three-semester enrollment schedule, dominates the city in a way that even comprehensive universities rarely achieve in small cities – BYU-I students outnumber permanent residents in many Rexburg neighborhoods during the school year, and the entire city’s economy, retail landscape, and social character are oriented around the university’s LDS community culture. The university does not charge as high tuition as comparable private institutions, operates on a shared-cost model with the LDS church, and draws students from across the country and internationally.
The Teton Dam collapse in 1976 – which killed 11 people, destroyed 4,000 homes, and caused $2 billion in damage – is Rexburg’s most significant historical event and shaped the community’s relationship with flood risk and federal infrastructure for a generation. The reconstructed Rexburg tabernacle, destroyed in the flood and rebuilt, is a landmark of the community’s rebuilding. Madison County’s agricultural hinterland is potato and grain farming on the Snake River Plain, similar to surrounding counties. The Teton Range is visible from the county, and outdoor recreation access through Targhee National Forest draws visitors.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Idaho assesses property at 100% of market value; the homestead exemption reduces an owner-occupied primary residence’s taxable value by 50% (up to $125,000). Property owners may appeal to the County Board of Equalization. Idaho has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Eastern Idaho Area Agency on Aging (SEICAA)
150 Shoup Avenue, Suite 15, Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Phone: (208) 525-7930
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, and long-term care counseling for Madison County residents.
Senior Services
Eastern Idaho Area Agency on Aging (SEICAA)
150 Shoup Avenue, Suite 15, Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Phone: (208) 525-7930
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, and long-term care counseling for Madison County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK / ADMINISTRATOR
134 E. Main St., Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 359-6200
CLERK OF COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
134 E. Main St., Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 359-6200
ELECTIONS / CLERK
134 E. Main St., Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 359-6200
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Madison County Magistrate Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Idaho, Madison County Records (1894-1963) – marriage, probate, and land/property records held at the Madison County offices in Rexburg, accessible via FamilySearch.
Local societies
No dedicated Madison County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Madison County Magistrate Court 134 East Main Street, P.O. Box 389, Rexburg, ID 83440
Madison County was established February 18, 1913, named for James Madison. Rexburg is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, and the 1920 Beaux Arts-style Madison County Courthouse (National Register of Historic Places) was designed by architect C.A. Sundberg.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Idaho has adopted the Uniform Probate Code (Idaho Code Title 15). Idaho is also a community property state. Idaho recognizes four main paths:
Small Estate Affidavit – a non-court process for estates with a total value of $100,000 or less (excluding liens and encumbrances) and no real property. Available 30 days after death. No court filing required (Idaho Code § 15-3-1201).
Summary Administration – available when the value of all the decedent’s property is less than the homestead allowance, exempt property, and last-illness medical expenses combined, or when a surviving spouse is sole beneficiary (Idaho Code §§ 15-3-1203, 15-3-1205).
Informal Probate – the most common track for uncontested estates, handled through the court registrar.
Formal Probate – court-supervised proceedings required when disputes arise or the will is contested.
Step 2: filing
For informal probate with a will, file an Application for Informal Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative with the Magistrate Division.
For formal probate, file a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative (or the equivalent for intestate estates).
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be reasonable given the services rendered and complexity.
If formal or informal probate is needed
Determine whether small estate affidavit, summary administration, or full probate applies.
File the appropriate application or petition with the Madison County Magistrate Court.
Under informal proceedings, the registrar reviews the application without a hearing. Under formal proceedings, a judge holds a hearing.
The personal representative accepts the appointment and may need to post a bond.
Once appointed, the court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Obtain several certified copies.
Publish notice to creditors as required.
Mail notice to all heirs, beneficiaries, and interested parties.
Marshal assets, obtain an EIN, open an estate account, pay valid debts and expenses, and prepare any required inventory.
Distribute remaining assets per the will or Idaho’s intestacy statutes, then close the estate.
What it costs
Idaho does not impose its own state estate or inheritance tax.
Idaho does not have a statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives.
Court filing fees and publication costs are separate – confirm current amounts with the Madison County Magistrate Court.
Probate in Idaho typically takes 6-12 months for uncontested estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
134 E. Main St., Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 359-3013
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / CLERK
134 E. Main St., Rexburg, ID 83440
(208) 359-6200
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Idaho Dept of Health & Welfare — East
(208) 528-5700
Idaho Medicaid
(800) 926-2588
Madison Memorial Hospital
madisonmemorial.org (Rexburg)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Eastern Idaho Public Health (serving Madison County) – confirm current contact via eiph.idaho.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Rexburg
Population: 42,000
Area: 472 sq mi
Established: 1913
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Madison County facilities via Amazon.
