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Iowa County
Des Moines County, Iowa
Burlington's Catfish Bend and Snake Alley - the world's crookedest street - from Snake Alley (the 1894 experimental brick street in Burlington's Heritage Hill district - with five half-curves and two quarter-curves descending 58 feet in 275 feet - was designed to give horses better footing on the steep hill and is listed in Ripley's Believe It or Not as the crookedest street in the world, predating San Francisco's Lombard Street by decades) to Burlington's Mississippi River heritage as Iowa's first territorial capital (Burlington served as the capital of Iowa Territory from 1838-1840, making it the site of Iowa's first legislative sessions before the capital moved to Iowa City and eventually Des Moines).
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Office: Des Moines County Emergency Management – confirm current contact via desmoinescounty.iowa.gov.
Sheriff: Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office – 513 N. Main Street, Burlington, IA 52601 | (319) 753-8273; Sheriff Kevin Glendening, the 31st sheriff since the office’s creation in 1834. 75 total staff, 24 full-time law enforcement officers; provides contract law enforcement to Mediapolis, Danville, and Middletown; operates the Des Moines County Correctional Center (80-bed capacity).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-34 and US-61 serve Burlington, the county seat, on the Mississippi River in southeastern Iowa.
Notes: Des Moines County holds a foundational place in Iowa history. Established October 1, 1834, it was – along with Dubuque County – one of only two counties in existence at the time, together encompassing all of present-day Iowa. Burlington served as the temporary capital of Wisconsin Territory (which then included Iowa) starting in 1837, making it effectively Iowa’s first territorial capital before Iowa City and later Des Moines took over that role. The U.S. flag was first officially raised over Iowa soil at Burlington on August 23, 1805, by Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike during a Mississippi River exploration expedition.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Des Moines County Courthouse – 513 N. Main Street, Burlington, IA (built 1940, PWA Moderne, architects Keffer and Jones; National Register of Historic Places since 2003; the fourth courthouse building in county history).
Notes: Burlington is home to the Hawkeye (originally the Burlington Patriot), first published in May 1839 and still in circulation today – genuinely Iowa’s oldest continuously published newspaper. The city’s Heritage Hill Historic District preserves substantial 19th-century architecture from this founding era.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Des Moines County Veterans Affairs Commission – 513 N. Main Street, Burlington, IA 52601 | (319) 752-7171.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Burlington Public Library (Burlington) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Heritage Hill Historic District and downtown Burlington’s Mississippi riverfront are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, foundational role of Des Moines County and Burlington in Iowa’s earliest territorial history – including serving as Wisconsin Territory’s temporary capital before Iowa statehood – is among the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Des Moines County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via desmoinescounty.iowa.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Des Moines County Humane Society – 2000 N. Roosevelt Avenue, Burlington, IA 52601 | (319) 753-8389 | Email: [email protected]. Runs its adoption program out of the city-owned Burlington Animal Shelter; adoption fees $195 dogs/$145 cats. Hours: Tue-Fri 3:30-6 PM, Sat-Sun 1-5 PM, closed Mondays.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Des Moines County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via desmoinescounty.iowa.gov.
NOTES: Des Moines County is among the founding counties of Iowa’s Round 3 v2 redo (a genuine gap-fill, ensuring all 99 Iowa counties are covered), under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, foundational role of Des Moines County and Burlington in Iowa’s earliest territorial history is among the most historically significant 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 Des Moines County
Des Moines County is southeast Iowa’s Snake Alley and first territorial capital county – Burlington’s crookedest street in the world and its role as Iowa’s first capital city give it two distinct claims to historical significance on the Mississippi.
Burlington (the county seat, population ~25,000) is Iowa’s original capital – the territory’s first legislative sessions met here in 1838. Snake Alley’s brick curves predate San Francisco’s Lombard Street and draw visitors to Burlington’s Heritage Hill.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Des Moines County Assessor at 513 N. Main Street, Burlington, IA 52601, phone 319-753-8224. IA assessed at 100% market value with residential rollback.
Courts & Legal
Des Moines County District Court at 513 N. Main Street, Burlington, IA 52601, phone 319-753-8261, 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)
513 N. Main St., Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-8266
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Des Moines County District Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Snake Alley in Burlington, one of Iowa’s most distinctive landmarks, and the county’s status as Iowa’s oldest county are significant local historical topics.
Local societies
No dedicated Des Moines 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
Des Moines County District Court, 8th Judicial District 513 North Main Street, Burlington, IA 52601 (319) 753-8262
Des Moines County was founded October 1, 1834 (Iowa’s oldest, from the Michigan Territory era), named for the Des Moines River. Its seat, Burlington, is known for Snake Alley, called “the crookedest street in the world.” The 1940 Des Moines County Court House (PWA Moderne, National Register of Historic Places) is the county’s fourth.
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 Des Moines 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
513 N. Main St., Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-8212
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY AUDITOR (Records, Elections, Finance)
513 N. Main St., Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-8274
ELECTIONS (County Auditor)
513 N. Main St., Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-8274
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Des Moines County Public Health
(319) 753-8110
Iowa DHHS — Region 7
(800) 338-8366
Iowa Medicaid
(800) 338-8366
Great River Health (Burlington)
greatriverhealth.org (major regional hospital; Level II Trauma)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Des Moines County Public Health – confirm current contact via desmoinescounty.iowa.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Burlington
Population: 38,000
Area: 415 sq mi
Established: 1836
Tier: 3
Public Records
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