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Indiana County
LaGrange County, Indiana
Shipshewana - the heart of Indiana's Amish country - from Shipshewana's Amish Acres and Flea Market (the Shipshewana Trading Place flea market and auction - the largest outdoor flea market in the Midwest - and the surrounding Amish community draw over a million visitors annually to the buggy-filled streets of the largest Amish community in Indiana) to LaGrange County's Old Order Amish population (LaGrange County has the highest concentration of Old Order Amish in Indiana - the horse-drawn buggies, hand-built barns, and traditional agriculture of the Amish community create a living 19th-century landscape that attracts visitors seeking authentic Plain community experiences).
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Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: LaGrange County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via lagrangecounty.org.
Sheriff: LaGrange County Sheriff’s Office – confirm current address/phone via lagrangecounty.org. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM (administrative).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-20 and SR-9 serve LaGrange, the county seat, in the Michiana region of northeastern Indiana, about 55 miles east of South Bend.
Notes: LaGrange County was named for the French residence of General Lafayette. The first settlement was founded about half a mile west of Lima in 1828. In 1837, the U.S. government removed Chief Shipshewana and the Potawatomi people from the county’s northwest corner; the chief was later allowed to return and died in Newbury Township in 1841.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: LaGrange County Courthouse – 105 N. Detroit Street, LaGrange, IN (red brick with a clock tower, standing on the town square since 1878).
Notes: LaGrange County holds a genuinely remarkable demographic distinction: roughly half the county’s population is Amish, making it home to the third-largest Amish community in the United States, part of the Elkhart-LaGrange Amish affiliation (the second-largest Old Order Amish affiliation in the country), founded in 1841. The first Amish families arrived from Pennsylvania in 1844, settling near the abandoned town of Georgetown; the town of Shipshewana was later platted nearby in 1899 and incorporated in 1916. Roughly 28% of county residents report speaking German, Pennsylvania German, or Dutch at home. LaGrange County partners with neighboring Elkhart County to promote the region as “Northern Indiana Amish Country,” and the Menno-Hof Amish-Mennonite Information Center in Shipshewana offers respectful educational exhibits on Amish and Mennonite history and beliefs.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: LaGrange County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via lagrangecounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
LaGrange County Public Library (LaGrange) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Shipshewana (Amish buggy rides, shops, the famous Shipshewana Flea Market), the Menno-Hof Amish-Mennonite Information Center, and the historic LaGrange County Courthouse square are the county’s premier heritage and cultural attractions.
Notes: The genuine, remarkable scale of LaGrange County’s Amish community – roughly half the county’s population, the third-largest such community in the nation – is among the most distinctive local cultural facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: LaGrange County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via lagrangecounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via lagrangecounty.org; LaGrange County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: LaGrange County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via lagrangecounty.org.
NOTES: LaGrange County is the forty-fifth county completed in Indiana’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, remarkable scale of LaGrange County’s Amish community is among the most distinctive local cultural facts covered anywhere 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 LaGrange County
LaGrange County is Indiana’s Amish heartland – Shipshewana’s enormous flea market and the highest concentration of Old Order Amish in Indiana draw over a million visitors annually to the buggy-filled roads of northeast Indiana.
Shipshewana (population ~700) generates tourism far exceeding its tiny size – the flea market, auction, and surrounding Amish community create an economic ecosystem supporting restaurants, inns, and craft shops throughout the area.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
LaGrange County Assessor at 114 W. Michigan Street, Suite 1, LaGrange, IN 46761, phone 260-499-6315. IN residential deductions reduce assessed value.
Courts & Legal
LaGrange County Circuit Court at 114 W. Michigan Street, LaGrange, IN 46761, phone 260-499-6358, 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)
114 W. Michigan St., LaGrange, IN 46761
(260) 499-6369
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
114 W. Michigan St., LaGrange, IN 46761
(260) 499-6369
Genealogy
County-level record sources
LaGrange County Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The county’s large and fast-growing Amish community makes local genealogical and settlement history particularly rich, though records are often maintained separately within Amish communities themselves.
Local societies
No dedicated LaGrange 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
LaGrange County Circuit Court 105 North Detroit Street, LaGrange, IN 46761 (260) 499-6358
LaGrange County is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing Amish communities in the United States.
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 LaGrange 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 LaGrange 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
812 S. Detroit St., LaGrange, IN 46761
(260) 499-6350
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
114 W. Michigan St., LaGrange, IN 46761
(260) 499-6369
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: LaGrange County Health Department – 304 N. Townline Road, Suite 1, LaGrange, IN 46761 | (260) 499-4182 | Fax (260) 499-4189 | Email: [email protected].
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: LaGrange
Population: 40,000
Area: 380 sq mi
Established: 1832
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for LaGrange County residents.
