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Indiana County
DeKalb County, Indiana
Auburn's Classic Car Capital and the Cord Automobile heritage - from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum (the Art Deco showroom in Auburn that once served as headquarters of the Auburn Automobile Company - which produced the legendary Cord and Duesenberg automobiles in the 1920s and 1930s - is now a National Historic Landmark housing one of the finest collections of classic American automobiles in the world) to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival (the annual Labor Day weekend event that draws classic car enthusiasts from across the country to Auburn's historic streets for auctions, shows, and celebrations of the golden age of American automobile design).
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Office: DeKalb County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via dekalbsheriff.in.gov.
Sheriff: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office – 215 E. 8th Street, Auburn, IN 46706; Sheriff Brady Thomas, Chief Deputy Ben Rice. Established 1837. Operates Road Patrol, Investigations, K-9, SWAT, Courthouse Security, School Resource Officers, and Animal Control divisions, plus a bike patrol unit for special events. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (records).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-69 and US-6 serve Auburn, the county seat, about 20 miles north of Fort Wayne.
Notes: Auburn was founded in 1836 by Wesley Park. DeKalb County shares its eastern border with Ohio.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: DeKalb County Courthouse – Auburn, IN. The county’s historic jail history includes an original 1838 log jail, a second jail (1851-1852, $1,000), a third jail designed by T.J. Tolan & Son with “triple gates and the latest Scandinavian locks,” and a 1919 jail that served over 65 years before a new 27,500-square-foot facility was built in 1984-85 for $2.86 million.
Notes: Auburn is genuinely known as the “Home of the Classics” for its historic role as home to the Auburn Automobile Company, Cord Automobile, and Duesenberg – three of the most celebrated names in American automotive history. The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, housed in the company’s original 1930s Art Deco showroom building, displays classic Auburn and Cord automobiles on its first floor and a third-floor Gallery of Excellence of rare Indiana-built cars. The annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, held every Labor Day, draws more than 80,000 visitors for a week-long classic-car auction that is televised nationwide.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: DeKalb County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via co.dekalb.in.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Auburn-DeKalb Public Library (Auburn) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum and annual Festival, along with Pokagon State Park (which extends into the county), are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine, internationally recognized “Home of the Classics” automotive heritage – anchored by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum and its Labor Day festival – is among the standout local cultural facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: DeKalb County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via co.dekalb.in.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Division – 215 E. 8th Street, Auburn, IN 46706; handled directly through the Sheriff’s Office, which employs a dedicated Animal Control Officer.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: DeKalb County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via co.dekalb.in.us.
NOTES: DeKalb County is the seventeenth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, internationally recognized “Home of the Classics” automotive heritage is among the standout local cultural facts covered in this project. 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 DeKalb County
DeKalb County is Indiana’s Classic Car Capital – Auburn’s Art Deco automobile museum celebrates the Cord and Duesenberg cars that represented the pinnacle of American automotive design, and the annual festival is one of the Midwest’s most celebrated classic car events.
Auburn (the county seat, population ~13,000) is where the Auburn Automobile Company produced its legendary vehicles – the National Historic Landmark museum and the annual festival make it a pilgrimage destination for classic car enthusiasts.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
DeKalb County Assessor at 100 S. Main Street, Suite 109, Auburn, IN 46706, phone 260-925-0515. IN residential deductions reduce assessed value.
Courts & Legal
DeKalb County Circuit Court at 100 S. Main Street, Auburn, IN 46706, phone 260-925-0912, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
100 S. Main St., Auburn, IN 46706
(260) 925-0912
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 S. Main St., Auburn, IN 46706
(260) 925-0912
Genealogy
County-level record sources
DeKalb County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, Auburn – significant local history resource tied to the county’s automotive heritage.
Local societies
No dedicated DeKalb 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
DeKalb County Circuit Court 100 South Main Street, Suite 201, Auburn, IN 46706 (260) 925-2764
DeKalb County was authorized February 7, 1835 and organized in 1837, named for Johann, Baron de Kalb, a Revolutionary War general. Its seat, Auburn, is nicknamed “Home of the Classics” for its automotive heritage.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Indiana has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code – probate is governed by Indiana Code Title 29. Indiana offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where the gross probate estate (less liens, encumbrances, and funeral expenses) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after death. The affidavit must be signed and recorded with the county recorder’s office before a personal representative is appointed. No court filing is required.
Devolution of Real Estate Affidavit – a separate affidavit specifically for transferring real property, available 7 months after death, with no value limit on the real estate, recorded with the county recorder.
Unsupervised Administration – a simplified probate track available when the estate is solvent and all inheritors agree; fewer court appearances and filings than supervised administration.
Supervised Administration – full court oversight, used for contested, complex, or insolvent estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and for Issuance of Letters (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Personal Representative (if intestate) with the DeKalb County Circuit Court.
The court reviews the will for compliance with Indiana Code § 29-1-5-3 (in writing, signed by the testator, witnessed by at least 2 credible witnesses).
The court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly 3 months from first publication) to file claims.
The personal representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and distributes the estate.
File a closing statement or final accounting to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Indiana does not have a state estate or inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the DeKalb County Circuit Court.
Indiana has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or personal representatives – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval.
Typical timelines: Small Estate Affidavit – a minimum 45-day wait; Unsupervised Administration – roughly 6-9 months if uncontested; Supervised Administration – 9-12+ months.
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
215 E. 9th St., Auburn, IN 46706
(260) 925-3060
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
100 S. Main St., Auburn, IN 46706
(260) 925-0912
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: DeKalb County Health Department – confirm current contact via co.dekalb.in.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Auburn
Population: 44,000
Area: 364 sq mi
Established: 1835
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for DeKalb County residents.
