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Iowa · Northeast Iowa · #448
Black Hawk County, Iowa
Where the Cedar River runs through the Iowa prairie, Black Hawk County's twin cities - Waterloo and Cedar Falls - have built one of Iowa's most complete regional economies around John Deere manufacturing, the University of Northern Iowa, and a healthcare and financial services sector that anchors the Cedar Valley.
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Office: Black Hawk County Emergency Management Agency – 1925 Newell Street, Waterloo, IA 50707. Alert Iowa system provides free emergency notifications.
Sheriff: Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office – 225 E. 6th Street, Waterloo, IA 50703 | (319) 291-2587 | Dispatch (non-emergency) (319) 291-2515; Sheriff Tony Thompson, who chairs the county Emergency Management Commission. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-218, US-20, and IA-63 serve Waterloo, the county seat, part of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metropolitan area in northeastern Iowa.
Notes: Black Hawk County was formed February 17, 1853, from sections of Buchanan County, named for Sauk leader Black Hawk of the 1832 Black Hawk War. Iowa’s fifth-most populous county. Waterloo was first settled in 1845 as “Prairie Rapids”; the name Waterloo was adopted in 1851 when the town needed a name for its first post office.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Black Hawk County Courthouse – 316 E. 5th Street, Waterloo, IA | (319) 833-3000.
Notes: Waterloo carries genuine, deeply significant World War II history: the five Sullivan brothers – Joseph, Albert, George, Francis, and Madison – all died together on November 13, 1942, when the USS Juneau sank during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Their joint sacrifice was a primary catalyst for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Sole Survivor Policy, established in 1948 and still in force today, which restricts military assignments that would place multiple siblings from one family at equal risk. Waterloo honors their memory at the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum (part of the Grout Museum District) and at Sullivan Brothers Plaza downtown. Waterloo also earned the nickname “Factory City of Iowa” for its industrial boom around 1900, anchored by the Rath Packing Company (once the nation’s largest single-unit meatpacker) and the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, which John Deere purchased in 1918 and which remains a major regional employer today, its history preserved at the John Deere Waterloo museum and the TechWorks campus in the former Deere Tractor Company R Building. Other notable natives/residents include former First Lady Lou Henry Hoover and Olympic gold medalist and longtime Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Black Hawk County Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via blackhawkcounty.iowa.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Waterloo Public Library and Cedar Falls Public Library – confirm current addresses/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, Grout Museum District, Rensselaer Russell House Museum, George Wyth Memorial State Park, and the Riverloop Amphitheater are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, historically pivotal story of the Sullivan brothers and its lasting effect on U.S. military policy is among the most significant wartime histories covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Black Hawk County Assessor’s Office / GIS mapping – confirm current contact via blackhawkcounty.iowa.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Cedar Bend Humane Society – 1166 W. Airline Highway, Waterloo, IA (open since 1968; the only full-service, open-admission animal shelter in Black Hawk County); confirm current phone via cedarbendhumane.org. City of Waterloo Animal Control Services – (319) 883-0797 | Email: [email protected]. Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM-10 PM (on-call outside regular hours); after hours, contact Black Hawk County Dispatch (non-emergency), (319) 291-2515. Waterloo contracts with Cedar Bend Humane Society for stray animal boarding.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Black Hawk County Environmental/Solid Waste – confirm current contact via blackhawkcounty.iowa.gov.
NOTES: Black Hawk County is the seventh county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, historically pivotal story of the Sullivan brothers and its lasting effect on U.S. military policy is among the most significant wartime histories 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 Black Hawk County
Black Hawk County’s economic identity is inseparable from John Deere. The company’s Waterloo facilities – manufacturing tractors, engines, and combines – represent one of the largest agricultural equipment manufacturing concentrations in the world, employing thousands of workers who have defined Waterloo’s working-class culture through UAW representation and a multi-generational relationship with the factory that the county’s social fabric still reflects. When Deere’s production cycles contract, Waterloo feels it acutely; when they expand, the regional economy grows with visible confidence.
Cedar Falls, the county’s second city, has a distinct character built around the University of Northern Iowa – a comprehensive public university with about 9,000 students and particularly strong programs in education, business, and the arts. UNI’s presence gives Cedar Falls a college-town character that complements Waterloo’s manufacturing identity. The Cedar Valley’s healthcare sector – MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center, UnityPoint Health Allen – has grown into a major employer. The John G. Vaudt Iowa Softball Complex, the Cattle Congress (national agricultural exposition), and the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro’s surprisingly robust restaurant and arts scene reflect a regional center with genuine cultural ambitions. Black Hawk County is also notable as the birthplace of Lou Henry Hoover (Herbert Hoover’s wife) and as the setting for several significant civil rights milestones in Iowa history.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Iowa assesses property at 100% of actual value, with assessments conducted biennially (odd years) by local assessors. The effective tax rate is determined by local levy rates applied to assessed value. Property owners may appeal to the local Board of Review by April 25 (or within 20 days of the notice, whichever is later); further appeal goes to the Iowa Property Assessment Appeal Board or District Court. Iowa offers a homestead credit and a military service property tax exemption. Iowa has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Area Agency on Aging – Region 6 (Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging)
2101 Kimball Avenue, Suite 307, Waterloo, IA 50702
Phone: (319) 272-2244
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, home modification, and long-term care options counseling for Black Hawk County residents.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging – Region 6 (Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging)
2101 Kimball Avenue, Suite 307, Waterloo, IA 50702
Phone: (319) 272-2244
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, home modification, and long-term care options counseling for Black Hawk County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF DISTRICT COURT (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
316 E. 5th St., Waterloo, IA 50703
(319) 833-3332
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Black Hawk County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
University of Northern Iowa Special Collections and Archives, Cedar Falls, holds significant regional historical materials.
Local societies
No dedicated Black Hawk 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
Black Hawk County District Court, 1st Judicial District 316 East 5th Street, Waterloo, IA 50703 (319) 833-3331
Black Hawk County is named for the Sauk leader Black Hawk. It is home to Waterloo and Cedar Falls, and to the University of Northern Iowa.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Iowa has its own comprehensive probate code (Iowa Code Chapter 633) and has not formally adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Iowa offers several tracks depending on estate size and complexity:
Distribution by Affidavit (“very small estates”) – for estates where the gross value of personal property is $50,000 or less and there is no real estate, available 40 days after death under Iowa Code § 633.356. A sworn affidavit is presented directly to banks and other institutions. No court filing is required.
Small Estate Administration – a simplified probate process under Iowa Code Chapter 635 for estates with a gross value of $200,000 or less, with reduced notice requirements and court costs compared to full administration.
Regular (Full) Probate – standard administration through the district court for larger or more complex estates, which can be independent (unsupervised) or supervised.
Supervised Administration – closer court oversight, typically used for contested estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Executor (if there’s a will) or a Petition for Administration (if intestate) with the Black Hawk County District Court.
The court admits the will (if any) and issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (intestate) appointing the personal representative.
Publish notice to creditors; under independent administration, creditors generally have 4 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays valid debts and expenses, and – under independent administration – largely acts without ongoing court check-ins.
After the creditor period closes and debts are paid, the personal representative distributes assets to heirs or beneficiaries.
File a final accounting/final report; the court closes the estate upon approval.
What it costs
Personal representative fees are capped by statute at 3% of the gross value of the probate estate (excluding life insurance) unless services are itemized; attorney fees follow a similar framework.
Recording fees at the county recorder run about $7 for the first page of a document and $5 for each additional page.
Typical timelines: Distribution by Affidavit – a minimum 40-day wait; independent (unsupervised) probate typically closes in 6-12 months, with the 4-month creditor period as the primary timing constraint.
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
225 E. 6th St., Waterloo, IA 50703
(319) 291-2587
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
316 E. 5th St., Waterloo, IA 50703
(319) 833-3012
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
316 E. 5th St., Waterloo, IA 50703
(319) 833-3012
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Black Hawk County Health Dept
(319) 292-2380
Iowa DHHS — Region 1
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
UnityPoint Health — Allen Hospital (Waterloo)
unitypoint.org/waterloo (major regional hospital; Level II Trauma)
Covenant Medical Center (Waterloo)
covmedcenter.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Black Hawk County Health Department – confirm current contact via blackhawkcounty.iowa.gov.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Waterloo
Population: 132,000
Area: 567 sq mi
Established: 1843
Tier: 3
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Black Hawk County facilities via Amazon.
