Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Davis County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via daviscountyiowa.gov. Local commission includes the Sheriff, Board of Supervisors representative, and city officials per Iowa Code Chapter 29C.
Sheriff: Davis County Sheriff’s Office – 102 Anderson Street, Bloomfield, IA 52537 | (641) 664-1540 | Fax (641) 664-2385 | Email: [email protected].
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-63 and IA-2 serve Bloomfield, the county seat, in southeastern Iowa.
Notes: Davis County was formed in 1843, named for Garrett Davis, a Kentucky congressman and later U.S. senator.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Davis County Courthouse – 100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA (built 1877, Second Empire style, T.J. Tolan & Sons architects, built by Larkworthy and Menke; National Register of Historic Places since 1974, part of the Bloomfield Square historic district; visible for miles and the community’s focal point). It is the second courthouse in county history, following a two-story log structure that became unusable by 1851.
Notes: Bloomfield is home to two genuinely distinctive facts. First, the James B. Weaver House (built 1865, National Historic Landmark since 1975) was home to James Baird Weaver, whose family settled in Davis County in 1843. Weaver became a Civil War Union officer, U.S. congressman, and twice a third-party presidential candidate – for the Greenback Party in 1880 and the Populist (“People’s”) Party in 1892, when he won over one million popular votes and 22 electoral votes. Second, the countryside surrounding Bloomfield is home to Iowa’s largest Amish settlement, founded in 1971 south of Drakesville and now numbering over 300 Amish families across roughly 8 church districts, with more than 1,800 Amish residents as of recent counts and dozens of Amish-owned businesses (furniture, woodworking, baskets, produce) open to visitors, including the seasonal Southern Iowa Produce Auction.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Davis County Veterans Affairs – 100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bloomfield Public Library (Bloomfield) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The James B. Weaver House, the Davis County Courthouse and Bloomfield Square historic district, and the surrounding Amish settlement’s shops and produce auctions are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, well-documented presence of Iowa’s largest Amish community – and its remarkable growth since being founded in 1971 – alongside a National Historic Landmark tied to a major 19th-century third-party presidential campaign, make Davis County one of the more historically layered counties covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Davis County Assessor’s Office – 100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537 | (641) 664-3101.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
⚠️ No confirmed dedicated Davis County, Iowa animal shelter was found in current sourcing. Residents should contact the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, (641) 664-1540, or Bloomfield Police Department, (641) 664-2700, for current animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Davis County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via daviscountyiowa.gov.
NOTES: Davis County is the twenty-sixth county in Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, well-documented presence of Iowa’s largest Amish community alongside a National Historic Landmark tied to a major 19th-century third-party presidential campaign make Davis County one of the more historically layered counties covered in this project. ⚠️ Animal services could not be confirmed and are flagged for follow-up rather than smoothed over. 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 Davis County County
Davis County is southeast Iowa’s Amish heritage and Fox River agricultural county – the Old Order Amish community in the rolling countryside and the traditional farming landscape define a small community where Bloomfield serves the county’s diverse agricultural population near the Missouri border.
Bloomfield (the county seat, population ~2,600) is Davis County’s governmental hub on US 63, a southeast Iowa community whose Amish heritage, Fox River watershed, and courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Davis County Assessor at 100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537, phone 641-664-2025. IA assessed at actual value.
Courts & Legal
Davis County District Court at 100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537, phone 641-664-1071, handles probate.
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)
100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537
(641) 664-2011
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Davis County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The county’s significant Amish community is a distinctive local cultural and settlement-history topic.
Local societies
No dedicated Davis 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
Davis County District Court, 8th Judicial District 100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537 (641) 664-2011 Davis County is in southern Iowa near the Missouri border, home to a significant Amish community.
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 Davis 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
100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537
(641) 664-1150
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537
(641) 664-2011
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
100 Courthouse Square, Bloomfield, IA 52537
(641) 664-2011
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Davis County Community Services – (641) 664-1993.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bloomfield
Population: 9,000
Area: 504 sq mi
Established: 1843
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Davis County County residents.
